Visiting the Sarcophagi of Karajía
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| The Sarcophagi of Karajía |
If you're interested in archaeology and history, then a visit to the Sarcófagos de Karajía (or Carajía) is definitely for you. If not, you might want to reconsider your choice of activity since the start of the hike to see the sarcophagus isn't as accessible as others in the area. Gocta Falls or Kuelap are easier to reach by public transportation.
If you don't have a car, your best option is to book a tour to Karajía in Chachapoyas. From there it'll take you about 2.5 hours to get to Cruzpata where the hike down to the sarcophagus starts. We used our car and it took us even a bit longer than that since most of the route is gravel roads.
Once in Cruzpata, we paid our entrance fee (10 Soles) and started the short 1k hike down to the lookout. It's not a difficult or long hike but since it is at quite high altutitude the way back up got a bit strenuous. Nothing you can't handle though if you are averagely fit!
The actual sarcophagi of Karajía were a bit disappointing to be honest. True, they are unique in regards to their excellent state of conservation (due to the location in the middle of a steep stone wall) and also quite large (about 2.5m tall). However, as a normal visitor you don't get very close and it was a bit anticlimactic to see them for real after all the pictures you see in the tourism offices.
That said, it wasn't a bad experience and the area is nice enough but it felt as if the site wasn't worth such a long drive to get there.
If you don't have a car, your best option is to book a tour to Karajía in Chachapoyas. From there it'll take you about 2.5 hours to get to Cruzpata where the hike down to the sarcophagus starts. We used our car and it took us even a bit longer than that since most of the route is gravel roads.
Once in Cruzpata, we paid our entrance fee (10 Soles) and started the short 1k hike down to the lookout. It's not a difficult or long hike but since it is at quite high altutitude the way back up got a bit strenuous. Nothing you can't handle though if you are averagely fit!
The actual sarcophagi of Karajía were a bit disappointing to be honest. True, they are unique in regards to their excellent state of conservation (due to the location in the middle of a steep stone wall) and also quite large (about 2.5m tall). However, as a normal visitor you don't get very close and it was a bit anticlimactic to see them for real after all the pictures you see in the tourism offices.
That said, it wasn't a bad experience and the area is nice enough but it felt as if the site wasn't worth such a long drive to get there.
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| on our way down to the lookout |
For more information on this hike or other activities in the area, you can contact me on Facebook: Las Cabañitas de Gocta
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