Chachapoyas - Getting To and Away

By Lorraine Caputo

Bus Service

To Celendín: Virgen del Carmen (Salamanca 650)—Tuesday, Friday, Saturday 5 a.m.; 30 soles/$10; 14 hours. Transportes Chuquibamba (Salamanca and Merced)—Monday, Friday.

To Chiclayo, Trujillo or Lima: Kuélap (Ortiz Arrieta 412)—Chiclayo (daily 7 p.m.; 33 soles/$11; 9 hours; snack). Civa (Salamanca 956)—Chiclayo (daily 6 p.m.; 25 soles/$8.30; 11 hours); Lima (Monday, Wednesday, Friday, noon; 70 soles/$23.30; 24 hours; meals). Movil Tours (Libertad 464)—Chiclayo and Trujillo (daily 8 p.m.; 45 soles/$15, 9 hours, and 60 soles/$20, 12 hours, respectively; snack); Lima (daily noon; 105 soles/$35; 22 hours; meals). Zelada (Ortiz Arrieta 310)—Chiclayo (daily 8 p.m.; 25 soles/$8.30; 9 hours); to Lima (daily 11:30 a.m.; 75 soles/$25US; 22 hours; dinner).

To Rodríguez de Mendoza: Transportes Guayabamba (400-block, Ortiz Arrieta) daily 0500-2400; 22 soles/$7.30US; 3 hours. Fátima (Salamanca 914) daily 7:30 a.m., 2:00 p.m.; 15 soles/$5US; 4 hours. Zelada—daily 4 p.m.; 12 soles/$4; 4 hours.

There are terminals on Ortiz Arrieta (400-block); Hermosura (300-block) and Grau (200-300-block). Every type of transportation leaves to all points (including Kuélap and Rioja) from Libertad (700-900 blocks) at 4 a.m. - 7 a.m. and 3 p.m.  - 5 p.m.. For Moyobamba and Tarapoto, go to Pedro Ruiz and transfer from there.

Air Service

Chachapoyas has an airport, located two kilometers north of the city.  Flights to Lima are offered only once a week (Friday 8 a.m.) and cost 180 soles/$60 one way.

La Balza Border Crossing

Due north of Chachapoyas is a crossing into Ecuador, convenient for getting to Vilcabamba, Ecuador. This journey has been described as adventuresome and beautiful, through a landscape of cloud-bathed jungle mountains strewn with orchids. Expect delays due to landslides (especially December - April) and roadwork. You will need two days; hotels exist in every transfer point.

In Chachapoyas, catch a colectivo taxi to Bagua Grande from the 500-block of Jr. Grau (3:30 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily; 22 soles/$7.10; 3 hours). A cheaper alternative is a combi to Pedro Ruiz, leaving from the 400-block of Ortiz Arrieta (8 a.m. - 5 p.m., every two hours; 7 soles/$2.10; 1.5 hours) and then a combi to Bagua Grande (7 soles/$2.0; 1.5 hours).

The one-hour combi ride from Bagua Grande to Jaén costs 5 soles/$1.60; a mototaxi between the terminals is 1 sol/$0.30. Another combi takes you to San Ignacio (12 soles/$4; 3 hours); then a colectivo to La Balza, the Peruvian border post (12 soles/$4; 1.5 hours). On the other side of the bridge is La Balsa, Ecuador. Immigration is open on both sides 0600-1800; there are moneychangers.

From La Balsa, several chivas a day go to Zumba ($1.75; 2 hours), and three buses from Zumba to Vilcabamba ($6.50; 5 hours).