Caverna de Quiocta

What makes it special

The first thing you see is the mouth, about three metres high, with rock paintings on the walls to your right and left. They are mostly shapeless marks. From the entrance onward, bones of animals and people lie on the cave floor.

Those bones are the reason the cave matters. The Chachapoya, whose culture ran from about 500 to 1470, used Quiocta as a burial and ritual place, and mummies and grave goods have been found here.

The cave runs 545 metres and is almost level, climbing only gently from the mouth. The first formations begin roughly 300 metres in, where water dripping from the roof has built cones of calcium carbonate.

The lighting was designed to show off those stalactites, and its lit stations along the walkway mark the stops on the route. The formations carry names across seven chambers: the cacique looking at the princess, the mummy, the angel looking at the birth, the wishing fountain. Bats live in the cave too.

Visiting

Start in Lámud, not at the cave. Tickets are sold at the municipal tourism office there until mid-afternoon, and the same ticket covers the Lámud museum. Hire rubber boots, a helmet and a torch in town too, for example at the Pucatambo tourism association.

From Lámud the road runs out to the Chumblate rest stop, which has a museum of finds from digs around the cave. A short path leads on from there to the mouth.

Inside, keep to the walkway from the burial remains at the entrance to the formation halls, and walk it slowly.

Guided or on your own

Plan to go in with an accredited local guide, hired in Lámud and best booked ahead. The town's guided visit takes in three stops, the Lámud museum, the cave and an interpretation centre, and the guide names the formations as you go.

Day tours from Chachapoyas pair Quiocta with the Karajía sarcophagi. They suit you if you have one day and no car, since no public transport reaches the cave itself.

Tips

Pack a change of clothes for the ride back, because you come out of Quiocta muddy. Wear trekking shoes for the walk in and a waterproof jacket inside, since the cave stays cool and damp all year.

Keep your hands off the stalactites and stalagmites, which are left in their natural state.