Like all different available path’s, when deciding to fly or bus to Chachapoyas from Lima you have your pros and cons. Only Atsa Airlines flies from Lima to Chachapoyas and flights are relatively cheap, taking only an hour and 20 minutes to get there. The biggest advantage is the view of the Andes Mountains along the Cordillera Blanca, including Huascarán, the tallest mountain peak in Peru, standing tall at 6,768 m (22,205 ft) and the tallest in all the Earth’s tropics. Another plus to taking a plane is the view of all the villages in between the mountains, ridges, and valleys. Every time I see these villages, I’m left with the same question… how does one even get to these towns with what appears to be no access? Going by bus takes 20-26 hours and maybe longer with the risk of the roads being blocked by mudslides or construction. The only pro I see with taking a bus is that you get to see the great landscapes from the ground level with a few, time-limited stops along the way.

Along this portion of the Andes mountain range you will a myth about the forbidden love between the Huascaran and Huandoy mountains. Huandoy was a beautiful princess, daughter of the Sun God Inti, who fell in love with a mortal warrior named Huascaran. Their love was forbidden by Inti, as he wanted her to marry a God. When Huascaran and Huandoy secretly married, Inti was furious. In his anger, he turned them both into mountains that were separated by the deep valley of Llanganuco. There are two lakes in this valley known as the Llanganuco Lakes, and it is said that they are made up of the tears from the sadness of these two lovers. These tears stream down the mountain each year when the snow melts into the valleys.

If you are going to take this flight, please take my advice; you’d be remiss if you do not grab yourself a window seat on the east-facing side of the plane… preferably towards the front. The topography and landscapes are so unreal from this height. Imagine having a small fraction of a God’s view of this masterpiece of a creation. The Andes mountains, which run pretty much the span of South America, really like to show off their diversity along the Peruvian portion.

Yes… I am sure that the portion of the Andes between Chile and Argentina boasts some of the more violently jagged peaks to pierce into the sky. However, on the Peruvian portion, you have a front row seat to the clashing of extremes from both ends of a spectrum, desert to glacier. For me, what presents as one of the greatest mysteries from an anthropological perspective is the number of small towns hidden inside the crevices and high valleys of the earthly maze. There are no recognizable passages into these towns. In my vast imagination, I can see how a great flood subsided and, as it drained out of these mountainous regions, it somehow left behind seeds of humans embedded in the soil. Then these human seeds germinated, sprouted, and grew out of the Earth to find themselves in this landlocked space with no choice but to develop their towns and learn the secrets of the areas around them. These areas, of course, being microcosms of an exponentially greater part of the human fabric of our planet.

Whether by bus or by plane, the trip to Chachapoyas from Lima is magical and has enticed me to add the Huascarán National Park to my list of must see sites in Peru.