Families in the north of Peru

Gocta falls with family and kids

Peru with the family? Three generations – a grandmother, two mothers and two children aged 10 and 6 – set off recently to explore Gocta Lodge, in the north of Peru.

Margaret Jarvis, fresh from her Amazon trip, was determined to make the most of the tour, as was Lorne Blythe, mother of Callum, on their first visit to Peru.

Here the two give us an insight into their trip, with more photos on Facebook.

Margaret writes:

“At 79 I no longer have unlimited time in which to travel to exotic parts of the world. When the chance came to go to an area of Peru I had not previously visited I took it enthusiastically.

We flew to Tarapoto from Lima. Tarapoto has a large number of three-wheeled motor taxis, buzzing around the town like bumblebees. The ride was a new experience.

Gocta Lodge was reached the next day after an interesting long and scenic drive in a minibus, with a stop at an orchid reserve on land rescued from a coffee plantation. The lodge was welcoming and comfortable and provided an excellent dinner.

Kuelap

The next morning we were expertly driven by Miguel, on roads ascending seemingly impossible slopes, to the spectacular Chachapoyan fortress of Kuelap. Relaxation on return to the lodge involved a swim in the pool for the boys; pisco sours, delicious, for the adults.

Next day a visit to a fascinating market- everything from pigs to leather belts could be bought; then a walk across a steep hillside to see the Chachapoyan tombs at Revash. We needed our rain ponchos here; the walk began with some extremely slippery stone-built sloping paths, followed by muddy puddles – just like home! A good day.

Gocta Falls

We didn’t want a third day of driving so we opted for the walk to the Gocta Falls, the third highest in the world, which we could see from the lodge.

Our guide was Carlotta, a beautiful young woman from the adjacent village of Cocachimba. She looked after me assiduously and was impressed with my capacity to walk both ways, avoiding the option to be rescued by going back on horseback. I was, she told me, in Spanish, a heroine and a champion; she would never forget me!

The boys had a ride back, not that they needed to be carried – they thought it would be much more fun than walking.

Gorgeous waterfalls

Back to Tarapoto after that, to the Puma river lodge, out of town, beautifully situated on a slope above the river.

The pool here was popular with the two boys, but not in the evenings; then it is taken over by frogs!

In the morning a group of 8 or so from the lodge were guided through lovely forest to a waterfall. The more adventurous had an obviously exhilarating swim there.

A thoroughly enjoyable and interesting experience.”

A mum’s perspective

Lorne Blyth, of Flavours of Italy holidays, was on one of the two mums on board. She was concerned about how to keep her kid entertained in Peru.

She writes:

“When we arrived at Gocta the first questions my 10-year-old asked was: ‘What’s the wi-fi code?’

He was horrified by the reply – ‘It’s impossible here’ – so instead of connecting with the outside world, we spent our days exploring the local area both on foot and on horse back, and enjoying the facilities of the lodge. There is no shortage of activities for kids.

Are we nearly there?

He loved the swimming pool and I was very happy to enjoy a Pisco Sour whilst soaking up the view.

This is an amazing location and lodge – travelling there does involve a long bus journey and all the excursions organised by the lodge involve long, but rewarding days in the minibus.

It’s not a journey for the “are we nearly there yet” kids!”

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