Situated an hour outside the city of Chachapoyas, the pre-Inca fortress of Kuelap is a remarkable place. When it comes to scale and significance, comparisons are often made to Machu Picchu, and the site's remote location in rolling mountains surrounded by cloud forest is similarly one to be marvelled at. Kuelap, however, receives only a fraction of the visitors of Machu Picchu, making a journey here all the more atmospheric and rewarding if you can brave the challenging journey. The site itself is distinguished by its mighty stone walls and complex of over 300 circular stone houses dotted around various levels of the sprawling complex. Your guide will lead you around the most significant areas of the complex and recount some of the theories surrounding it, and you will find it difficult not be enchanted by this most tranquil of ancient cities.