Head to northern Peru for stunning views without the crowds

What it lacks in visitors, it more than makes up for with charm, says Nicola Brady

Go for a more immersive, cultural experience – minus the Inca hipsters (Photos Nicola Brady)

It’s been a long climb. We’ve been trudging along the side of a mountain for the guts of three hours, scrambling up muddy stone steps and over the thick vines that creep from the tree trunks onto the path. The sweat is clinging to me as desperately as I’m gripping onto my walking stick, which has twice saved me from slipping on my belly back to the start of the trail.

But as we reach what I can only pray is the summit, I start to hear the powerful surge of nearby water, and realise that we’ve (finally) made it. A hop, skip and a rickety rope bridge later, and we’re there – Gocta Waterfall. It’s a beast, well over 2,000 feet high, and the water charges over the caramel coloured stone, sending clouds of icy spray onto my bright pink face.

The views are breathtaking. And I mean that quite literally – I am panting like a basset hound. The worst part is, contrary to my naive assumption, we’re not even at altitude. But unfit wheezing aside, it really is one hell of a view.

What’s more remarkable? There’s barely another soul here.

It’s a recurring theme in this part of Peru. A huge chunk of visitors to the country flock to Machu Picchu, while the northern part of Peru is devoid of the tourists who tend to follow the same path. But what it lacks in visitors, it more than makes up for with magnificent mountains, archaeological wonders and charming cities.

I’m on a group tour with G Adventures, on a National Geographic Journey. The aim? A more immersive, cultural experience, with expert guides and exclusive access.

The long hike to Gocta Waterfall is worth the toil (Nicola Brady)

The accommodation is also of a higher quality, with an emphasis on local, family-run operations. For the first three nights, we stay in Casa Hacienda Achamaqui, a lodge deep in the mountains of Chachapoyas. It’s dreamily beautiful, with terracotta tiles on the sloping roof, two dogs running around our feet and the Andes practically at the end of our armies (sorry).

It’s also a handy spot for exploring the region. We head out to Kuelap, the “Machu Picchu of the north”, a fortified city made up of hundreds of circular stone buildings (and, much to my delight, a herd of resident llamas).

Kuelap is home to a herd of resident llamas (Nicola Brady)

It’s not a competition, but if it were, Kuelap would be the winner – not only does it predate Machu Picchu by hundreds of years, it’s at a higher elevation, at almost 10,000 feet. It’s also easy as pie to reach, courtesy of a brand new cable car that saves you a hefty hike and whizzes you over the grooves and dips of the valley.

Wherever you are, it’s hard to keep your eyes off the mountains (and not only because I’m dying to spot one of the elusive spectacled “Paddington” bears). I spend our long drives with my face pressed against the window, watching the furiously blue rivers charge alongside the road, the mountains rising in the background, dotted with cacti and wild thickets of palm trees.

It’s an even wilder drive up to Amazilia, a tiny coffee farm and eco-lodge that you’d never find without the National Geographic experts – the white-knuckle route up their driveway nearly breaks my coccyx. But it’s a dreamland at the summit, with raggedy gardens and an outdoor dining area where you can sit with a purple corn flour pizza fresh out of the clay oven, and watch the sun set over the palms.

At Amazilia, tuck into some corn flour pizzas (Nicola Brady)

Things are a little different when we hit the coastal city of Chiclayo – just two steps out of the hotel lobby and the noise hits me like a smack to the face. There’s a frenzy of traffic, commuters and street vendors, who cook up a drool-inducing variety of dishes, from skewers of chicken livers to fresh churros. I nab a piping hot empanada the size of a puppy and eat it as I walk, the crispy shell dripping with salty cheese.

This region is a hotbed for historical sights, like in Huaca Rajada, where the Lord of Sipan’s tomb was discovered. You can walk around excavated burial chambers filled with (replica) skeletons of Moche warriors, sacrificial guards and llamas, oddly enough. In the Royal Tombs of Sipan Museum, you’ll find displays of the treasures that were found within – like narigueras, a gold shield worn under the mouth to hide facial expressions, alongside elaborately beaded neckpieces and glimmering jewellery.

Blissful solitude can be found in Trujillo (Nicola Brady)

By the time we reach Trujillo a few days later, I’ll admit I’ve had my fill of tombs. Lucky for me, Trujillo is a gorgeous city with baroque churches, vintage cars and bookstores filled with towers of dusty paperbacks.

Ambling around Plaza de Armas as the sunlight fades, we’re practically the only tourists in sight – a far cry from Lima, a city filled to the brim with dudes in hiking boots about to hit the Inca Trail. As I sit with a Pisco sour, in blissful solitude, I’m glad I’m not one of them.

Travel Essentials

The nine-day Explore Northern Peru trip with G Adventures costs from £1,799pps. Fly from Gatwick to Lima with British Airways (britishairways.com) from £463 return.

For more information visit peru.travel