Full of remarkable pre-Inca ruins and blessed with outstanding spots of natural beauty, the area surrounding the small town of Leymebamba and the wider the Chachapoyas region is one of the most exciting and adventurous destinations in Peru. The best place to stay is Kentitambo Lodge, directly opposite the Leymebabma Museum.
Kentitambo Lodge – the best Leymebamba hotel
Our friend Adriana Von Hagen and her partner Oscar Bravo have recently opened a guest house called Kentitambo Lodge. While it’s more of a cosy natural retreat than a hotel, it definitely qualifies as the best Leymebamba hotel on offer.
Leymebamba Museum Opposite Kentitambo Lodge
Adriana is the co-director of the Leymebamba museum and has wanted to have accommodation in the area ever since the first museum visitors told her “we want to stay here”, and the delightful Kentitambo developed from there.
Hummingbirds at Kentitambo
The building had originally been a house for observing hummingbirds and it was from here that the property derived its name; Kentitambo translates as “Hummingbird Inn” in Quechua, and the 10 hummingbird feeders that are dotted around still attract swathes of these beautiful birds.
A wonderful and relaxing property, Kentitambo blends into the vast and dwindling cloud forest environment rather beautifully, taking on the appearance of a Tudor house with ecologically-sourced timber assembled using wattle and daub. An entire bathroom is crafted from trees that have fallen in the grounds of the property, and the Eucalyptus trees used on the remainder have recently been grown nearby and are easily replenished. All of the water used at Kentitambo is collected rainwater.
Simple but comfortable
In a simple but stylish fashion, an amicable level of comfort is offered to guests, with the two guest bedrooms including many fine details that are befitting of imaginative, careful and intelligent interior design. Each room has an ensuite bathroom and a private terrace overlooking the museum and a pond and the beds have comfortable cotton sheets and duvets. There are also two rooms available in Adriana’s home that are being fitted in the same style to accommodate room for more travellers.
Kenti Cafe is the property’s adjoining eatery, where Adriana is developing a menu to snazz up some of the local ingredients as well as to offer more traditional comfort food. She already sources coffee from the area and makes a sumptuous range of ice-creams and sorbets using fresh local fruit.
Traversing the property’s grounds is a delightful way to spend the day. This chunk of land was bought with the purpose of conserving the forest here – Aracari founder and director Marisol was in fact one of those involved with the purchase. The forest provides a beautiful environment for hiking, picnics and horseback riding amongst other activities.
Exploring more of Chachapoyas
Kentitambo offers the perfect base to explore the Chachapoyas region further, with a Kuelap tour comfortable within a day and the Leymebamba museum right next door. It is also a good starting point for trekking to Laguna de los Condores. Guests can fly for around an hour from Lima and arrive in either Jaen, Chiclayo, Cajamarca or Tarapoto from where the overland trip can be made to Kentitambo, this means that we can plan a Chachapoyas itinerary with any of these destinations included.
For travel inspiration, check out our Peru’s Best Kept Secret itinerary, which includes all of the regions’ highlights, such as Kuelap, Gocta Falls, the Leymebamba Museum, and of course a stay at this welcoming Leymebamba hotel.
Aracari specialises in luxury, tailormade travel to Peru. To start planning your Peru adventure, contact us or email travel@aracari.com
