The water of the lagoon reflects the tops of the moss-covered trees with an almost unsettling perfection, like a mirror that duplicates silence. The Laguna de las Momias, hidden among the cloud forests of the Amazonas region in northern Peru, does not appear on many standard tourist maps, and this is exactly why it is worth the trip. The starting point to reach it is Leymebamba, a small settlement at about 2,700 meters above sea level, from where muleback excursions are organized that require at least two days of walking.
The lagoon owes its name to the over 200 Chachapoya mummies recovered in 1997 from the chullpas — the funerary towers — built directly into the limestone rock of the sheer cliffs overlooking the water. Those mummies are now preserved and visible at the Leymebamba Museum, inaugurated in 2000 with the support of the Nor Yauyos-Cochas Foundation. The lake itself, however, remains one of the rarest views in the entire Andean region.
The colors of dawn over the lagoon
At dawn, when the fog of the cloud forest has not yet dissipated, the surface of the water takes on gray-silver hues that fade into the dark green of the surrounding vegetation walls. The light slowly filters through the tree canopy — dominated by polylepis and wild orchids — and creates horizontal bands of color that change every quarter of an hour. It is the moment when the reflection of the chullpas on the rocks is clearest, because the wind is almost absent and the surface remains still.
Those who arrive at the base camp the evening before, after the first day of trekking, can position themselves on the eastern shore of the lake before sunrise. The distance between the shore and the rocky walls with the burials is small enough to allow the openings in the chullpas to be distinguished with the naked eye, even without binoculars. The contrast between the ochre stone of the funerary towers and the intense green of the vegetation is the most immediate visual detail that can be physically observed on site.
The afternoon light and the silence of the cloud forest
In the afternoon, when the sun reaches the highest angle relative to the limestone walls, the colors shift towards warm tones: the orange of the rock intensifies, and the lake reflects patches of blue sky alternating with the shadows of the branches. It is also the moment when the cloud forest is the quietest — the birds tend to be active in the early hours of the morning — and the feeling of isolation becomes almost physical. There are no permanent accommodations near the lagoon, and the groups that stop to sleep use tents brought by the muleteers.
The vegetation that descends to the shore is dense and humid in every season. Mosses cover every available surface, from trunks to rocky outcrops, creating a continuous visual texture that leaves no empty spaces. Looking towards the center of the lake, the reflection of the cloud forest is so precise that it becomes difficult to distinguish where the real forest ends and where the one reflected in the water begins.
How to get there and practical advice
The standard route starts from Leymebamba, reachable by bus from Chachapoyas — the regional capital — in about three to four hours on unpaved roads. From Leymebamba, local agencies organize trekking with mules and guides: the cost varies but is generally around 60-100 dollars per day per person, including guide, mule, and basic equipment. It is essential to book in advance, especially between June and September, which is the dry season and the most crowded period.
The first day of walking covers a significant elevation change through the forest, with trails that can be slippery even in the dry season due to the constant humidity of the cloud forest. Bringing waterproof layers is necessary at any time of the year. Before or after the trek, a visit to the Leymebamba Museum is highly recommended: it displays the Chachapoya mummies in controlled conservation conditions and provides the historical context to understand what is observed on the walls of the lagoon.
Why the landscape remains in memory
The combination of altitude — the lagoon is located at about 3,500 meters above sea level — and the typical vegetation of the cloud forest produces a quality of light that is hard to find elsewhere. The air is saturated with humidity, and this creates a slight luminous diffusion that softens the contours without taking away the sharpness of the details. The chullpas on the rocky walls, built by the Chachapoya during a period that archaeologists place between 900 and 1500 AD, add a vertical dimension to the landscape that would otherwise be dominated only by the horizontal of the water and the vegetative canopy.
The most effective time to photograph the lagoon is in the first two hours after sunrise, when the fog is still partially present and the wind has not yet rippled the surface. Those who stop for only a few hours tend to leave without having seen the complete transformation of light throughout the day, which is the slowest and most difficult part to describe, but also the one that remains most impressed.
