City in the sky

wind blows permanently at its base, and I understand how all those outrageous stories could so easily be believed.

Rocio’s son, a respected chef in Lima, has trained some of the villagers to cook, and as a result, Gocta Natura Cabins serves easily the best food in a region rich in produce but poor in culinary invention.

Other community projects include teaching families how to make cheese and harvest mushrooms from the pine forests.

Along with archaeology, environment is one of the key pillars for future tourism in Amazonas and almost half of Peru’s Private Conservation Areas can be found in the region, testimony to the love and respect local people have developed for their surroundings.

Biologist Perico Heredia is an advocate of the system, which allows individuals to request government recognition of their land as an important ecosystem.

Grinning boyishly beneath a tatty baseball cap, the 50-something leads me through a tangled trail of rare orchids, ancient Inca stones and newly-recognised cedar trees, while excitedly regaling me with sightings of “small cats” caught on was a guest of The Ultimate Travel Company (www. theultimate travelcompany.co.uk; 020 3051 8098) who tailor a ten-day Northern Peru experience from £2,950 per person, visiting Lima, Gocta Falls, Chiclayo and Trujillo.

Most meals are included, as well as international and domestic flights, private guided sightseeing and private transfers throughout. his camera traps.

He’s currently extending the guest house at his Milpuj property, where he lives with his mother, a few kilometers from Kuelap.

Like everywhere in Amazonas, there’s a sense so much is waiting to be discovered.

No cable car is needed to access these areas; enthusiasm, diligence and reverence for nature will no doubt lead to more pots of gold.