Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Past the Pongo, at the indigenous Matsiguenka (or Machigengua) community of Tim-
pía, you can find local guides and transport for Santuario Nacional Megantoni. Accom-
modation is available at
Sabeti Lodge
( 84-81-2555, 84-81-3885;
www.sabetilodge.com
;
s/d with full board US$105/160)
, owned by the community.
There's fishing and wildlife watching. You can also camp on the riverside. Given that in-
structions are needed to arrive, it's best to reserve ahead.
Cuzco to Manu
PAUCARTAMBO
POP 1300 / ELEV 3200M
This small village lies on the eastern slopes of the Andes, about 115km and three hours
northeast of Cuzco along a cliff-hanging road, paved only until Huancarán.
Paucartambo is famous for its riotously colorful celebration in honor of the
Virgen del
Carmen
, a festival held annually from July 15 to 18, with hypnotic street dancing, won-
derful processions and all manner of weird costumes. The highly symbolic dances are in-
spired by everything from fever-ridden malaria sufferers to the homosexual practices of
the Spanish conquistadors.
Accommodation for the festival needs to be organized in advance; you either have to
find a room in one of a few basic hotels or hope a local will give you some floor space.
Many tourist agencies in Cuzco run buses specifically for the fiesta and can help arrange
accommodations with local families.
Transportes Gallito de las Rocas
( 084-22-6895; Diagonal Angamos, 1st block off
Av de la Cultura, Cuzco)
buses depart Cuzco to Paucartambo (S9, three hours) daily and
to Pilcopata (S20, 10 to 12 hours) on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Look for
'Paucartambo' painted on a lamp post between auto shops to find the office.
TRES CRUCES
About two hours beyond Paucartambo is the extraordinary jungle view at Tres Cruces, a
lookout off the Paucartambo-Shintuya road. The sight of the mountains dropping away
into the Amazon Basin is gorgeous in itself, but is made all the more magical by the sun-
rise phenomenon that occurs from May to July (other months are cloudy), especially
around the time of the winter solstice on June 21. The sunrise here gets optically distorted,
causing double images, halos and an incredible multicolored light show. At this time of
