Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Piruro is easiest to visit: it's a 1½-hour walk down from Tantamayo village and up the
other side of the valley. The path is hard to find: be sure to ask. For Susupillo, vehicles
can take you to the village of Florida, a 20-minute drive from Tantamayo, from where you
can hike to the site.
The basic lodgings in Tantamayo include hospitable
Albergue Ocaña Althuas
(Cap-
itán Espinosa s/n; s/d without bathroom S10/20)
beyond the plaza on the main street into
town. The folks here provide meals. Tantamayo has public phones (these can't dial inter-
nationally) but no listed ones, no cell phone reception and no banks.
Colectivo
taxis,
minibuses and buses from Huánuco make the journey in anything from six to eight hours
(bus S20,
colectivo
taxi S40). Tantamayo is also connected to La Unión (three hours) from
where you can catch onward buses to Lima.
Tingo María
062 / POP 55,000 / ELEV 649M
This languid, humid university and market town lies in the
ceja de la selva:
its back may
rest against the mountains − as the conical, forested hills that flank it testify − but its feet
are firmly fixed in the lush vegetation of the Amazonas region and its sticky, tropical em-
brace. Tingo María, or Tingo for short, is a popular weekend destination for holidaying
limeños,
while travelers pause here en route to the Amazon.
The main attraction is Parque Nacional Tingo María: a lush forested wilderness with
caves and great bathing spots. Sadly, this adventure comes with its dangers (see below).
Sights & Activities
Parque Nacional Tingo María
This 180-sq-km park lies on the south side of town, around the mouth of the Río Monzón,
a tributary of the Río Huallaga. The most distinguishing feature is the
Bella Durmiente
(Sleeping Beauty), a hill overlooking the town, which, from some angles, looks like a re-
cumbent woman wearing an Inca crown.
Also in the park is
La Cueva de las Lechuzas
(the Cave of the Owls), which, despite
its name, is known for the colony of oilbirds that lives inside. In addition, there are stalac-
tites and stalagmites, bats, parrots and other birds around the cave entrance, but the oil-
birds are the main attraction.
PARK
