Northern Highlands - Peru - page 874

Ecuadorian border. Since the peace treaty was signed with Ecuador in late 1998, it has become possible to cross
into Ecuador at this remote outpost.

Begin at the fast-growing agricultural center of Jaén (population 70,690), which has all of the services of a
mid-sized town…along with a reputation for street crime and, judging by the signs, a serous dengue problem
(bring repellent). Good hotels include Prim's Hotel ( 076-43-1039; www.primshotel.com ; Palomino 1353; s
without air-con S50, s/d with air-con from S70/90, all incl breakfast; ) , a modern facility with a mix of
basic and contemporary rooms, friendly staff and a downstairs chifa; or the town's best option, Hotel El Bosque (
076-43-1492; [e-mail]; Muro 632; s/d/tr incl breakfast S100/130/160; ) ,

with bungalows set in gardens around a pool. Hotel Cancún ( 076-43-3511; Palomino 1413; s/d S35/45;
) is a solid budget choice, with hot-water showers and cable TV. For a bite, La Cabaña (Bolívar 1332; mains
S15-20) , on Parque Central, does a whole lot of everything for all budgets, including daily lunch specials, sand-
wiches (S4 to S12), juices, milkshakes and more sophisticated fare.

From Jaén, autos (S20, 2½ hours) and combis (S12, 2½ hours) leave for San Ignacio , where there's a simple
hotel and places to eat, from Av Pakumuros in the neighborhood of Pueblo Libre. Change here for another colect-
ivo for the rough road to La Balsa (S15, two hours) on the Río Blanco dividing Peru from Ecuador. There used to
be a balsa (ferry) here (hence the name), but there's now a new international bridge linking the countries. Border
formalities are straightforward if you have your papers in order, though transiting gringos are rare.

Once in Ecuador, curious yet typical rancheras (trucks with rows of wooden seats) await to take you on the un-
comfortable and unpredictable (because of the weather) 10km drive to Zumba (US$2, 1½ to 2½ hours). From
here, buses go to Loja (US$7.50, six hours) where you can continue on to the famed 'valley of longevity' of Vil-
cabamba. If you leave Jaén at dawn, you should be able to make it to Vilcabamba in one day.

Drinking & Entertainment
Chachapoyas is famous for its artisan liqueurs, which come in all sorts of herbal and fruit
flavors - working your way through them all here is a definite good time.

BAR, CLUB

La Reina
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(Ayacucho 520; 4pm-2am) An artsy spot to lubricate your mind very cheaply on exotic
fruit and Amazonian liqueurs by the shot (S2) or the jar (from S16). There's 10 to choose
from, including mora (blackberry), the most popular; maracuyá (passion fruit), the best;
and seven raíces and chuchuhuasi , two notorious Amazonian aphrodisiacs. The same
owners run the best disco in town, a few blocks down at Ayacucho 345 (admission S2).