Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Casablanca Hotel $
( 83-0171; Marginal 122; s/d/tr S25/45/65)
The pick of the sorry hotels in Pedro Ruíz
is by the road junction, but try to get a room away from the noisy highway. Rooms are ba-
sic but perfectly decent with cable TV and hot water.
HOTEL
Getting There & Away
Buses from the coast pick up passengers heading to Rioja or Moyobamba (S25 to S30,
five hours) and Tarapoto (S30 to S35, seven hours) and in the opposite direction to
Chiclayo (S30, seven hours) and Lima (S65 to S135, 18 to 22 hours). The most comfort-
able choice is
Movil Tours
( 83-0085; Cahuide 653)
, which departs east at 6am and
11am and west for Lima at 2pm, 2:30pm and 7:30pm.
Civa
( 94-172-7323; Marginal
s/n)
heads east at 3pm and 1am; and west to Chiclayo and Lima at 2pm and 8pm. More
economical choices include
GH Bus
( 79-4314; Cahuide 841)
heading east at 1pm and
to Lima at 11am and 12:30pm; and
TSP
( 99-845-5075; Cahuide 890)
, heading to
Tarapoto at 4pm, 7pm and 10:30pm and Lima at 5pm and 8pm. There are several other
options as well.
If coming from Tarapoto, Los Diplomaticos
( 96-450-9774; Marginal s/n)
, next to
the PetrolPeru gas station, runs
combis
to Chachapoyas (S5) every 30 minutes or so.
Moyobamba
042 / POP 41,800 / ELEV 860M
Moyobamba, the capital of the department of San Martín, was founded in 1542, but earth-
quakes (most recently in 1990 and 1991) have contributed to the demise of any historic
buildings. Nevertheless, Moyobamba is a pleasant enough town to spend a few days in
and local tourist authorities are slowly drumming up sites of interest to visit. The region is
famed for its orchids; there's an orchid festival held in October and a giant orchid statue
guards the town's entrance.
The pretty town
malecón
(water promenade)
,
seven blocks northeast of the plaza, hosts
a Spring Breaky lineup of bars and discos with extreme views of the verdant river valley
below.
