Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
BCP
(Calle de Alvarado 903)
Changes money and has an ATM.
Dircetur
( 56-2043; San Martín 301; 7:30am-1pm & 2:30-5:30pm Mon-Fri)
Help-
ful, but quite limited regional tourism information for travelers.
Oficina de Información Tursitica
( 56-2191 ext 542;
www.turismosanmartin.com
;
Canga 262; 8am-1pm & 2:30-5:15pm Mon-Fri)
The municipality tourism office is a
good place to pick up maps and info.
Getting There & Away
Colectivos
to Rioja (S4, 30 minutes) and Tarapoto (S20, two hours) leave frequently from
Terminal Cajamarca on the corner of Benavides and Filomeno, three blocks east of the
Plaza de Armas; and the 200 cuadra of Benavides.
The bus terminal is on Grau, about 1km from the center. Most buses between Tarapoto
and Chiclayo stop here to pick up passengers.
Tarapoto
042 / POP 65,900 / ELEV 356M
Tarapoto, the largest and busiest town in the department of San Martín, straddles the base
of the Andean foothills and the edge of the vast jungles of eastern Peru. A sweltering rain-
forest metropolis, it dips its toe into the Amazon Basin while managing to cling to the rest
of Peru by the umbilical cord of a long paved road back to civilization. From here you can
take the plunge deeper into the Amazon, or just enjoy the easily accessible jungle lite,
with plenty of places to stay and eat and reliable connections to the coast. There's a bunch
of natural sights to explore nearby, from waterfalls to lagoons, and r iver -running oppor-
tunities will entertain the adventure-seeking contingent.
Sights
Tarapoto itself has little to do, apart from just hanging out in the town's Plaza Mayor, but
you can make several excursions to nearby towns, waterfalls and lakes. There is a small
regional museum run by the university on Maynas.
