The jungle area of Peru is very different from the mostly desert coast. The distances between settlements are much shorter. There’s so much fascinating, diverse geography – lakes, rivers, forest reserves. Very soon we realized that our journey to Tarapoto would not be a fast one, and we were all absolutely fine with that.
The first stop after the area we stayed at near Gocta waterfall was just a bit over 50km away – lake Pomacochas. We arrived in the afternoon and drove around, searching for a spot to spend the night. The locals confirmed that the whole area was safe, so we decided to park by the side of a rural road with a beautiful view of the lake.
“I can’t express how much I’ve come to appreciate these tranquil nights. Having stayed in cities and all kinds of villages in Peru, I know that having people around usually means noise!”
After spending those weeks in the Chachapoyas region, it felt like we were adventuring again. Sure we explored that area too, but, travel can be addictive, and when you haven’t done it for long periods of time, it feels almost like oxygen when you’re out and about again.
The moon was getting close to being full on this night. So, I decided to make a few frames. As is often the case, my little adventurer followed me. I made some images of her too.
We were pretty far away from any residential areas. The only people who stayed within the vicinity were spending the night in their farm shacks, to be able to start working their land early. Once the last cars passed by, the air was filled with nothing more than the sound of the insects.
I can’t express how much I’ve come to appreciate these tranquil nights. Having stayed in cities and all kinds of villages in Peru, I know that having people around usually means noise! You never know when someone might turn up their speakers, even during the night.
The next morning we woke up to this beautiful view. Of course, the disadvantage of sleeping by the side of a road, even if it’s a quiet one during the night, is that in the morning you will be woken up by the sound of passing-by vehicles.
The only minus of traveling like this in a camper is that your standards for places to spend the night become almost unrealistically high. Of course, the plus is that no matter how beautiful the spot where you stop is, it’s pretty much never costs you anything.
“As luck had it, a small group of people gathered only meters away from our camper. They were bringing milk and selling it at wholesale price to the middle man.”
One thing that might be a bit of a surprise about cities in Peru – it isn’t very easy to find real milk. Like milk from an actual cow, not some weird, powdered stuff.
I don’t care much for it, but Tanya, my wife makes all kinds of porridges with milk for my daughter. In smaller towns, you go to the market and there’s usually some lady selling milk from a metal can by the liter.
As luck had it, a small group of people gathered only meters away from our camper. They were bringing milk and selling it at wholesale price to the middle man. They said they’d sell to us too. No need to go search for milk this morning!
Again, meters from our spot for the night - a woman and her son dragging an unwilling pig to their farm. This possibility to have photo opportunities literally turn up on your door-step is absolutely amazing.
We took off from lake Pomacochas and descended into a lower part of the jungle. The first stop… Aguas Claras or Clear Waters. This was a tiny settlement by a water source which, as the name suggests was very clear.
I looked for a spot to park the car and found an area in front of a house. I was struck by how friendly the owner was. “Sure, sure. Park here! Not a problem! Nothing will happen to your car here!” So, that’s where I left the car. The photo depicts the house and the father of the man I spoke to.
“Looking up at the sky. Hearing children laughing in the distance. The sun shining on me with its warm rays. This was a great welcome to the lower jungle!”
The water was pretty cool for a place that was so very hot. This is because it was coming directly from the underground, only a few hundred meters away. But, it was so, so pleasant and clear. There was no way that I could resist splashing around and renting one of those tubes for a most relaxing ride. Looking up at the sky. Hearing children laughing in the distance. The sun shining on me with its warm rays. This was a great welcome to the lower jungle!
Unfortunately, Mia my daughter was coughing and we decided that the water might be too cold for her in that condition. She was disappointed, but she and Tanya both enjoyed looking at the beauty of this new world we had entered.
On the way to the source of Aguas Claras, there are horses, fields, and greenery everywhere!
“My only fear is that they’ll use the money to make some ghastly “improvement” in the form of a cement walkway along the river and kill the natural vibe of this magical place. ”
The village has decided to charge a fee “use” the river, but it’s about 50c per adult. My only fear is that they’ll use the money to make some ghastly “improvement” in the form of a cement walkway along the river and kill the natural vibe of this magical place.
It does happen often, so it’s not unreasonable to be worried.
The folks above are all part of the family that has their house right at the entrance to the river. They’re in charge of collecting the money and, being pretty entrepreneurial, they also rent out tire tubes and sell grilled chicken.
I was surprised the next time that we came to bathe here. My family was instantly recognized and we were told, “There’s no need to pay again. You already paid.” It’s clear that tourism is in its infancy here.
I had a quick conversation with the man. He actually migrated to the region from another area of Peru, called Cajamarca. His hat is symbolic of Cajamarca. It’s become even more symbolic since it’s worn by Peru’s current president, who comes from Cajamarca too.
We looked around for the nightspot and found this quiet place above Aguas Claras only accessible with a 4X4. And then… well… I started feeling sick. Light fever, runny nose, a lot of sneezing, and a bit of a headache.
I still don’t know if it was Covid, but I was out of action for 3 days. Mia had similar symptoms, but my wife - nothing. Whatever it was, we stayed put in this very spot until everyone felt normal again.
When we find an interesting area, I like to explore and to look for potential camping spots for more than one night. I look at the satellite maps on Google and go to spots that seem like they might be nice, quiet, and in beautiful surroundings.
My search brought me to this river crossing. While the spot, which I thought might be good - wasn’t, we did come across this interesting scene. A mini-ferry that took all kinds of vehicles across the river to a gravel road that went through some very remote settlements.
“It turned out that there were so many migrants from Cajamarca that there was a village nearby called Nueva Cajamarca or New Cajamarca. ”
I decided against going on the ferry in our car. There was not much reason to cross over, and, I didn’t see any large vehicle going to the other side, so my confidence level wasn’t high.
But, I did meet another man from Cajamarca, in a traditional hat. It turned out that there were so many migrants from Cajamarca that there was a village nearby called Nueva Cajamarca or New Cajamarca.
Also nearby, was a village by the name of New Jerusalem. It has a pretty impressive market, and over the next few days, this is where we’d come to stock up on fruits and vegetables.
On Sundays at New Jerusalem, there’s an even bigger market. People from the villages come to sell and to buy even more produce, animals and, just to enjoy a day out with the family.
I made a short video about my experience at the Sunday market HERE.
“The village is unique in that the residents decided to be completely self-reliant and to dedicate themselves to healthy living. They grow their own vegetables. Have their own bees of different kinds and make their own honey. ”
Before we drove further up the main road towards Tarapoto, we took a little detour to a village called Pueblo Saludable Miguel Grau, which translates to something like Healthy Village Miguel Grau. Miguel Grau is a naval officer and a hero for Peruvians. There are many roads all around the country, and I assume many more villages named after him too.
The village is unique in that the residents decided to be completely self-reliant and to dedicate themselves to healthy living. They grow their own vegetables. Have their own bees of different kinds and make their own honey.
Everything is natural and tastes much better than most stuff you’d buy in regular shops, or at regular markets.
I loved the idea of the village. Everyone indeed seemed pretty healthy. There were no obese people in sight. Children were playing outside, rather than being glued to their phones. Everyone had a role to perform within the community and there was a strong sense of unity.
We went on a little hike in a part of the forest that the community was protecting to try to find monkeys, but were unsuccessful. We did however visit a pretty impressive cave (above).
The next stop was Moyobamba, a larger town along the Tarapoto road. To beautify the town, some artists painted jungle animals on the houses leading to a little port, from where tourists and locals can take short boat rides.
“Thankfully, after whining the first few days, Mia adapted to the jungle climate and now claims that she loves the heat too. ”
We were promised a cool breeze and a relaxing 30-40 minutes by a boatman trying to sell us a ride. After some pondering, we accepted.
It was definitely relaxing and the breeze did make the ride slightly more bearable for my wife, who just isn’t used to such temperatures, despite traveling with me through much hotter places. Maybe it was the humidity…
For me -someone who grew up in Sydney, I love the heat! And, humidity reminds me of home.
Thankfully, after whining the first few days, Mia adapted to the jungle climate and now claims that she loves the heat too. It’s insane how different the climates in Peru are. When you’re up in the high mountains, even in the high jungles, it’s hard to even imagine that it can be hot and humid somewhere so relatively close.
A little plaza next to a church in the upper part of Moyobamba. A place to rest and to drink some coconut juice from nearby vendors.
In our usual search of a night halt spot, we turned off on a gravel road just outside of Moyobamba. We wanted a quiet place. Somewhere along that road would do, if it was close enough to town. But, the road was narrow and there was nothing very level. We had to keep going.
“The next morning we continued to the waterfall. Right before it, we found what for me was one of the most pleasant places we stopped at through the whole journey.”
A security man along the way told me that there were hot springs and a waterfall ahead. We kept going. Not getting to either one before the dark, we did come across a quiet spot along a side road.
The next morning we continued to the waterfall. Right before it, we found what for me was one of the most pleasant places we stopped at through the whole journey. A flat patch of land right by a river. Following the river, behind the trees were a couple of natural pools. A perfect place for a dip, which I made sure to do every morning. Quiet. Peaceful. Warm!
The river’s flow wasn’t strong. Even a little part close to where we parked was great for bathing and, doing some laundry.
We, humans living in developed cities, underestimate how important a constant flow of water is to get almost anything done. Traveling like this, in a camper is a bit of a wake-up call. Sure, we can carry about 80 liters of water, but if you start washing clothes that ain’t going to last long. This is why whenever we’ve stopped anywhere for more than 3 days, we’ve needed to be close to a clean source of water.
“More so than ever before, life seems to be about choices and gambles, and it appears that I’ve taken some right gambles and have been very, very lucky. ”
We enjoyed the quiet of our little jewel-of-a-spot, but soon decided to visit the waterfall, which was the source of the river. This is the part at the bottom, followed by a stronger flowing part above, where I swam.
Quite a few of the nicer places we visited are missing photos because… I wasn’t really in photography mode. Much of the time in these parts of the jungle was about enjoying nature. Enjoying time with my girls.
I’m so incredibly thankful to be able to have this sort of journey with two of the most important people in my life. Especially during these dark times for much of the world. More so than ever before, life seems to be about choices and gambles, and it appears that I’ve taken some right gambles and have been very, very lucky.
Not far from the town of Moyobamba, deeper in the jungle, along river Mayo, there’s a magical place. The place is called Tingana. It’s a conservation area. A small, family-run operation initiated by a visionary man named Juan.
It took Juan a lot to convince his fellow family members to stop hunting and to start preserving the area, which his grandfather had settled. But, Juan managed. Very gradually, the amphibious forest started to recuperate and the animals started to come back. I made a video on Tingana, which you can watch HERE.
We came for a tour of Tingana. We traveled in a small boat through some of the most stunning scenery I’d seen. There were only monkeys out on this day, as it hadn’t rained for a while and most animals retreated deeper into the forest. But it was still very special.
Every time Juan would spot a monkey or a bird, he’d lower his voice and would point at it. Years of doing this job have helped him develop his senses in a way very different to any regular visitor to the region.
More of Juan’s expressions. He was almost as fascinating to observe as whatever he was pointing out. The man is 64 years old, but has the energy of someone much younger. He’s so animated and full of passion.
In an opening amidst some trees, Juan and his family made this swing from the hanging lianas.
After having to be very quiet and still in the boat, Mia was very happy to finally be the energetic child that she is whenever she isn’t looking for monkeys. Simple ways of having fun in the jungle!
I was pretty surprised by my wife’s ability to climb all the way up another liana. We spend some time around this place. Took the tourist-type photos, and headed back to the settlement of Tingana for lunch.
“It was a special day, in a special part of the world. Another amazing memory in the jungle. Another reason to believer that we made the right decision to come to this part of Peru. ”
We had started our journey at 5 am. We cruised up river Mayo and through a smaller river into Tingana. We explored the amphibious forest and even encountered a few groups of monkeys. The lunch was a combination of local produce used creatively to cook up a very tasty meal. By afternoon, it was time to go.
It was a special day, in a special part of the world. Another amazing memory in the jungle. Another reason to believe that we made the right decision to come to this part of Peru.
The next day, we would continue our journey towards Tarapoto.
