Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Roxabel Ramón
El Comercio

One of the few access routs in non-vulnerable zones, is precisely through Pozuzo. A detour, which passes by unnoticed, that comes from Oxapampa, introduces us to a thick, humid and obscure jungle. The park’s watchman, Humberto Cristóbal, greets us in Huampal station in order to guide us through an accidental short cut to the canyon of Río Huancabamba.

The first instruction from Cristóbal, and the most important one, was to pay attention to the sounds. After crossing a hanging bridge, a whistle cut through the jungle noises. It was a signal to stop and look on in silence towards the trees, where el Esquivo Tunky, or the "chicken of the rocks" flies by, showing off his fiery red plumage. Later, one should be on the alert for other strange noises, the shaking of the trees (it could be a squirrel or a monkey), or the tinkling of bells, which indicates the presence of a snake.

The majority of the flora and fauna that Yanachaga houses in its 122 mil hectares (between Oxapampa, Pozuzo, Huancabamba y Villa Rica), is still not registered. There are 59 known species of mammals (among them, the river otter, the spectacled bear, the otorongo and the Choro Moneky), and 16 known species of reptiles, for example, the caiman and very venomous snakes. You should remember this fact before you enter the park, as the Servicio Nacional de Areas Naturales doesn’t have any medicine to treat you.

Upon arriving at the canyon, some rocks allow you to relax above the aggressive fight of the rivers, and sun yourself surrounded by the green mountains. The habitants of Pozuzo want to get rid of the cliché that they only wear typical clothing and that they play the accordion all the time. But the truth is, they maintain the customs from over 50 years ago. Even more so, the musica folclor has been popular, although they are not descendants of people from the sierra. For years the land was generous with them. Because of this, the Pozucinos look for alternatives to stop the serious deforestation of the area. One of those methods could easily be ecological tourism.

More information:

How to get there:
A detour in the Carretera Central, close to Oroya, will take you to Tarma in seven hours. From there it is an hour and a half to Chachamayo, and then seven more ours to Pozuo, passing through Oxapampa.
Buses: The company La Merced offers service to Oxapampa. From there you can use combis to get to Pozuzo.
Don’t forget: Clothes for sun and rain, sunscreen and bug spay.

Translated by Katrina Heimark