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Oxapampa is a highland jungle town in Peru that offers a unique mix of Quechua and European cultures, cowboy feel and bed and breakfasts. (Photo by Renee McKeon) See a slide show of a trip to Oxapampa.

By Andreas Vailakis

Located in a lush green valley of Peru’s high jungle, with dusty trails leading to ranch homes and pastures, Oxapampa embodies the cultural diversity and richness that Peru has to offer. What makes this town unique, however, are its people. Strolling along its roads, one quickly notices many, of what seem to be foreigners, with fair skin, blue eyes and blonde hair laughing amiably with locals. In fact, these European descendents are, in fact, the locals. Friendly and culturally diverse, all of these Oxapampa residenits are what make the area unique and worthwhile. This town makes for a peaceful escape, offering a culture of contrast and harmony, mixed with savory local delicacies and stunning landscapes.

Time passes slowly in the green fields of Pozuzo, fields which are planted with wooden houses, orchids, and sleepy milk cows. In town, grandmas still prepare srukalas (a typical dessert) with flour and bananas, while their grandchildren form cheeses and bottle jars of honey.

But this is not only a calm German-Austrian colony in the central jungle of Peru. This town, full of silent and prosperous organized streets, lives together with the unexplored territory, a virgin jungle full of frenetic rhythms and adrenaline. The town we are talking about is Yanachaga Chemillén, one of the forests with the greatest biodiversity on the planet. Yanachaga flaunts the highest category of an ecological reserve: the “Parque Nacional.” But, different from Manu (Yanachaga’s twin between Madre de Dios and Cusco), Yanachaga has a low profile, which has maintained its fragile ecosystem far from the effects of tourism.