Remote Tarapoto, Peru, Tarapoto, Peru (B)

Remote and fairly unknown to tourists, Tarapoto is perched on the high jungle plateau – Selva Baja – at the foot of the Andean hills. And, at a height of 356 metres Tarapoto is known as the “Cloud Forest”.

After a wonderful relaxing few days with friends at Los Organos, reluctantly we return to Chiclayo overnight to collect our police report following the robbery during the first stay in Chiclayo. If you find yourself in Chiclayo, the basic and uncomfortable overnight Movil bus to Tarapoto is scheduled to take around 12 hours. This stretch of road is notorious for bandits stopping buses to rob tourists. If this road’s reputation is not enough, the story goes that bus drivers are also in cahoots with bandits.

Luckily our bus isn’t stopped by scary bandits and the sunrise provides a brief distraction to the road’s dangerous myths…

…but in true South American style, we arrive in Tarapoto 3 hours late after a long journey of 15 hours.

The Bishop of Trujillo, Baltazar Martínez Jiménez de Compagnon founded Tarapoto in 1792 and the town probably hasn’t changed a great deal since then… Locals are very relaxed and friendly, and there isn’t the badgering that travellers experience in other Peruvian cities such as Cusco. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).