PAUCARTAMBO

Visiting Paucartambo come always pleasant memories that we carry in our hearts, by the simplicity and beauty of this town clearly colonial style, which houses recognized folk traditions, with its famous festivity to the "Virgen del Carmen", the sunrise in "Tres Cruces" (three crosses), and the ancient traditional culture of cultivation the Peruvian potatoes.

Brief:

Initially Paucartambo (Quechua: Pawqar Tanpu, Spanish: colorful Tambo), located at 109 kilometers from Cusco, in Peru, was a supply center for the military of the Inca Empire. Later, in the colonial time was a business kernel in the area. Today is the capital of the Paucartambo's province.

This village is located in a valley at 2,906 meters high, where passes the Paucartambo river and joins the Qenqomayu river. Narrow streets made with stones and white houses with blue balconies are predominant there.

Traditions:

Their celebration is related to the Corpus Christis and carries on every July 15th to 18th during three days in honor to the Virgen del Carmen, patron of the feast. The town is full of celebrations, music, dances and processions wearing masks and typical local costumes, attract tourists and people from all over the country and Paucatarmbinians who come from all parts of the globe, a way of meeting with the past, with the single desire of sharing, eating a dish of rich piglet or a snack.

Several dance groups represent a type of person such as "qapaq negro" or doctors; q'apac k'olla, s'aqras, waka waka, q'oyachas, contradanzas, panaderos (bakers), chucchos and maje�os which are the "party k'o�ichi", which means the party's heaters. Each group has a Carguyoc, who fund the expenditures; disguised dancers and a band, which continuously play the melody assigned to the group, repetitive and monotonous. These groups are defined by tradition and active participation, also possible by inheritance or very special reasons of honor. The statue of the Virgen del Carmen was crowned by Pope John Paul II in his last trip to Peru, this event is held today in the Andean world.

PILCOPATA

When crossing the Acjanaco�s natural border, we enter the Amazon basin where begins a gradual descended through different forests and ecosystems that are becoming more dense and exuberant until the foot of the great mountains that form the eastern part of the Andes slopes, reaching the 700 meters.

Before leaving the last Andean buttresses, and arrive at the lowland rainforest we find Pilcopata's village, populated by settlers from Andean origin that arrived here approximately 35 years ago, at that time was built the unique access route to the "Alto Madre de Dios" river basin, the road that until today take us to our destination: the Manu rainforest.

Located between the "Pilcopata" and "tono" rivers in the Kos�ipata valley at 700 meters, the main economic activities that sustain the population is agriculture, especially the growing of the so called coca leaves and other products such as cassava, pineapple, banana, illegal logging and in recent years tourism has also increase.

THE AMARAKAERI RESERVE

The location of the Amarakaeri Reserve has always been the territory of the Harakmbut (Amarakaeri, Wachipaeri, Kuzambaeri, Arazaeri, Toyeri, Sapiteri). With the arrival of the missionaries concentration of people in communities started as is the case of Shintuya.

In 1986, for the first time, the Harakmbut indigenous communities forced the government into creating the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve. In 1992 studies concluded that the land within the reserve contained a rich biodiversity of animals with some in danger of extinction species. By supreme decree, Amarakaeri was declared a Reserved Zone in August 2000.

BLANQUILLO PRIVATE RESERVE

Since 1990, Blanquillo is an eco- lodge-managed operating in Manu Rainforest. It has always been our privilege and duty to preserve and promote our Peruvian natural heritage providing an authentic nature experience in a pristine rainforest.

Tambo Blanquillo Lodge is surrounded by a broad range of species, biodiversity, and genetic variability non-existing in other parts of the world. It's an honor for us to share with you this ecological wonder.

A 10-minute walk through a seasonally flooded transition forest will take us to Oxbow Lake Blanco, by far one of the best rainforest scenarios can offer. Its environs display different kinds of rainforest habitats and its stagnant waters provide rich nutrients and fish to their usual dwellers, like giant otters and black caimans.

In addition, this region displays a number of different microhabitats as a result of ancient rivers moving throughout geological time creating a series of terraces, each containing different types of forest. This mosaic of habitat types (being the tallest the oldest) is one of the reasons these forests are among the richest in the world in terms of biodiversity.

TRES CRUCES

Tres Cruces in English means Three crossings, It is the place chosen from immemorial times to worship the shiny star that gives us heat, "the sun"; so important to the Incas and to other cultures that fond in its cycle and cosmic positions related to our planet earth, some patterns or telluric schedule, recognizing stages of solstices and equinoxes.

Why, how and where Tres Cruces?:

From Paucartambo the road continues in direction to the jungle. In the highest part of this road above 4,000 meters there is a road access that goes 14 km away from the checkpoint of Acjanaco, finally reaching 3850 meters inside the Manu National Park is the viewpoint of Tres Cruces. From this place the Sunrise view is wonderful by having an open view to the lowland forest. Tres Cruces is called the "Balcony of the Orient" and is one of the unique two places in the world where this spectacle of lights and colors happens. We recommend to wear warm clothes due to low temperatures, in addition, by day is possible observe throughout the immensity of the Peruvian Amazon and on clear days even display places like Patria's town.