Oxapampa

Oxapampa was founded in 1891 by settlers who had come from Pozuzo, itself established in 1859 by Tyrolean and Rhineland colonists brought to Peru under a government scheme that went badly wrong - the promised road was never finished and the group walked in. The architecture that resulted is unmistakable: timber houses with pitched roofs, carved balconies and painted eaves, set among cloud forest at 1,800 metres, with dairy farming, coffee and, latterly, craft beer. German surnames and some dialect survive, and the town holds an annual Selvámonos music festival that draws crowds from Lima. Oxapampa sits at the centre of a UNESCO biosphere reserve covering the Yanachaga Chemillén park and the Yánesha and Asháninka communal reserves, so the surrounding forest is protected and accessible. The Yánesha are the indigenous people of this area and their presence long predates the colonists.

History

In March 1857 some 300 Tyrolean and Prussian settlers sailed for Peru on the Norton, reaching Callao four months later, and in 1859 a group of 170 settled for good at Pozuzo. In 1891 colonists from Pozuzo founded Oxapampa, whose name comes from the Quechua Uqshapampa, "straw plain", and the town became a tourist destination after road building began in the 1980s (Wikipedia, Oxapampa).

What you'll find

• The timber houses - pitched roofs, carved balconies and painted eaves.
• The settler history - a colony descended from the 1859 Pozuzo expedition.
• The biosphere reserve - Yanachaga Chemillén and the communal reserves around.
• The Yánesha - the indigenous people of the area, long preceding the settlers.

When to go

May to September is drier, though cloud forest rain is constant. Two to four days. The Selvámonos festival in June or July fills the town.

Things to know

Ten to twelve hours from Lima on mountain roads. Rain and mud are normal. The settler story is heavily marketed and can crowd out the Yánesha history. Accommodation fills during the festival.

Nearby

Pozuzo is north up the valley; Yanachaga Chemillén surrounds the town.

Key facts