Paucartambo

Paucartambo sits at about 3,000 metres where the highlands begin to fall towards the Amazon, a small town of whitewashed houses with blue-painted doors, balconies and window frames, a colonial stone bridge over the Mapacho, and a church holding the image of the Virgen del Carmen. For most of the year it is quiet and few people stop; in mid-July it becomes the site of one of the largest and most elaborate masked dance festivals in Peru, and the population multiplies. The road continues over the Acjanaco pass into Manu, so travellers heading for the cloud forest pass through, and the Tres Cruces viewpoint on that road is famous for a sunrise optical effect over the Amazon basin in the months around the winter solstice. Accommodation in town is limited and effectively impossible during the festival.

What you actually see

• The blue and white town - whitewashed houses with blue doors and balconies.
• The stone bridge - the colonial crossing of the Mapacho river.
• The church - home of the Virgen del Carmen image at the centre of the festival.
• The Manu road - the route over Acjanaco towards the cloud forest.

When to go

April to October. Mid-July for the Virgen del Carmen festival, when the town is full. Otherwise a day trip or an overnight on the way to Manu.

Honest expectations

Four hours from Cusco on winding road. Accommodation is limited year-round and unavailable during the July festival unless booked far ahead. Cold nights. Outside the festival there is little organised for visitors.

Nearby

Tres Cruces is up the Manu road; Manu National Park is beyond the pass.