Río Abiseo National Park

Río Abiseo covers the eastern slope of the Andes in San Martín, running from high grassland down through cloud forest into the Amazon lowlands, and it holds both a rare fauna and a very large number of archaeological sites. The yellow-tailed woolly monkey, once believed extinct and found only in this part of Peru, survives here. Above the forest sit the terraces and circular stone buildings of Gran Pajatén, decorated with stone figures. The cultural zone has been closed to general visitors for decades to prevent damage, and the park is not set up for tourism: access is by permit, on foot and horseback, over several days from the nearest towns.

What you actually see

• Cloud forest bands - the belt of moss, epiphytes and permanent mist on the eastern slope.
• Yellow-tailed woolly monkey - a large primate found only in this corner of Peru.
• High grassland above the treeline - open puna and small lakes at the top of the park.
• Archaeological remains - hundreds of recorded sites, almost none of them open to visitors.

When to go

The drier months from May to September are the only realistic window, because the approach routes are long and turn to mud in the rains. Permits take time to arrange and are not granted for the cultural zone. Any visit needs planning weeks ahead with the park administration, and independent walk-in access is not possible at all.

Honest expectations

This is not a place you visit casually. Gran Pajatén, the thing most people have heard of, is closed to the public and is likely to stay that way. Getting into the permitted sectors takes days of walking or riding in wet, steep terrain with no facilities. Permits are limited and refusals are normal. Most people wanting cloud forest go elsewhere.

Nearby

Juanjuí sits on the Huallaga river below the park, with Tarapoto further north.