Oxapampa: 10 tourist attractions that you should know

In 1853, the first Austro-German immigrants who sought to colonize the central jungle arrived in Peru. After a long journey, they settled in Oxapampa, where they developed their community in isolation for decades.

Today, Oxapampa is open to the world and offers visitors its homes, dances and music in a marked Tyrolean style, as well as different lodging options and agricultural activities such as coffee tasting, one of the best in Peru.

Oxapampa is recognized as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and is the gateway to the Yanachaga Chemillén National Park.

The Province of Oxapampa, Oxapampa Ashaninka Yanesha Biosphere Reserve, is one of the most representative provinces of Peru in the central zone, its natural resources, its tradition, culture and quality products, make Oxapampa a very attractive tourist destination.

Let us remember that the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism (Mincetur) delivered, in June of this year, the international Safe Travels seal to the Oxapampa Tourist Destination, consolidating itself as a destination that complies with all biosecurity measures against COVID-19, with the objective of safeguarding the health of visitors.

Oxapampa, is a beautiful city, whose name means "Pampa de Paja" in the Quechua language, the church and several buildings with European characteristics stand out.

For the second year, the "II Cultural and Productive Fair of Oxapampa Biosphere Reserve" will be held, an event that will take place from Thursday 11 to Sunday 14 November and seeks to promote tourism in this city and highlight the quality of its products.

The Plaza of the Municipal Theater of Lima (Jirón Ica 377) will be the place where 40 exhibitors, from different districts, will offer products with agro-industrial certification marks, textiles, handicrafts and tourism to the general public. On the occasion of this fair, we give you a list of 10 places that you should not miss in Oxapampa.

History of Oxapampa

The territory where Oxapampa sits initially belonged to the Yánesha ethnic group, who inhabited this place since ancient times. In 1635 it was visited and evangelized by Franciscan priests. The missionaries, in addition to their evangelizing work, prepared the first geographical, linguistic and ethnological reports of this extensive part of the central jungle, carrying out expeditions through various rivers in the province of Oxapampa.

In 1742, the uprising of the indigenous leader Juan Santos Atahualpa, self-styled descendant of the Incas, caused the decline of the religious missions. In the 13 years that the rebellion lasted, the missions of Chanchamayo, Perené, Huancabamba, Gran Pajonal and Alto Ucayali were decimated.

In 1763, an expedition was organized on the Pachitea and Ucayali rivers, reestablishing the old missions. At that time, the Huancabamba valley was populated by rich landowners from the mountains. Thus, the haciendas of “Chaupimonte”, “Punchao”, “Naranjal” and “Lanturachi” originated in this colonial period.

Between the years of 1837 and 1840, José Rufino Cárdenas settled in the Huancabamba valley, and 16 years later, the idea of colonizing the area arose. Together with Esteban Bravo and Gregorio Rivera, they negotiated with the prefect of Junín, Bernardino Bermúdez, so that settlers of Austro-German origin would populate these lands.

This request crystallized when in 1857 the first group of these European settlers arrived in this area, thanks to an agreement signed between Baron Schütz and also by another agreement signed by the Peruvian government and Mr. Scotland, which allowed the arrival of 100 more settlers to Pozuzo. In 1890, the government promoted the construction of the road from San Luis de Shuaro to Puerto Bermúdez.

On August 30, 1891, Oxapampa was founded by colonist Enrique Bottger Treu, who was born on July 19, 1857 in the city of Lima. He was the son of German parents and died in April 1945, at the age of 87.

The Austro-Germans who arrived in Oxapampa perfected their cultivation techniques, the genetic crossbreeding of plants and breeding animals, they increased the cultivation areas and started the lumber industry. In 1899 the first official map of the city of Oxapampa was drawn up.

On January 24, 1925, the Oxapampa neighborhood officially becomes a district of Oxapampa, appointing Alejandro Johnson as the first mayor.

On January 13, 1928, the cadastral plan of the urban area of the district was approved, which was prepared by the engineer Juan E. Zegarra. In 1929 the first state school was created, where only boys studied. In 1940, the church was inaugurated in the Plaza de Armas, built entirely of wood.

On November 27, 1944, through Law No. 10030, the department of Pasco was created with its provinces of Oxapampa, Pasco and Daniel A. Carrión. The province of Oxapampa with the districts of Oxapampa, Chontabamba, Huancabamba and Villa Rica.

Oxapampa is currently a place of great economic potential thanks to tourism due to its exuberant landscape beauty, enormous natural resources, privileged geographical location and inhabited by a very hospitable and enterprising population, heir to an enormous cultural wealth resulting from miscegenation.

History of Oxapampa

Tourist circuits

According to said recognition granted by the Mincetur, the authorized tourist circuits for the Oxapampa destination are:

Route Villa Rica

Villa Rica's main park "Antonio Brack Egg", "Laguna El Oconal" Municipal Conservation Area, Los Ositos Botanical Garden, Sho'llet Forest Municipal Conservation Area. Also, the Yánesha Ñagazú indigenous community and the Nuestra Señora del Rosario Villa Rica chapel.

Experiences and Nature Circuit - Huancabamba

It includes the Main Park of Huancabamba, Los Colonos cemetery, Remains of Punchao, Fundo Bottger´S and Anana waterfall.

Colono-Pozuzo Route

It is made up of “Los Colonos” Square, the Emperor William II Bridge, the Virgin of Lourdes grotto, Los Colonos Cemetery, Pozuzo Civic Square, and La Identidad de Prusia Park.

Oxapampa Route

It is made up of the Rio del Tigre Waterfall, the cave of the Virgin Immaculate Conception, the Abra viewpoint, the Schaeflli museum, the Oxapampa Main Square and the Oxapampa Mother Church.

Yanachaga Chemillén National Park Route - San Alberto Sector

This rural area is made up of the Yanachaga Chemillén National Park and the San Alberto-Abra Esperanza Area.

Chontabamba Circuit

It is made up of the Floralp Milk Plant, the Golden Years Museum, the Florida Viewpoint and the Main Square of Chontabamba.

Some of these tourist attractions in the province of Oxapampa are detailed below:

Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park

It comprises an area of about 122,000 hectares. Its creation dates back to 1986 with the intention of conserving the basins of the slopes of the Yanachaga mountain range, as well as providing protection to the endangered species found in the area. It is home to a great diversity of flora and fauna, in which the emblematic cock of the rocks, a bird native to Peru, stands out.

Yánesha Communal Reserve

It covers an area of 34,744.7 hectares. It was considered a Reserve since 1988 with the intention of maintaining the good state of the flora and fauna of the area for the benefit of the indigenous communities that inhabit it.

El Sira Communal Reserve

It occupies an area that reaches 616,413.41 hectares, delimited on the eastern side by the Ucayali River, and by the Pachitea River on the western side. It extends between the province of Puerto Inca (Huánuco region), the province of Oxapampa (Pasco region) and the provinces of Atalaya and Coronel Portillo (Ucayali region).

The El Sira Communal Reserve is an area protected by the State with the purpose of conserving and protecting natural resources and ensuring the continuity and survival of the Asháninka, Yánesha and Shipibo ethnic groups that inhabit this protected natural area.

Rich Villa

District whose inhabitants are dedicated mainly to agriculture and especially to the cultivation of excellent quality coffee, as well as cocoa and various fruit trees. For this reason, it is called the "Capital of the finest coffee in the world" and is an ideal destination for agritourism, experiential tourism and ecotourism. Thanks to its scenic beauty, it is part of a tourist corridor along with other towns in the province of Oxapampa.

The Enchantment Waterfall

It is located in the district of Villa Rica. It is a 30-meter-high waterfall surrounded by fertile Amazonian vegetation that makes it a setting of dazzling natural beauty.

Pozuzo

District created by Law 2889 issued on November 29, 1918. It has a total area of 1,394.40 square kilometers and inside it is the Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park and natural settings such as the Dolphin waterfall, which has a drop of 80 meters and receives a growing influx of tourists.

Another place of interest is the Huancabamba Canyon that can reach 800 meters deep; the Pantheon of the Settlers, so named because the remains of the settlers who arrived in the area years ago rest there; the Schafferer Museum, where the different objects and artifacts that the founding settlers brought with them are kept and exhibited.

In addition, Pozuzo is interesting for the residential buildings it has, and where typical constructions made from sawn wood in which nails are not used can be seen.

The central festivity in honor of Santa Rosa is celebrated every August 30 and includes religious activities, with novenas and masses, as well as cultural events that highlight the cultural richness of the Oxapampa province.

Oxapampa: 10 tourist attractions that you should know

Oxapampa Main Square

Located in the central part of the city of Oxapampa. In the center of the square stands an imposing obelisk with an octagonal base built in 1959, erected in honor of the Austro-German settlers who founded Oxapampa and Villa Rica in the thick jungle of the Pasco region.

Pozuzo, German colony

Pozuzo was the first colony of its kind founded in 1859, four years after the Peruvian government granted the land to Austrian settlers. The immigrants built the city following the architectural patterns of their countries of origin, so the houses are built with geometric plans, wooden floors and gabled roofs.

It is located 84 km north of the city of Oxapampa and 360 km from Cerro de Pasco.

Tsho'llet Forest

It means "Queen of colored snails". You can see spectacled bears and different birds.

Rich Villa

It is located in the district located in the province of Oxapampa. Villa Rica is well known for being a coffee producing area. Surrounding the town are the El León and El Encanto waterfalls.

Laguna Oconal

It has 61 species of birds and a great variety of fish, because the lagoon fulfills the function of a place of passage for migratory birds.

Oconal lake Oapampa

Chontabamba

It is one of the districts of Oxapampa, and means "Field of straw". It is rich in terms of natural, mystical, archaeological, cultural tourist attractions, and even ideal sites for the practice of experiential tourism. It has the Las Orquídeas Waterfall, a set of waterfalls known as La Esperanza and San Francisco.

The Witch Waterfall

Located in Villa Rica, it is part of the Oxapampa-Asháninka-Yánesha Biosphere Reserve. It has a fall of 19 meters and 5 meters wide.

Pichis and Palcazú rivers

Ideal destination for the practice of aquatic tourism, located in the city of Oxapampa.

Psicifarm the Summit

It is located in the district of Chotabamba, 3.4km from Oxapampa. It has 6 pools in which variety trout are raised, in addition the psicifarm allows to appreciate the growth and feed the trout.

Florida Lookout

It is located in Chontabamba, located in the Central Jungle, it has an impressive view where you can appreciate the splendor of Oxapampa's nature.

How to get to Oxapampa?

There are two ways to get to Oxapampa by land. The first is by taking a direct bus or private car from Lima, which takes approximately 10 hours, or starting from Junín, which takes approximately 3 hours to arrive.

Another way to get there is by taking a flight from Lima or from another province to Jauja (closest airport) and then a bus to Oxapampa for 3 hours.

Weather in Oxapampa

In Oxapampa the winters are long, cloudy and cool while the summers are short, dry and hot.

Throughout the year the temperature usually varies between 13 to 24 degrees Celsius and very rarely is below 11 °C or above 26 °C.

Now, the best date of the year to travel to Oxapampa, especially if you want to do activities in hot weather, is undoubtedly from the first days of May to the first days of October.

Where to eat in Oxapampa?

Typical dishes of Oxapampa

Picante de Cuy: The spicy de Cuy, although it is not a typical dish from Oxapampa specifically but from Peru, is commonly served in this place. It is a dish whose main ingredient is Cuy (Guinea pig) is accompanied with parboiled potatoes and rice.

Cuy Chactado: Another of the typical dishes of Oxapampa based on Cuy is this. Contains fried yucca, rice, mote, fried plantain and salad.

Oxapampa Chicharrón: Another of the best-known dishes in Oxapampa is Chicharrón. Although it is also served in different parts of the country, each city has its own version. Generally, it is accompanied with yucca.

Oxapampa grill: Another of the typical dishes of this region is the Oxapampa grill. It is served with a piece of beef, meat, pork, chorizo and is accompanied with yucca. The meat is Oxapampa is one of the best in the country.

Best Tours in Peru

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