30 km. The first 14 km follow the Carretera Marginal Sur highway and are asphalted. There is a roundabout at the entrance to the Colombia Bridge, where the highway to ShapAja and Chasuta starts, covering a further 16 km on an unmade road.
Most of our programmes include transport to the lodge. The highway covers this part of the journey. It takes roughly three-quarters of an hour, although, because of stopping to view some of the scenic and ecological attractions en route, it usually lasts for something over an hour.
If you wish to arrive in your own vehicle, you should follow the Carretera Marginal Sur highway and at Kilometre 14, at the Columbia Bridge roundabout, take the turning on the left and proceed in the direction of Shapaja. This town is 6 km from the roundabout, while the Pumarinri is located 16 km from the roundabout.
The state of the Shapaja highway varies according to the season and, although the best recommendation is for four-wheel drive, vehicles with front-wheel drive ply this route constantly.
The most typical way of reaching Tarapoto is by air. At present, the local airport, Jorge Paredes del Castillo, has direct daily flights to Lima and weekly flights to Iquitos. The companies operating in Tarapoto are Star Perú (
www.starperu.com.pe) and LAN Perú (
www.lan.com). The journey from Lima to Tarapoto takes an hour and passenger costs vary between US$ 50 to 80 per one-way flight.
The airport is located less than 10 minutes from the Hotel Río Shilcayo and is very close to the southern exit from Tarapoto, which leads to the Pumarinri.
An alternative is to travel to Tarapoto by land. This option is of great interest if you are hoping to visit other towns and sites of interest along the North Amazonian Circuit, such as Chachapoyas, Kuélap, Gocta, Lambayeque, etc. or if you live in the north of Peru between Trujillo and Tumbes.
If you are travelling in your own vehicle, the Marginal Norte highway (now called Fernando Belaunde Terry) is asphalted along its entire length. This highway begins in the vicinity of Olmos, 100 km from Chiclayo. The route from Chiclayo to Tarapoto takes some 12 hours, not including any stops.
If you are travelling by bus, there are direct departures from Lima, Trujillo, Chiclayo and Piura. We recommend that you opt for a sleeping bus when possible, as well as choosing a reliable and reputable company. Some of the bus lines running to Tarapoto include Moviltours (
www.moviltours.com.pe) or CIVA (
www.civa.com.pe).
The climate is predominately hot and humid. In Tarapoto, the average temperature fluctuates around 25° C with maximum temperatures rising above 32° C when the sun shines.
The coolest time of year runs from May to the end of August (the famous 'friajes' or 'cold weather fronts' occur during the festival of San Juan in June, with minimum temperatures of around 15° C lasting for a few days) and the hottest season is from September to January. Although there is rainfall throughout the year, the rainy season covers the months from January to May. Even during the rainy season, it is unusual for the sun to be occluded for more than two days in succession.
It is difficult to give a best time for visiting the jungles of San Martín, because each season has its own charms. The rainy season shows you the forest in its full verdant splendour with more wildlife activity than at any other time of year. However, the majority of our activities are unaffected by the climate since the roads remain passable throughout the year.
The first piece of advice is to protect yourself from the sun. We recommend you do this by using sun protection cream and by wearing sunglasses and a hat or cap to protect your head. Remember that the UV index is high even on cloudy days. And do not be fooled by the breeze when travelling by boat or in an open-roof vehicle. Situations like those can usually cause serious sunburn.
Another point to note relates to food and drink, particularly the latter. At the Pumarinri Huallaga Lodge, we exclusively use filtered water from our own spring for making ice and drinks and for preparing meals. When travelling through this area, you should use your own judgment to determine which type of food and drinks and establishments leave you feeling less than confident.
As far as diseases contracted through insect bites are concerned, there is an extremely low incidence of malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and other illnesses in Tarapoto and the surrounding region. Nevertheless, you should visit your nearest health centre if you want to be vaccinated.
Bring cool, loose clothing for hiking through the jungle. Sports shoes with a good grip for excursions and a pair of sandals for the water, as well as your swimming outfit. You should also bring a hat or cap, sunglasses, sun block cream and insect repellent. It is always a good idea to carry water or some other drink with you to prevent dehydration. If you need to take any specific medication, do not forget to bring an adequate supply with you.
The location is ideal for children. Contact with nature and the many places where you can swim mean that children are the ones sure to enjoy the trip the most. At the Pumarinri, we regularly welcome children of all ages, from babies all the way up to teenagers.
Some people seem to think they're unlikely to meet any more insects in the middle of the jungle than they would expect to find in the cosmetics section of a department store. Obviously, there are a great deal more. Rather than call them "creepy crawlies", we prefer the term "biodiversity". Many of our foreign visitors come precisely because of these "creepy crawlies". We are surrounded by butterflies, multicoloured frogs, horned beetles, stick insects, leaf-cutter ants, etc.
If you are worried about mosquitoes, we can tell you that at night, by some whim of nature, the Pumarinri does not have a single one. During the day, you have to use insect repellent because of the presence of flies.
We have electricity 24 hours a day (we are connected to the regional electrical grid) and a surplus of hot and cold water of excellent quality.
At present, the Lodge does not have coverage for mobile telephones, although the Claro company forecasted putting a new antenna into operation as of December 2007 in the locality of Chasuta, which is intended to service the whole region.
