Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [410]
Restaurant El Eden (53-1183; Anchas 347; mains S12-20; breakfast from 8am, lunch & dinner) Spot where all the gringos in town are eating. There is a reason: this is a laid-back hangout right on the plaza, a recommended breakfast stop and a cracking heladería (ice-cream parlor). There are a smattering of North American faves alongside the more standard Peruvian meals available. Given what the region is renowned for, a real coffee wouldn’t go amiss.
Restaurant Shambari Campa (53-2842; Tarma 389; mains about S15; 6:30am-12:30am) Also on the plaza, this famous hole-in-the-wall restaurant has been serving good local food for decades. The menu, including the set lunches, is so extensive you can be literally lost for choice. Service is quick and attentive.
SAN RAMÓN
The hotel restaurants are worth a visit.
Chifa Felipe Siu (33-1078; Progreso 440; 11am-2pm & 6:30-11pm) Locals say this is the best place to eat Chinese food in the Amazon – it’s certainly a bit of an establishment here.
Shopping
Chanchamayo Highland Coffee (53-1198) is the only place around where you can sample and buy the coffee for which Chanchamayo is famous. (Peru is one of the world’s largest coffee producers but nearly all of it is exported.) It’s gimmicky but enjoyable, and besides the shop, you can browse displays on coffee production and check out old coffee-producing machinery. It’s 1km northeast of the bus terminal on the Satipo road.
Getting There & Away
AIR
The Chanchamayo airstrip is a 30-minute walk from San Ramón. Mototaxis will take you there (around S3). Small planes can theoretically be chartered to almost anywhere in the region but the strip is virtually deserted most of the time.
BUS
The bus terminal is a 1km downhill walk east of the center of La Merced. Most buses arrive and leave from here. Schedules are haphazard – go down there as early as you can and ask around.
Direct buses go from Lima to Chanchamayo, though many travelers break the journey at Tarma. Try to travel the 70km stretch from Tarma to San Ramón in daylight for the views during the spectacular 2200m descent. Companies going to Lima (S20 to S30, eight hours) include Junín (53-1256), which has two day buses and two luxury night sleeping buses daily to Lima (S70) – and is considered the most reliable service.
Other companies such as Transportes Salazaar also go to Lima, with several daily and nightly departures. Their offices are all located at the terminal or across the road on Prolongación Tarma. Empresa de Transportes San Juan (53-1522) has an office in the terminal and charges S15 for the five-hour journey to Huancayo (with stops at Tarma and Jauja), departing every two to three hours throughout the day. Frequent buses from various companies go to Tarma (around S10, 2½ hours).
Transportation into the jungle is by large minibus or pickup truck. Colectivos ply some routes for a slightly higher price. Minibuses leave for Pichanaqui (S5, on hour) about every half-hour; change here for services to Satipo. Empresa Santa Rosa has frequent minibuses to Oxapampa (S10, three hours), where you can change for services to Pozuzo (four hours further on). Pickup trucks to Puerto Bermúdez (S25, eight to 10 hours) leave from outside the terminal when full: be there ready for 4am. Journey time depends on road conditions but this is always an arduous trip, especially if you travel on top (in which case bring sunglasses, a waterproof jacket and gloves to prevent blisters caused by clinging on).
TAXI
Colectivos seating four passengers go to Tarma (S15), Oxapampa (S15, two hours) and Pichanaqui (S10). Ask at the bus terminal.
Getting Around
Minibuses linking La Merced with San Ramón and the hotels in between leave every few minutes (S1.50, 15 minutes) from outside the bus terminal. Drivers try charging more if they think you’re staying at one of these hotels. Mototaxis