CHAPARRI, A DRY FOREST?

CHICLAYO AND THE ADVENTURE - DAY TWO

Gosh! No matter how old you’re waking up at 5.00 am is always hard. Ceci and I arranged a tour to visit a reserve 60km east Chiclayo, and the night before starting at 6.00 am haven’t sound that bad. After “fighting” my bed and finally getting off for packing a small day pack for our adventure I was ready to leave. We made a bad decision of asking to be pick up at the Cathedral entrance , DON’T do it, Chiclayo down town very early in the morning can be very unsafe since there isn’t public lights after 5 am when is still very dark.

The original tour is explained as a half day tour and we were planning be back in town for lunch time (that’s one of the reasons why we started so early); basically this Natural Reserve is located around 60 km east from Chiclayo, so we calculated 2 hours to go, then 02 more to visit and another 02 to return, but that’s not the reality, and it’s better not tight so much your schedule.

Fernando, our driver, explained that we were going to a Privet Ecological Reserve and told us as well that we contacted the Reserve’s Responsible to organize our tour (I don’t have 100% clear how we managed to get that number) and of course that’s why the price was considerably lower than the one we were told in the travel agencies,’Good on us’ we congratulated ourselves. Fernando gave us lots of information about the region we were going thru, making several stops on our way to Chongoyape ( the last town before Chaparri) and obviously we spend more than the original 02 hours planed.

Once in Chongoyape, we stop to pay the entrance fee PEN.10.00 (USD.3.7) and the guide service PEN.50 (USD.18.65 – No matter the size of the group) both payments are mandatory and are considered a contribution to the Reserve’s initiatives. After that is around 40 min off road getting to protected area.

Santa Catalina Community has donated around 34 000 hectares to protect and re introduce in their natural habitat several animal and vegetal species that have been, or are, in extinction risk; being the most representative the Spectacle Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) and the Pava Aliblanca (Penelope albipennis).

The walk lasts around 2 hours but I could be more if you show interested in the nature and the story of this wonderful project started just 15 years ago with splendid results. The forest we visited is considered a “Dry forest” since only rains 05 months in the year and the nature has smartly adapted to these conditions. Since they restrict the number of visitors to 40 per day, there aren’t much people around and the walk thru the nature is simply fantastic, I loved every single minute, and the pleasant stops under the shade of an Algarrobo tree (Prosopis Pallida).

 



The end of “Bear trail” is in Cuto’s House who is the only Spectacle bear they couldn’t re-introduce to the wild life, since he was saved from a circus but unfortunately he had removed his tusks so he’s unable to find his own food, shame on humans!

Well, if you love nature and supporting self-sustainable responsible projects, Ecological Reserve Chaparri is a must if you are visiting Chiclayo, So don’t miss it.

We were back in Chiclayo around 3.30 pm (nearly 03 hours later from our original plan) but any delayed worth 100%, we were starving but happy with our day.

I RECOMMEND.

Bring insect repellent, hat, sun block, some snacks and water, however you can buy all in a store in Chogoyape.

RESERVE’S CONTACT

Juan de Dios Carrasco Fernandez

Mobile: 978 519857

Phone: 074-433194

jcchaparri@hotmail.com

www.chaparri.jimdo.com

Important: We were charge PEN.180.00 for a privet van for 08 people, they only ask you to divided that price between all your friends, we were five then.