At Bosque de las Nuwas, Awaj\u00fan women guide visitors through the forest they care for in Shampuyacu, in northern Peru\u2019s San Mart\u00edn region. The visit combines plant knowledge, food and cultural activities in the Alto Mayo area. If you are staying around Rioja, allow a day for it and arrange permission at least 24 hours ahead. Turning up at the entrance is no substitute for a confirmed reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The women\u2019s work extends well beyond receiving travellers. Conservation International has documented their recovery of traditional plant and cassava varieties, along with the development of herbal teas as a source of income. The project connects forest conservation with knowledge that the women want to keep and pass on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For a visitor, that gives the walk a specific focus: understanding how the hosts use and care for plants. The tourism programme also includes Awaj\u00fan songs and dances, an interpretation centre and opportunities to buy locally made crafts. Ask which activities are included on your date, particularly if one is the main reason for your visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This suits travellers interested in people, plants and the relationship between them. Choose a different excursion if your overriding aim is a particular wildlife sighting; the appeal here does not depend on an animal appearing on demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Shampuyacu lies in the upper Mayo basin, near Naranjillo. Peru\u2019s national tourism inventory breaks the drive from central Rioja into two sections: around 55 minutes on paved road to Naranjillo, followed by roughly 25 minutes on an unpaved road to the forest. Those estimates add up to about 80 minutes each way, before stops or delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Arrange the return journey when booking the outward transfer. Ask whether transport is included in the visit price and where you will meet your guide. Keep the day free of a tight onward connection: a road estimate is useful for planning, but it is not a guaranteed arrival time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regional visitor information lists opening hours of 8am to 5pm and requires advance authorisation from the Bosque de las Nuwas association. Peru\u2019s community-tourism catalogue recommends a full-day visit. Confirm the actual start time and duration with your hosts rather than treating the opening hours as the tour schedule.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Published tourism listings give different prices and package details. Request a current total for your group, including meals, guiding and any transfers. If you need an English-speaking guide, settle that before paying; do not assume one will be available on arrival. Mention dietary requirements at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The community-tourism catalogue recommends May to November and identifies December to April as the rainier months. Regional listings describe the experience as available year-round. Use those as broad planning guides, then ask about trail and road conditions for your date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bring water, a hat, sun protection, repellent and comfortable walking shoes. Before booking, describe any mobility needs and ask about the proposed route, river crossing and walking surfaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let the hosts set the pace of cultural activities. Ask before photographing people, and leave plants where they are unless your guide expressly invites you to handle them. A useful booking message is simple: give your date, group size, preferred language and transport needs, then ask the association to confirm the programme and full cost. That is the information you need before setting aside your day in Alto Mayo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
At Bosque de las Nuwas, Awaj\u00fan women guide visitors through the forest they care for in Shampuyacu, in northern Peru\u2019s San Mart\u00edn region. The visit combines plant knowledge, food and cultural activities in the Alto Mayo area. If you are staying around Rioja, allow a day for it and arrange permission at least 24 hours ahead. Turning up at the entrance is no substitute for a confirmed reservation. What makes this forest worth visiting? The women\u2019s work extends well beyond receiving travellers. Conservation International has documented their recovery of traditional plant and cassava varieties, along with the development of herbal … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_strive_editorial_status":"complete","_strive_copy_of":0,"_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,8],"tags":[274],"class_list":["post-2597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","category-america","tag-peru","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2599,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2597\/revisions\/2599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thebesttimetovisit.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}