Oxapampa – a little bit of Tyrol in the middle of Peru

Oxapampa

Surrounded by lush mountains and rainforests, nestled in flourishing and fertile plains, lies a small town that is said to be incredibly familiar to German and Austrian visitors: Oxapampa, a 19th century city founded by settlers who came here from Prussia and Tirol. .

Today, Oxapampa is best known for its coffee, sugar cane liquor and one of the best music festivals in Peru. Due to the favorable prices of real estate, many new settlers have come to Oxapampa in recent years, this time often inhabitants of the city of Lima, who wanted to start a new life here. In the last ten years, many shops, hostels and new hotels have sprung up, as well as some organic farms and businesses, which appreciate the fertile and, above all, beautiful landscape.

From Pozuzo to found Oxapampa

The Oxapampa area of today was established long before the first colonization of native tribal groups such as the Yanesha, the Campa and Ashaninka, who lived here as nomads or semi-nomads. It was not until the mid-seventeenth century that the first missionaries went to the lowlands of central Peru and established their first missions in the area.

In the mid-nineteenth century, the Peruvian government decided to obtain “reinforcements” and signed a contract with Baron Damian Schütz of Holzhausen, who undertook to take 10,000 settlers to the central lowlands. But some did not, since only 200 Tyrolese and 100 Germans followed their call, and most of them came from bad conditions and saw this as an opportunity for a new life in the Andean state. Probably nobody had told them about the arduous trip, because first they had to spend months on the ship and then also cross the Andes. And when they finally reached the area given Pozuzo, they quickly noticed that this was not very suitable for an agreement. Too narrow was the selected valley, too hot and humid the weather.

The settlers, now well trained in traveling, set off again to find a better environment for their new beginning – and finally found it in about 80 km away Oxapampa that they founded in 1891 as a new colony.

Even today, in Oxapampa, you will meet descendants of these first settlers, who stand out with their blond hair and bright eyes.

Attractions in and around Oxapampa

As is usually the case in Peru, the views are around the Plaza de Armas, the main square of the city. And without a doubt, the most outstanding among them is the Church of Santa Rosa, a church built entirely of wood. Those responsible for this are the Franciscans who built them at this time in 1940. If you walk through the center of Oxapampa, you can see some more wooden houses from this period, but the church is the most beautiful and best preserved in the city.

The “other” attraction, the Quillazu Mission, was also built by the Franciscans in 1880, making the monastery one of the oldest in the country.

Otherwise, the real treasures of Oxapampa are the small shops where you can find all sorts of unusual things, including extremely tasty German and Austrian baked goods.

Just outside the city is Bio Westreicher, a small zoo with an annex restaurant, where you can see a large colony of Australian emus and, of course, llamas, alpacas and company up close.

Are you a passionate enthusiast? Then head to “La Floralp”, a cheese dairy that is famous for its 21 different cheeses, which you can not only buy here, but also try. He gets suspicious in Piscigranja, a small trout farm, where you can buy fresh fish. Now we just need a barbecue to launch the candy!

North of Oxapampa live the Tsachopen natives who give a little idea of their culture. Even if the inhabitants dress “modern” nowadays, they have preserved the old traditions and customs, and of course they also offer cultural memories. Especially beautiful: the original ceramics and jewelry, which are partly made of seeds.

Scenic attractions around Oxapampa

The area around Oxapampa is impressively beautiful. There may not be the infinite emptiness of the desert or the majestic peaks of the Andes mountains, but lush rainforests, towering waterfalls and mysterious caves await you. Not in vain was an area of 122,000 hectares, not far from Oxapampa 1986, declared National Park Yanachaga Chemillen. And this is not the only protected area here: today, the region is designated by UNESCO as Oxapampa-Ashaninka-Yanesha biosphere reserve.

Some of the highlights are:

On the road to the north, towards Pozuzo, there are two waterfalls, which deserve a small detour: the Anana Waterfall and the Rayantambo Waterfall.
14 km outside of Oxapampa is the Tigre River Waterfall, which is poured into the depths, surrounded by wild jungle. From the pedestrian bridge over the Tigre River you have an excellent view of the show
On the way to Chotabamba is the Tunqui Cave, a small but interesting cave.

Of course, you can also book longer tours that take you to the heart of the national park: sturdy shoes and rain jackets highly recommended!

Hotels in Oxapampa

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How to get to Oxapampa

getting there

Oxapampa is located about 385 km northeast of the capital, Lima, in the central lowlands of Peru. By bus, the route lasts up to 10 hours, but it is unbearably cheap. If you are in a hurry, you can fly from Lima to Jauja and then take a taxi to Oxapampa, but who is really in a hurry in Peru?