Santuario Nacional Tabaconas Namballe Travel Guide

A huge natural reserve, it has remained intact because of its remote location. It is endangered though. While one Ministry is protecting it, another one gave a tiny part of the park itself and a portion of the border zone in concession to mining companies. Another threat is the increase of population in the villages surrounding it. It is home to diverse ecosystems, with such curious inhabitants as the endangered Andean Mountain Tapir and the Majaz. The highest parts are Paramos, an ecosystem of small plants that only exists in the northern part of the Andes . This ecosystem almost literally slurps the water out of the air. In the highest parts some lakes or lagunas can also be found.  

The cloud forests of the Santuario are also unique. They are home to an incredible variety of niches, because of different orientation of the mountains and the diversity of altitudes.  

The official plan is to close the park to almost all visitors, except for 'scientific tourism'. For the time being though, it is relatively easy to organise a trip from Tabaconas. Usually this implies a 6 hour walk up the mountain, through the forest to the Lagunas on the higest paramo parts. For those with a medium physical condition, asking for a horse is recommended (20 soles per day). Tabaconas can be reached by colectivo from Jaén, San Ignacio and Huancabamba.