The Grand Tour - Part 11 - Tarapoto, part 3

The area round Tarapoto has a lot to offer, and I was tempted to ride the few miles to Yurimaguas and catch a boat to Iquitos, which is the largest city in the world (population almost half a million) that is inaccessible by road - the only ways there are by boat or plane. Iquitos is on the Amazon river, and offers wonderful trips into the Amazon rain-forest, and still is one place I must visit one day. However I had already been travelling for 2 weeks and decided to visit one other local attraction before heading back towards "home" the next day (I had already booked two nights in Florida, Lake Pomacochas), so chose the Ahuashiyacu waterfall, which was not that far away so I decided to ride there on my bike.
The online guide said that it was a popular tourist spot, so, realising that most tour buses wouldn't get there till late morning once they had collected all the passengers, I set off early and had the place to myself - in fact I arrived before it was open, so had to wait a few minutes for entry to the trail!

Looking back the way I had just come - through the mist and damp, twisty road.

Impressive entrance to the waterfall.

The walk up to the falls is fairly gentle and takes about 10 minutes through beautiful, lush vegetation - I did have the place to myself, only encountering another man on the way up as I was heading back down!

The pathway follows the river upwards

It is well made with railings along steeper drops

Water drips down the rocks along the way, maintaining the lush vegetation

There are several covered bridges along the way as the path crisscrosses the river

Still no sign of the waterfall

Beautiful giant ferns

Finally rounding a bend the falls appeared - not huge at only 40 metres (132 feet), but still pretty impressive

Close to the falls there are toilets/changing rooms so visitors can don bathing suits and swim close to the base of the falls, though the water is less than 2 metres deep, but shallower, so children-safe, near the edges

The area immediately under the waterfall was cordoned off keeping bathers away

You can walk up very close

The sound of water and the lush vegetation made it a lovely tranquil spot

Tall trees reaching up into the canopy 

Heliconia - Lobster Claw Plant

Looking back up on the way down

I believe this is a different Heliconia

As I reached the car park the mist had descended again giving it a mysterious air.

After having spent a wonderful couple of hours at Ahuashiyacu I headed back to Tarapoto for some lunch.

Plaza de Armas, Tarapoto

Like most places in Peru the Plaza de Armas is the focal point of the town

Moyobamba was the three-wheeler mecca, while in Tarapoto the motorbike ruled!

Bikes parked round the main square had pieces of cardboard to protect the seats from the midday sun

Then I spotted a "warden" - the lady to the left - who was carrying the cardboard round and you could "rent" a cover for your bike!

Bikes everywhere

... and tightly packed in all the side streets

Alongside the church was packed too

Not sure if I should have parked here - there were no signs - but Oli looked lonely on his own!

The Inn did have a restaurant, but it closed too early for my dining habits so I had taken to wandering down the hill and looking for somewhere for my evening meals. The first night I found a wonderful Chifa - Chinese/Peruvian restaurant - and had one of the best meals ever, however it was closed the following two nights, so I had to go elsewhere. As the Inn was away from the town centre there weren't many eating options, but the food was very good - the second night I had just sat down when the heavens opened and we had a rainstorm of tropical proportions, which lasted for about 20 minutes. It was fun to see the moto-taxis (three wheelers) simply pulled a plastic sack up at the front, peering out through a tiny gap while continuing about their business!
I had enjoyed my stay in Tarapoto, too, and intend to re-visit again during my time in Peru - and next time I may just include a visit to Iquitos, which everyone says is expensive (at least the trips out to see the Amazon!) but well worth it! But, for now, my time was up and I was embarking on the 1000 km journey home the following day