Guests of the Cordillera Escalera ecolodge have a unique opportunity to get in the thick of the Amazonian selva, which begins literally across the road. The Chaсruna Nature and Recreation Park is a piece of wild South American nature, where everything is provided for a comfortable and safe viewing, in the company of experienced guides.
The park is located in front of the entrance to the ecolodge Cordillera Escalera. To get into it, guests have just to cross the public road. This is an area of 3 hectares of Amazonian selva almost untouched by people, where a huge number of interesting South American trees and shrubs grow. Moreover, many of them are the so-called Plants Teachers (Spanish Plantas Maestras), that is, they serve in the local culture for the spiritualistic connection between the world of people and the world of plants, as in the famous epic film Avatar.
We do all our best to make the stay of guests in our ecolodge as comfortable and safe as possible, as well as interesting and informative. Therefore, now we are equipping the Chaсruna Nature and Recreation Park, where, without violating the existing biocenosis, we create all conditions for observing plants in their natural habitat – with paths, information signs, recreation areas, etc.
There is a safe descent to the local Shilcayo River, which descends from the mountain range in the Cordillera Escalera Nature Reserve. Park staff always maintains cleanliness on the banks of the river. Visitors can come to a small beach, where natural fonts are formed with huge river boulders. The foliage of trees, adjacent to the river, forms a green canopy that protects the beach from direct sunlight.
In addition, above the descent to the river there are a barbecue area with a brazier made in Native American style from river stones, and a table with comfortable benches made of a local tree. (The mentioned tree fell 4 months ago during a hurricane in the park, so we did not harm nature in any way). Not far from this site in a bamboo grove, huge bamboo trunks, swinging by the wind, collide with each other and create an unusual sound background, giving the jungle special mystery.
The first hiking trails have already been laid, along which the guests of the ecolodge will be driven by experienced guides, “armed” with machetes. In the near future (by the end of August 2020), a reception building will appear at the entrance to the park zone, where leisure equipment will be available for our guests: sunbeds, towels, barbecue items, etc.
At last, some words about the park. Among other plants, the magic trees of shortleaf fig, also known as giant bearded fig (lat. Ficus citrifolia) and wild fig Ficus Glabrata (lat. Ficus insipida), bushes of angel’s tears, also called snowy angel’s trumpet (lat. Brugmansia suaveolens) and bobinsanas (lat. Calliandra angustifolia) are of interest. Here you can also find succulent bushes of the Master Plant – chacruna (lat. Psychotria viridis). This is a perennial shrub from the bedstraw family (lat. Rubiaceae), which also includes a coffee tree. It has several possible uses. For example, members of the Matsiguenga tribe, who lives in southeastern Peru, use extract from chacruna leaves as a remedy for headaches by burying it in their eyes.
In the park there are also many cocoa and mocambo trees (lat. Theobroma bicolor), as well as several coffee trees. According to local traditions, coffee is ground and brewed in pans, and locals prefer to drink it not at all strong. Though cocoa and coffee are known all over the world, mocambo (not to be confused with the Mexican rum) for many people remains an exotic tropical fruit, although it is the closest one to cocoa. In the highly developed pre-Columbian Aztec civilization, white chocolate was made from the beans of this plant, but the Spanish conquerors were not able to appreciate its taste and benefits.
In the future, much more is to be done in the park. We are going to clear the lake to breed Amazonian paiche fish (lat. Arapaima), which is one of the symbols of wealth among local residents. A botanical path will also be laid for visitors to get acquainted with the properties and characteristics of representatives of the Amazonian flora, and, possibly, of the fauna too (if we get lucky).
Follow our news and come to visit the Peruvian selva in the Chaсruna Nature and Recreation Park!