Panguana’s neighbors
At some distance from Panguana there are several villages, upstream the communities of the Asháninka and downstream, on the other side of the Río Pachitea, the town of Yuyapichis, which can be reached by car from Pucallpa.
In the 1980s Yuyapichis still was just a hamlet with few families, all of which had lived in the area for generations. Today the district is home to more than 5,600 people, and the small town is growing fast, especially due to immigration from the Andes and other regions. The local infrastructure has changed rapidly since a road link to the Carretera Marginal has been established, and now there is a growing number of the so-called motocars, which have become ubiquitous in the entire Selva region. By now it is possible to buy in Yuyapichis almost all of life’s essentials, which are brought there from Pucallpa in trucks and all sorts of other vehicles via the road from the south.
For travelers to Panguana, Yuyapichis is the last opportunity to buy any goods before heading into the rainforest.
Impressions froms Yuyapichis
A view of Yuyapichis from the Río Pachitea A variety of locally very practical offerings at a typical store in Yuyapichis Social life in Yuyapichis: Inauguration of a dump truck for local road construction The boat landing site in Yuyapichis; in the foreground a larger vessel for livestock transport. The houses are built on stilts, as the Río Pachitea causes long periods of high water
A number of families that are ethnic Asháninka, Caucasian or mestizos have been settling for generations along the lower course of the Río Yuyapichis or at places upstream of Panguana. However, many of them do not live on their respective parcels of land any more but have moved to Yuyapichis or even farther away. By now, some of them have sold their plots to Panguana, which has allowed successive extension of the protected area. We are looking forward to further additions in the near future.
A traditional, half-open hut with a roof of palm fronds, downstream from Panguana A small pasture on the lower course of the Río Yuyapichis
Most settlers raise livestock or cultivate manioc, corn, beans, rice and various fruit such as bananas, papaya and pineapple. One of Panguana’s neighbors for many years is an Austrian-born livestock farmer, whose tractor has been very useful for many logistical services at Panguana.
The Austrian neighbor and his tractor helping to transport people and their luggage The neighbor's photographs of interesting animals and plants from around Panguana are being saved to the laptop The neighbor's son has brought a snake for identification
