San Martin Department · Peru
Tarapoto travel guide
Tarapoto is a city in San Martin Department, Peru, home to about 240,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- TPP3 km · Cadete FAP Guillermo Del Castillo Paredes Airport
- Currency
- PENNuevo sol
- Time zone
- America/Lima
- Language
- Aymara, Quechua, Spanish
About
About Tarapoto
Tarapoto, founded in 1782 as Santa Cruz de los Motilones de Tarapoto, is a commercial hub town in the San Martín Province of the Department of San Martín of northern Peru. It is an hour by plane from Lima, in the high jungle plateau to the east of what is known as the selva baja (low jungle).
Tarapoto sits in the valley where the two rivers, the Cumbaza and Shilcayo, meet. Bordered by the cities of Morales (on the west) and Banda de Shilcayo (on the east) Tarapoto is the commercial center of the District and one of the larger metropolitan centers in the Amazon Rainforest. While Tarapoto is sometimes overlooked by tourists heading to Iquitos, visitors will find that because of its cloud forest location at an altitude over 350 meters, the temperatures won't get as hot, usually not above 95°F, and perhaps more importantly, the humidity is not generally as high as the low jungle.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Tarapoto
Do
- Wayra Sacha
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Tarapoto to stay in
A reasonable place to stay in the centre of Tarapoto is the La Posada Inn, 50 m from the Plaza on Jiron San Martin. It is quieter than some hotels there and has wifi, hot and cold water and a good restaurant. Or go to Lamas and stay in the relaxed and laid-back hotel Hospedeja de la Sangpilla (30 minutes by shared taxi from Tarapoto) S/60 double, with swimming pool and breakfast.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Tarapoto
2 hotels within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| GreenLand Tarapoto | 1.4 km | |
| Sachahuasca Backpacker | 0.7 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Tarapoto
Tarapoto has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; March is the wettest, with about 240 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Tarapoto: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cadete FAP Guillermo Del Castillo Paredes Airport (TPP), about 2.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Moises Benzaquen Rengifo Airport (YMS, 71 km) is also within reach.
Getting around
A mototaxi looks like a rickshaw with a motorcycle welded onto the front of it and is the most common form of transportation in Tarapoto. Automobile taxis are also available in lesser numbers. Whether using a taxi or mototaxi, tourists should always negotiate the price of the trip before getting into the vehicle, or they might find themselves paying far more than necessary for the ride. Mototaxi drivers are sometimes reckless, so tourists should not hesitate to tell the driver to slow down if necessary.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
TPP · Cadete FAP Guillermo Del Castillo Paredes Airport
YMS · Moises Benzaquen Rengifo Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Tarapoto
Drink
There are many discos in the Morales district. Highlights include Anaconda, Aqua and Bunker.It can be closed at the beginning of the week, but it is open and generally free from Thursday to Sunday. In the street in front of the restaurant Patarashca, about two blocks from the Plaza de Armas (in the direction of the artesanal market), they are bars with drinks and music at night. Calle Bolognesi or Calle Lamas. The musmuki bar is a good address to try some cocktails from the jungle (about one block from the Plaza de Armas, when you left on the Scotiabank side in Calle Moyobamba).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Tarapoto: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Tarapoto?
Tarapoto has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. August is the warmest month, with average highs of 33 °C; March is the wettest, with about 240 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Tarapoto?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Cadete FAP Guillermo Del Castillo Paredes Airport (TPP), about 2.9 km from the city centre in a straight line; Moises Benzaquen Rengifo Airport (YMS, 71 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Tarapoto?
Nuevo sol (PEN).
Nearby
Destinations near Tarapoto
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.