La Balsa

Ready to take our leave from Chachapoyas with the intention of eventually heading north into Ecuador we had a choice. Make our way back to the coastal crossing or take the less trotted inland route, La Balsa. We were split 50/50. Wanting to head to the coast to visit Mancora, everyone’s favorite Peruvian beach town. Or cross the border inland destined for Vilcabamba. We heard stories of how amazing Mancora is and having not been to a proper beach in months the idea pulled strongly at our hearts. Having been in Peru for months now, what was one more stop? But if we didn’t take the northern route to Vilcabamba it becomes a little hard to justify a visit with any other sensible itinerary. (We hate to backtrack!). In the end we decided to head for The Valley of Longevity and see what it was all about. After reminding ourselves that we would be headed for the Ecuadorian beaches soon and considering the fact that Bo’s visa was already 12 days over the limit the choice was made. The two day La Balsa adventure begins!

If you’re traveling around South America and looking to head from Chachapoyas to Vilcabamba (or vice versa) the trip will take you two days passing through a handful of uneventful towns. The scenery is ever changing and beautiful. It’s worth it just to get off the typical tourist route for some time.

Chachapoyas to Bagua Grande

 

Heading out we left around noon. There’s really no reason to leave too early. The trip will take you two days either way due to connections. Remember not to leave too late because you don’t want to wander a new city too long after dark. Although, we never felt unsafe at all during our time. The route will wind you through some mountains and then down alongside a river. The land will start to open up and you’ll start to see the palm trees! Just as you’re arriving to the town you’ll start to see that people here seem to have a much more European look than you’re probably use to seeing in Peru.

-Take colectivo at terminal headed for BG.

-Cost: s/10 ($3)

-Departure: Every hour into the evening.

-Travel Time: About 3 hours with stops.

Bagua Grande to Jaen

Once in BG the colectivo terminal to Jaen is diagonal to where you were just dropped off. You’re probably noting how hot and humid it is by now, or at least we sure did! The town looks fairly large and busy from here. Not much to see. I think catching the next ride onwards is the best option.

-Take colectivo headed for Jaen

-Cost: s/5 ($1.50).

-Departure: Seven passenger vans leave throughout day once seats are full.

-Travel Time: One hour

Jaen to San Ignacio

Once in Jaen the first thing you’ll notice is that the place is massive. If you have some time to kill our driver recommends to go check out Cathedral Jaen. Having visited our fair share of churches over the last nine months we quickly decided to skip the sightseeing and head for our next connection. The drop off point in Jaen is inconveniently located out of walking distance to the next connection. Believe me it’s not the first or last time you’ll wonder why some things are the way they are if you decide to take up South American budget traveling as your next adventure! From here take one of the many waiting moto taxi to the next terminal. They all know where it is.

-Take 10 minute ride in moto taxi to terminal for San Ignacio s/2-3 (<$1).

-Take next colectivo for SI

-Cost: s/16 ($5) for van or s/20 ($6) for car. Both seemed a bit overpriced! These were the posted prices and our negotiations (which we aren’t so great at) fell on deaf ears. The car will be faster with less stops.

-Travel Time: 2 hours by car

San Ignacio to La Balsa

San Ignacio is the last larger town before leaving Peru. It’s also the last time we saw an ATM before arriving in Vilcabamba. We knew we would arrive in the night so we asked around before leaving Chachapoyas about places to stay. Our hostel owners recommended La Posada and the colectivo driver was nice enough to drop us off there. If you’re not as lucky you may have to take a moto taxi for the five minute drive. This place is super basic but the staff was nice and the rooms cheap. S/15 ($5) with a shared bathroom or s/25 ($7) with your own. Also it’s walking distance to your onward connection. Ask the front desk for directions. Departures start around 5am. There is only one direct bus from the border to Vilcabamba leaving at 10am. Do yourself a favor and plan your hour colectivo ride to make the connection.

-Take mototaxi or walk 10-15 minutes to terminal

-Take next colectivo headed for La Balsa

-Cost s/15 ($5) for car.

-Travel Time: One hour

Leaving Peru

If you haven’t overstayed your exit stamp date then you should have no problems here. The crossing is very relaxed. If you don’t see the man in the office just wait a few minutes he will turn up. In less than five minutes you’ll be on your way across the bridge. (if this is you, skip to the next paragraph).

If you have overstayed your welcome like my travel partner then continue reading here. The good

news is that it’s not the end of the world. The Peruvian employees were very nice to us and explained what needed to be done. This is where things may turn for you. We all know when leaving a country we try to limit how much money we withdraw. It only makes sense, who needs Peruvian Sol if crossing into Ecuador?! (Although make sure you have enough to exchange in Ecuador for snacks and onward connections). Here is where limited cash might bite you in the backside. Firstly, you CANNOT pay your fees at the border. You have to take the number code you are given at the border and go 6km back into town to the Banco De La Nacion and pay in local cash currency. After a short wait with some luck you’ll be able to wave down a passing moto taxi for s/3 (<$1) each way. Despite being a bank there is no ATM. There is no ATM in the entire town. The closest one is back in San Ignacio where we came from! Luckily the bank will exchange USA dollars to sol!

-The cost is s/4.05 ($1.20) per each overstayed day.

-Take the code number given at border to the bank.

Bank Hours: M-F 9-5:30pm and Saturday 9-1pm

-Take the payment receipt back to border control. Done!

-The Peruvian border control office hours 7:30-7:30pm with lunch break 2-4:00pm. The paper on the front door lists an alternative address and phone number where it claims you can have your passport stamped out of hours. But we have the funny feeling that this is only a technicality!

Entering Ecuador

Now leaving Peru all you have to do is walk across the bridge and stamp into Ecuador. There are a few small restaurants and shops here. Exchange your sol for dollars to buy your bus tickets. If you have extra money don’t exchange it all here the rates won’t be the best. The direct bus to Vilcabamba leaves the border daily at 10am. The only other options are open air trucks that leave at 5am, 12pm and 5pm. These take you to Zumba where you have to change onto your final Vilcabamba connection. We arrived early enough to catch the direct ride to Vilcabamba.

-Cost: Direct bus to Vilcabamba $11.50

-Travel Time: Our ride was 6.5 hours with many stops.

Arriving at Vilcabamba

Riding through the twisting mountains was a great start to Ecuador. The bus was comfortable and had sick bags hanging on every chair. Car sickness must be a monster on this route! Once in tvalley you’ll be surrounded by nature. The town itself is an ever growing retirement destination for countless expats. Sure it’s a tourist trap but we enjoyed it.

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