La Patarashca Hotel: A Classic Amazon Stay in the Heart of Tarapoto

La Patarashca, in the heart of Tarapoto, is one of those hotels you remember fondly. The moment you step inside—leaving behind the heat, the motorcycles, the pulse of the city—you enter a different tempo: shade, greenery, wooden walkways, and that unmistakable Amazonian humidity that feels like a welcome embrace.

Stepping into the hotel, once you pass the front desk, you realize that the entire property has been built around a garden. Every space feels wrapped in nature, with rooms, corridors, dining areas, a yoga deck, and a central pool where you can cool off from the local heat.

Where We Stayed

We stayed in one of La Patarashca’s two-story rooms, the kind of space that feels handmade and lived-in, originally built by Don César Reátegui himself. When we walked in that morning, the room was set at a perfect 21°C—just enough to soften the jungle heat and make you exhale. The wooden structure, the soft filtered light slipping through the curtains, and the absolute silence—unexpected in a city as lively as Tarapoto—created an immediate sense of refuge.

The beds were firm in the best possible way, great for a good night’s sleep, even if we would have traded the pillows for something softer. The bathroom was wide and practical, with a generous Spanish-style shower that made it easy to rinse off the day’s humidity more than once. And just outside, almost touching the doorstep, a curtain of green: trees, plants, the feeling of being at the edge of a small forest. A couple of pillow options or a blackout curtain would be welcome additions, but watching the room brighten slowly with the Amazon sunrise had its own charm.

The Amazon Slows You Down

Mornings at La Patarashca start softly: birds calling from the garden, the faint aroma coming from the restaurant, quiet conversations from guests planning their day. There’s no pretense here—just an honest, lived-in warmth. The rooms, surrounded by plants and natural textures, feel like part of the landscape.

You wake up already in the jungle, even though you’re steps away from the Plaza de Armas. It’s a hotel that doesn’t try—or need—to impress you. It simply invites you to breathe.

Your Gateway to Tarapoto’s Natural and Cultural Stories

Staying at La Patarashca makes the region feel accessible. From here, you can head out early to Laguna Azul and watch Sauce unfold in the morning light, or reach Ahuashiyacu before the crowds to hear the waterfall echo through the valley. You can dive into cacao routes, meet local producers, or venture to Chazuta, a community where pottery, chocolate, and ancestral tradition live side by side.

Food, Drinks, and a Connection to the Land

But the soul of the hotel is its kitchen. La Patarashca Restaurant is where many travelers—Peruvians and foreigners alike—have their first authentic taste of Amazonian cuisine. Dishes arrive wrapped in bijao leaves, cooked over fire, seasoned with tradition. Nothing overcomplicated. Just flavors that feel grounded in this corner of Peru. You eat here, and suddenly everything outside—the heat, the green, the river—makes more sense.

A modern take on an Amazonian diner is Suchiche, an all-day restaurant that blends coffeeshop and bar energy, sourcing or producing most of its ingredients in-house; they even roast their own coffee. Sandwiches, pizzas, cheese boards, cocktails—there’s a bit of everything for an all-day crowd. It has a private entry from the hotel and a street-facing door on Calle Las Piedras, one of Tarapoto’s busiest streets.

Next to Suchiche, you’ll find Castaña, a bakery offering croissants, desserts, breads, sandwiches, and coffee in a polished, urban style that caters to a younger audience.

Whether it’s your first time in Tarapoto or your tenth, La Patarashca offers that rare feeling of arriving somewhere for the first time—and somehow remembering it.

IN THE KNOW: Do you want to visit tarapoto contact us via email yourfriends@livinginperu.com

Travelers love La Patarashca because it is just like the Amazon: warm, simple, generous, full of character. It’s the kind of place where you slow down without realizing it, where the staff remembers your name, and where every return feels like picking up a story you left mid-chapter.