The road from Pasto Grande continues to follow the La Paz river and is hardly ever used and during the summer months it is very often blocked with landslides. The road or track rather, eventually connects with the main road which going south, crosses the river La Paz and continues to the towns of Inquisivi and Quime. We will however turn north and start climbing over the small mountain range towards the town of Irupana, which lies on the other side of the range. The mountains in the surrounding area are more accessible and thus the whole of this area is relatively densely populated by colonists who came from the unhospitable Altiplano. This is the lowest point of our trip at about 1000 m (3280 f), and is full of mango, citrus and coffee plantations.
The road climbs from La Plazuela over a low ridge line from which we will have a view of the whole Chulumani valley, which is full of small communities which produce: coca, coffee, bananas, citrus fruits, papayas and other tropical fruits and vegetables. From the ridge we will decent to Irupana, which is a charming little town about 250 years old, at a pleasant altitude of 1875 m (6151 f).
From Irupana the road continues towards Chulumani, and it snakes up and down the surrounding hills until it reaches a turnoff to the privately owned Apa Apa Forest Reserve. We have our dinner here and will spend a night here at a small hotel which was converted from a typical hacienda.
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