Cajamarca

Cajamarca is a department in the andean highlands of Northern Peru. It is known for its dairy products, including cheese, milk, and dulce de leche. Most volunteers live in rural agricultural sites or small towns outside of Cajamarca city, the department capital, or Chota in the north. Cajamarcan Peace Corps volunteers are comprised of three programs: Youth Development, Community Health Promotion, and Small Business Development.

Hostels:
Hostel Santa Rosa, Jr. Sabogal. Simples are S/. 25. It can be hard to get a room here, and its pretty far from the plaza. They have a roof for hanging out/activities, hot water, internet (not the fastest), clean and most staff are friendly. Most volunteers wind up staying here.

Hostel Peru, Plaza de Armas, 076364030. A lower-end, safe hostal undergoing renovation. Singles are S/. 25. Hot water, fast internet, in the plaza, great staff.

Hostal Jazmines: Jr. Amazonas 775. A very nice and quiet hostal near the plaza. Attatched to the Jazmines cafe. We get a Peace Corps discount on their rooms without private bathrooms. A double with a shared bathroom is S/. 50 and a single with a shared bathroom is S/. 35. Just ask for Edgar and tell him you are in Peace Corps.

Hostel Cil, Jr. Sabogal. Santa Rosa´s sister hostel. Hot water, clean, fast internet, closer to plaza. Close to Santa Rosa with comparable pricing.

Hostel Plaza, Plaza de Armas. A dump, but S/. 10 for a bed in communal room.

Low-Cost:
Crazy Chicken - Pollo a la Brasa, papas fritas, your normal chicken joint. A few locations throughout Caja city, one on Jr. Puga.

Zarco - Huge Peruvian restaurant with an equally large menu. Jr. Cruz de la Piedra, the corner of the plaza.

Natur´s Center Vegetarian Restaurant - A peruvian vegetarian chain. They have one locatoin accross from El Quinde, and a second down Amalia Puga (Cathedral side) on the corner with Tarapaca. They have overflowing fruit salads for 3 or 4 soles!

Helados Holanda - Good locally-made ice cream with lots of exotic fruit flavors from the area. In the plaza and in the mall.

La Cremeria - Good locally-made ice cream with specialties in chocolate flavors and coffees. They closed their store and now only have a stand in Maestro.

Mishky Cafe - Great for takeout coffee. They are half a block up Jr. Cruz de Piedra (the street to the far right when looking uphill from the plaza)

Chezzu - A delicious and affordable burger/sandwich spot. It is a little bit out of the way on Amazonas just past 5 Esquinas. (On the same street as Jazmines).

Medium-Priced:
Marengos- Peru-Mex, at its finest!!. They have great burritos, tacos, and guacamole. Their fajita dish is amazing but worth splitting with a friend. They also serve good pizza, the mexican pizza being the must try. Jr. San Martin, the street without any car passage off the plaza, in front of Vaca Loca.

New York Pizza - Decent pizza by the slice or request your own pie. It is down Amalia Puga (convent San Francisco side) between Jr. 5 Esquinas and Jr. Antonio Guillermo Urrelo.

Tuna Cafe - Fantastic Peruvian food! Great breakfast and dinner but their lunch menu is the best in town. It is half a block down Amalia Puga (convento San Francisco side). Closed on Sundays.

Jazmines - Owned by Helados Holanda, features great breakfast sandwiches, wonderful coffee, real green tea, internet, and fantastic dessert pies. Jr. Amazonas,, inside Hospedaje Los Jasmines.

Sala´s - A staple restaurant in Cajamarca where you can find all your favorite Peruvian dishes. They have two locations on on the plaza near Helados Holanda under all the hostels on the plaza. Their other location is half a block up Cruz de Piedra.

Van Gough - A really awesome cafe/art gallery. They have a delicious Sunday brunch and make great crepes, tortilla de patatas, enchiladas, and much more. Plus live music on the weekends.

High Range:
Om-Gri - Real Italian food in a hole-in-the-wall. We swear, he is the only guy in Peru who can make italian. He studied in Belgium, guys. If you call ahead ((076)367619), he´ll make pizzas, lasagna, anything you like. Open everyday from 1:00 p.m. except for Sundays (6:30 p.m.). Jr. Amazonas, past Jazmines, on the corner of Urrelo. Say hi to Tito for us!

Don Paco - A good cajamarcan food place. Lots of vegetarian options. Good menu. Jr. Puga before Tuna Cafe.

Casca Nuez - A cafe with expensive breakfasts (real french toast), good sanwiches (BBQ chicken),  and coffee. It is most famous for its delicious pastries and desserts. It is half a block off the plaza on Amalia Puga (Cathedral side). They also have a shop in El Quinde.

Top One Chifa - Expensive but worth every centimo. Kum Pao Shrimp, chicken dishes, eggrolls, and every other chinese dish you can remember from home. Across from El Quinde.

Hong Kong - Great chifa in the plaza. Also a small store where you can buy your specialty teas and other essential asian ingredients. They also have Bubble Tea!!!

Plan B - Best ceviche in town. Impossible to find. Directions needed deperately.

Vaca Loca - Right across the street from Marengos. It is easily identifiable by the massive cow painted on the outside of the restaurant. They have the best pizza and deco in town.

Sanguchon - A great sandwich and burger joint, but also have amazing salads. It is always packed so try to avoid the dinner rush. On the corner of Junin and Cruz de Piedra. If standing in the plaza look uphill and it is a block up the street on the far right.

Noventainueve - (Santisteban 157)  Only place in town with sushi! It is off of the plaza Belen. If you are looking uphill from the plaza de armas, plaza belen is a block left and a block uphill.

From Lima
Linea, always linea, accept no substitutes. S/. 120 for Cama-Cama, 6 and 6:30 p.m. There is a Cruz del Sur, but many volunteers complain. There is also rumored service on Itsa.

From Chiclayo
Linea is good. Pick Linea again.

El Cumbe is an economy bus to chiclayo.

Tips in the City
Taxis:

Taxis are S/. 3.50 to anywhere within the city. Motos can´t go within two blocks of the plaza.

Shopping:

El Quinde, the mall, is great for clothing and other luxury items, but there are many specialty stores hidden throughout the city that have more variety in other goods. El Quinde has a Radio Shack, Metro for groceries, Saga Fallabella, Paris, Claro and Movistar Stores, Banco Continental but not a Banco de La Nacion, and several restaurants.

Chota
The second regional capital in Peru, most health volunteers and several biz and youthies call this campo city their refuge. A good market, plenty of good specialty shops, and clutch restaurants help to make the OTHER regional capital a great place to hang.

Transport to and From
Combis and buses run from Bambamarca to Chota daily. Combis are often easier to catch on weekends and cost S/. 7 one-way. Buses can be cheaper but take much longer. There is also a few routes to/from Chiclayo, the best being Burga Express for S/. 30 overnight.

Hostels
There are many hostels in Chota, but volunteers tend to stay in Hostel El Angel, near the Muni-side of the plaza. Hot water, great internet, and proximity to the plaza all endeared the hostel to volunteer´s hearts.

Restaurants
Roque´s -go during chotafest to meet all the cute toreros

Casa del Abuelo - eat the nuggets, also amazing menú

Natur´s Center

Anita´s

El Chinito - beef sandwiches

That One Fish Place

El Pechugon

MUNÁ - best chicharrón And cecina on the planet. Go and spend all day eating and drinking beer and listening to awesome music. Outside of town, up the hill, four sol moto ride, most drivers will know it.

Bambamarca
The main stop for those going north from Cajamarca, Bambamarca has several things to offer volunteers on their trips north or south. Though not likely to be used, several hotels are nice and there are great restaurants and some decent shops. Not many volunteers in the area live there anymore, Bamba still serves as a major hub for volunteers traveling throughout Cajamarca.

Transport to and From

Hostels

Restaurants

Bars and Clubs

Carnaval
The week of fat tuesday mark the celebration of carnaval in Cajamarca, the capital of Carnaval in Peru. Watergun and waterballoon fights, a paint-fight day, and loads of parades make this a draw for PCV´s country-wide.

Tips: Get a hotel REALLY early, they fill up and you really don´t want to end up at some dump where you have to lock up your stuff. Also, buy your paint, waterguns, balloons and such a day or two before the festivities, and for paint day, assume the clothes you wear outside your hotel room, even for a second, will get ruined.

Event Name and Date
Description

Tips

Baños del Inca
The incan baths are located just outside the city of Cajamarca in their own town called "Baños del Inca." You can take combis there for a few soles or take a cab for 6 to 8 soles.

The baths are really nice and warm. The public baths are swimming pools that cost 2.50 to enter and offer showers as well as the baths themselves for unlimited time.