The Province of Rioja is located in the valley of the upper River Mayo in the north of the department of San Martin.

Rioja is also known as the "Noble and Hospitable Town".  It was founded in 1782 by the Spanish. 

Rioja is an Amazonian town which is rich in myths, legends and stories and has a lot of folklore and tradition.

Rioja is located at  848 metres above sea level. This altitude gives it a temperate spring-like climate throughout the year with an average temperature of 23 ºC. 

Without a doubt, Rioja is a place where forests, rivers and lakes unite to transport us into a fascinating world of nature.
 
 

Rioja is connected to the rest of the country by land and air.
 

• By land - via the "Carretera Marginal" or main jungle highway.  There are daily bus services as well as minibuses, collective taxis and lorries to the mountains (sierra), coast and the main towns and cities of the department of San Martín.

• By air -  Rioja has a modern airport where small and medium sized aeroplanes can land, both for passengers and cargo.  At the moment the Aerocondor airline flies twice a week to Lima, the capital of Peru.

• By river - Motor boats, canoes and rafts use the rivers Mayo, Tonchima and Negro for small cargos

• Reliable public internet facilities are available in the town centre for around US$1.00 an hour

• The Rioja Carnival (February)
• Easter Week (April)
• The Coca Cross (3rd of May)
• San Juan (24th June)
• Tourist Week (15th to 22nd of September)

Dance of the Carachupa (Originating from Rioja)
 
 

The cloud forests hide many mysteries waiting to be discovered!
 

Crafts in Rioja

Interesting crafts in Rioja include:

• Hats and ornaments made of bombonaje straw.  It is the best known craft in Rioja.  This cottage industry dates back many years.  It is said that some people from Guayaquil in Ecuador taught our inhabitants (Riojanos and Moyobambinos) the process of weaving the fibre of the bombonaje straw, a plant which also grows in that country.  In this way the industry was introduced into the whole of the Alto Mayo valley, but always having more importance in the province of Rioja.
• Clay pots. This activity is considered to be an inheritance from the ancient native inhabitants.  The most notable items are pots, pitchers, flower pots and ornaments.  Places particularly famous for this are Posic and Tumbaro.
• Wicker furniture and baskets using "tamshi".

Rioja crafts - straw hats

Native ethnic communities
“A central element in the native cultures is the closeness to mother earth.”

The native or ethnic Aguaruna communities (Awajun) originate from the Marañon and belong to the Jibaro ethno-linguistic family.  They migrated to the valley of the upper Mayo river at the beginning of the 20th century as a consequence of internal warring.  Following the opening of the main road into the jungle (1974) they began to mix with the inhabitants of Rioja and Moyobamba on a large scale.

In the province of Rioja (right bank of the river Mayo) there are four native communities:
 

In the province of Moyobamba (left bank of the river Mayo) there are nine native communities:
 

• Maintain a friendly attitude to our brother and sister natives.
• Contribute to the conservation of the habitat of the wild animals.
• Don't forget to take insect repellent and sun block cream with you.
• Don't throw rubbish into the rivers.
• Avoid taking tinned or bottled food with you if possible.  If you do, don't leave the empty containers in the forest.
• Take home all pointed and sharp objects (cans, glass, pegs etc.)
• Do not destroy or remove anything in the caves (stalactites and stalagmites)
• Photos and souvenirs are the best memories you can take with you from tourist spots.