About Rio Blanco

In Northern Peru near the Ecuador border lies one of the most importan rivers in the area, Rio Blanco.
Nestled within the center of Namballe district, it’s in the San Ignacio province within the Cajamarca region.

This area is of vital importance since it is within the buffer zone surrounding the Tabaconas Namballe National Sanctuary. This sanctuary preserves a unique and rare ecosystem in Peru: the páramo.

It also seeks to protect two seriously threatened species: the spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus) categorized as endangered, and the highland tapir (Tapirus pinchaque) categorized as critically endangered. It also shelters the Tabaconas, Miraflores and Blanco river basins.

The sanctuary protects the southernmost páramo of the Andes, which differs from the puna ecosystem in that it contains very humid grasslands and scrublands and is almost permanently covered by mist. Likewise, the páramo also differs from the puna for its fauna: the páramo host fauna of Amazonian origin, not Andean-Patagonian like the puna.

In recent years, two new species have been discovered right in the area: a fruit bat and a rice mouse.

In this sanctuary we also find 16 lagoons, the petroglyphs of Manchara and the pre-Inca citadel of Coyona.

With the wealth of fauna, flora and culture found in the Sanctuary, the coffee growers of the surrounding areas of the Rio Blanco river are very clear about how important it is to care for the area. They’ve completely prohibited hunting, an activity that used to be performed in large scale years ago.

In this area coffee production coexist in total balance with the preservation of the ecosystem, the natural result is a sustainable and excellent quality coffee.