Thinking of moving to Tarapoto. Who's out there?

[FDiH]

I am thinking of moving to Tarapoto. Heard/read great things about it.

I'll be visiting in the next few weeks to get a feel of the place, look for land/housing (buying), office space, etc.

• Who is living in Tarapoto currently or has lived there previously?
• What are things to look out for in Tarapoto when moving there?
• What is the best/nicest area to live?
• Where to look for office space?
• Anything else that is handy to know...

Thanks!

[Cactus fan]

I am thinking of moving to Tarapoto. Heard/read great things about it.

I'll be visiting in the next few weeks to get a feel of the place, look for land/housing (buying), office space, etc.

• Who is living in Tarapoto currently or has lived there previously?
• What are things to look out for in Tarapoto when moving there?
• What is the best/nicest area to live?
• Where to look for office space?
• Anything else that is handy to know...

Thanks!

I lived in Tarapoto for 5 years.

Before moving there, I strongly advise you to spend their a week or so to have a look around and then make up your mind.
You'll either love it or hate it.

Tarapoto doesn't have bad areas. The city is very safe. Day and night.
There's a huge Police school and and Army Base so the city is allways full of cops and military staff.
But the city has different areas.
The city centre is very busy and full of businesses. But between noon and 4 o'clock, then it's ''refrigerio''.
Most businesses are closed on Sundays and the few that are open close at noon.
There are several mercados where you can buy food at a lower price. There are many banks.
There are 2 cinemas. The best supermarket is La Inmaculada.

Apart from Rustica, there aren't any chain eateries like McDo, Burger King, Papa Johns etc. That's why the obesity rate in Tarapoto is probably lower compared to other Peruvian cities.

Just outside Morales along the Carretera leading to Moyabamba, there are about 25 nightclubs. El Boulevard de Morales has a few upscale eateries.
Every evening, la Calle de las Piedras in the city centre starts rocking. Bars blasting music all night.

There are a lot of students in town as there are a few universities and educational facilities in Tarapoto.

The districts of La Banda de Shilcayo and Morales are more residential and quieter.

There are many recreos turisticos which have a swimming pool and are great to chilll out. But I recommend to avoid weekends as it's too busy.

There's no public transport at all. There are mototaxis but they are often hard to get during rush hour and in the long term expensive to use.
If you decide to live permanently in Tarapoto, then you must buy a motorbike. There are many shops and a driving license is easy to get.
I recommend Honda and Yamaha. Stay clear of the Chinese makes as the quality is low and the resale value is next to zero.

Food, restaurants, hotels are cheap. But I you want to fill up your home with furniture and household goods then I recommend a trip to Lima.
Moviltours can ship all your stuff to Tarapoto for a very affordable rate and with guarantee.

Housing is very expensive and decent housing is hard to find. Most houses in the city centre are made of bricks but outside the city centre, it's mostly walls made ofadobe, bamboo, wood and a roof made of corrugated steel.
Land is VERY expensive. An office won't be too hard to find.

The countryside around Tarapoto is beautiful. Ricefields and of course Palmtrees. Tarapoto is known as ''La Cuidad de las Palmeras''. There a lot of avocado, platano, coffee. cacao, and coffee farms. Tarapoto is located in a valley surrounded by high mountains.

Tarapoto has a modern airport which is only minutes located from the city centre. There are many flights to Lima and to Iquitos. Often there are flights to Pucallpa and Chiclayo.

The average weather is between 25 and 32 degrees but can reach peaks of 39 degrees. It often rains for 30 minutes or so. November through December can be hot as there's little rain. But it's hard to predict as I had Decembers where it rained daily.

There are many expats in Tarapoto. Mostly from Spain, Italy and Germany but I have met a few Dutch, Americans and Canadians as well.

[FDiH]

Thanks for the information!

[acastanedaf]

Hello: I am a Peruvian lawyer and I live and work in Tarapoto. I work with expats in order to help them to get their residence visa. Feel free to contact me: https://www.facebook.com/ariannacastanedaf/

[FDiH]

One year and a bit later. Finally had time for a proper visit of Tarapoto. I have been living in the city of Huanuco since January 2015. First impressions of Tarapoto:

• Green. The city is so green. Even for a jungle city, the city has incorporated a lot of vegetation.
• Quiet. Cars/motos don't use their claxon at all. And everybody seems to respect traffic rules
• No dogs roaming the street
• City and houses look well maintained
• Safe! It feels safe. Never felt unsafe for even a moment. Day and night.
• People seem very friendly and helpful. Open-minded to new cultures. Seen 50+ tourists on a single day. Quite a few expats. All-in-all a positive thing.
• Shops, restaurants, nightlife all look more upmarket than I have seen in most Peruvian cities. Perhaps geared towards the tourists.
• Food is great, especially the local food options. Jungle ceviche with cecina, yumm!

Last Friday 14th of December, PlazaVea opened. The line outside seemed to go on forever. First supermarket from Lima. The city was excited.

All in all I had a great time. Tarapoto is the best place I have visited in Peru.

We drove around the city looking for real-estate options, lots/plot of land, etc. Office space should be no problem but finding a nice place to live can be more challenging. I get the impression that most sales are communicated informally.

Can anyone help me out with buying property or land in Tarapoto? Where to look, what to expect, price levels, etc.

[bigdaddy]

I found several real estate sites using that search tool known as Google.
Here's one below...
https://greendreams.pe/en/

[FDiH]

Found them as well. But is seems there's a shortage of housing in Tarapoto and the offerings found online are quite steep. Most RE is sold through the informal network locally. So was hoping for some contacts.

[woodchuck]

I considered relocating to Tarapoto before I decided on moving to Huaral.
Tarapoto is nice but very hot while Huaral is said to have the BEST WEATHER in Peru.
You are much farther away from Lima in Tarapoto; Huaral is only 3 hours if there is minimal traffic congestion.
Big Daddy, you are always welcome at my rental cottage & we will show you around the area.
Same for other expats, we love to meet new people.
We live full time next to the rental cottage.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

If you want more info on renting my cottage in Huaral, please PM* me as the phone # in the ad is not mine.

https://huaral.olx.com.pe/alquiler-como ... 1033719857

Philip & Jessi
[email protected]

[bigdaddy]

I considered relocating to Tarapoto before I decided on moving to Huaral.
Tarapoto is nice but very hot while Huaral is said to have the BEST WEATHER in Peru.
You are much farther away from Lima in Tarapoto; Huaral is only 3 hours if there is minimal traffic congestion.
Big Daddy, you are always welcome at my rental cottage & we will show you around the area.
Same for other expats, we love to meet new people.
We live full time next to the rental cottage.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

If you want more info on renting my cottage in Huaral, please PM* me as the phone # in the ad is not mine.

https://huaral.olx.com.pe/alquiler-como ... 1033719857

Philip & Jessi
[email protected]

Just the thought of using the amenity you described in your email gives Big Daddy a warm feeling deep inside.
I would love to take advantage of your gracious hospitality in the near future.

Cheers & Best wishes!

[woodchuck]

Big Daddy & all other expats, we look forward to you having a fantastic holiday or vacation with us (rental cottage) in Huaral. Many people say Huaral has the BEST WEATHER in all of Peru. Huaral has all the amenities of a larger city - 4-5 banks, 2 large mercados (Plaza Vea & Tottus), safe, but not many expats from my experience, mototaxis are plentiful & cheap.
Huaral is an agricultural area & there are some very large development/estates; where we have our cottage rental is 250,000 m2, so we may be missing other expats. If you are an expat in Huaral, send me a PM & we will get together.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all.

[FDiH]

It looks like I'll be moving to Peru in the next month or 2. Found a stunning apartment. Just 3 block from the plaza, new building, top quality look and feel. Will probably live there for 1.5 years whilst looking for land in or around Tarapoto.

This time we stayed a week to explore the cite and surrounding area better. Also looked at available land options. It seems there's a bit of a RE-rush as there are so many lot options for sale. RE developers buy a piece of land, split up the land into smaller lots, add a few roads and pavements, facilities and sell it off again. I must have seen more then 15 of these projects and most of them have 50+ percent sold. In the city of Tarapoto and its suburbs La Banda and Morales, a lot of the building and construction is ongoing. Smaller houses are being demolished and replaced by modern RE. The quality of the buildings I have seen is good. Solid buildings with good finishings. Though I am not an expert.
It seems the city is getting a bit of a makeover, and not only in the center. All over. Apparently the investments attract further investments and fooks from Lima buy up land and apartments left right and center.

The moto situation in Tarapoto (nicknamed Taramoto for a long time) seems to be under control. Moto's are banned from the plaza and there seems to be a limit to the number of moto licenses issued. In the week I was there I have note experienced any traffic issues. Police seems to reinforce traffic rules. When a moto parks or even stops in an area where it is not allowed to park/stop, the moto gets fined or even confiscated. In Huanuco there is absolutely no respect for the law it seems. Totally different deal in Tarapoto.

I am very excited about moving to Tarapoto. I'll post some updates re life in Tarapoto in the future.

[Alan]

Thanks for the update. Funny you should mention the real estate. I have a friend, from Lima, who has done exactly what you are mentioning. He subdivided and is selling off the lots at a rate of one per month.

Best of luck with this new stage in your life!

[windsportinperu]

Your enthusiasm for Tarapoto is contagious

What was the reason(s) to move from Huanuco to Tarapoto ?

[FDiH]

People from Huanuco have a reputation of being rude, disrespectful and unfriendly. Unfortunately, this is correct. The behaviour can be seem in all parts of daily life in Huanuco: traffic, crime, family relations, cleanliness. Besides 2 malls, there is nothing to do really. No tourism, no (outdoors) activities, no restaurants besides what seems like millions of bad chifa's. The city is situated in a valley. 200,000+ inhabitants cramped in a fairly small city means small roads with multi-story buildings. Buildings and infrastructure are poorly maintained, crime is high and packs of dags roam the streets at night. The nice thing about Huanuco is the weather. It is simply perfect. Sunny with a nice breeze. Never too hot or too cold. So why did I move there in the first place? My (business) partner is from the area and Huanuco is in the middle of production sites of products we export (cacao, maca, dehydrated fruits, Andean grains, etc.). No regrets, but I am glad I am leaving this place.

[woodchuck]

Tarapoto is extremely hot in the summer & has lots & lots of moto-taxis.
I wasn't there long enough to really experience the city - sorry.

[Alan]

People from Huanuco have a reputation of being rude, disrespectful and unfriendly. Unfortunately, this is correct. The behaviour can be seem in all parts of daily life in Huanuco: traffic, crime, family relations, cleanliness. Besides 2 malls, there is nothing to do really. No tourism, no (outdoors) activities, no restaurants besides what seems like millions of bad chifa's. The city is situated in a valley. 200,000+ inhabitants cramped in a fairly small city means small roads with multi-story buildings. Buildings and infrastructure are poorly maintained, crime is high and packs of dags roam the streets at night. The nice thing about Huanuco is the weather. It is simply perfect. Sunny with a nice breeze. Never too hot or too cold. So why did I move there in the first place? My (business) partner is from the area and Huanuco is in the middle of production sites of products we export (cacao, maca, dehydrated fruits, Andean grains, etc.). No regrets, but I am glad I am leaving this place.

I hope that you can keep us posted on how the move works out for you.

Best wishes!

[MbL]

I’ve been ‘accidentally’ living in Tarapoto since July. Love it here! How’s the move here going for you? Haven’t met really any expats so far but the locals have been amazing.

[DEANFEB]

I am in Tarapoto since June, all good,, but i have been coming here since 2008,, quite a huge upward change since 2008.

[FDiH]

Moved to TPP a few weeks ago but my stuff only arrived last week (Peruvian efficiency). Absolutely love it in TPP. Huge improvement over Huanuco.
Still settling in and getting to know what's what and where but there's no doubt in my mind that moving here was a good decision.

I have met various expat locals at the local wateringhole "Huascar Bar" at Jr Lamas (next to Stoniwasi). Friday is the best night.

Will write some more about life in TPP in due time.

[Alan]

Good for you. Nice to see that you have been able to network so quickly! Please keep us posted. I suspect there are others who visit this board who are looking for options other than Lima or the Sacred Valley. Tarapoto looks like a really interesting option.