Papanoel Trekero 2012: Tupe

Let’s be honest: “Papanoel Trekero” really got its name after this year’s activity.

Following the tradition of our Christmas event, this year we wanted to travel to a remote area that receives less attention from the government. So, we traveled for about 6 hours through dirt road until reaching the small town of Aiza and later on continue by foot for 3 hours towards Tupe, an isolated town in the highlands of Lima. And that’s how Papanoel Trekero “Hiking Santa” got its name because “Hiking” was the only possible way to reach this town.

Tupe was an incredible experience not only for the kids but for the group of volunteers. After a long hike of about 3 hours carrying fully loaded bags with school supplies and presents, we arrived at Tupe. We wanted to do it really special, so a few minutes before arriving at the town, Santa Claus dressed up with its costume in the middle of the mountains and arrived at the town hiking. We still remember the astonished faces of the kids that were playing in the central plaza and were surprised with the arrival of Santa.

Although Tupe is geographically quite close to the capital city of Lima, it has kept its isolation for centuries. Tupe plays an important role in the cultural heritage of our country since here people still speak Jaqaru, a native language dating back from around 750 AD. Maybe because of its remoteness, the Incas and later on the Spaniards were not able to reach this area, and that’s one of the main reasons why the people from Tupe have conserved their language and traditions from centuries. Truly amazing! Nowadays, the Peruvian government is trying to promote the valorization of this language which is only spoken by about 200 people.

Papanoel Trekero in Tupe was definitely hard to beat. Approximately, 60 kids took part in this event in a genuine authentic experience of share and love between the volunteers and the lovely kids.