This park is located in the department of Pasco, province of Oxapampa, along the districts of Oxapampa, Villarica, Huancabamba and Pozuzo, over an isolated mountain chain to the east of the Andes.With an area of 122 000 hectares, this Park is shelter for wild life from the Pleistocene epoch, when several climatic changes took place, as shown by the diversity of its flora and fauna. It has an altitude that ranges from 8,202.1 to 12,467.19 feet above sea level. One of its main attractions is the large number of species of moss, ferns, orchids, bromeliads, bushes, reeds, and trees that can be found there. Among the species with economic value, we have the ulcumano (Podocarpus rospigliosi and Podocarpus glomeratus), the diablo fuerte (Podocarpus oleifolius and Podocarpus utilior), the cedar (Cedrela lilloi y Cedrela montana), the Peruvian walnut (Juglans neotropica), the oak tree (Lauráceas), and others. There are also different genuses and species of palm trees. The wild fauna is represented by 59 species of mammals, such as the giant otter or river wolf (Pteronura brasiliensis), the jaguar (Panthera onca), the spectacled bear, the pudu dwarf deer (Pudu mephistophiles), the Branck's giant rat or 'pacarama' (Dinomys branickii), all of them threatened, as well as the tayra (Eira barbara).
From the 427 species of birds, the most representative are the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), the cock-of-the-rock or tunki (Rupicola peruviana), the blue-crowned motmot or relojero bird (Momotus momota), the quetzal (Pharomachrus sp.), and the hooded mountain toucan, among others. There are also 16 species of reptiles such as the lance-head pit vipers (Bothrops sp.), the South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta) and the coral snake (Micrurus sp.). In its rivers, 31 species of fish have been recorded, such as the meagre (Salminus affinis), the boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) and the loach (Schizodon fasciatus). At present, 60 native communities of Yaneshas live in this region.
From the 427 species of birds, the most representative are the harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), the cock-of-the-rock or tunki (Rupicola peruviana), the blue-crowned motmot or relojero bird (Momotus momota), the quetzal (Pharomachrus sp.), and the hooded mountain toucan, among others. There are also 16 species of reptiles such as the lance-head pit vipers (Bothrops sp.), the South American bushmaster (Lachesis muta) and the coral snake (Micrurus sp.). In its rivers, 31 species of fish have been recorded, such as the meagre (Salminus affinis), the boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans) and the loach (Schizodon fasciatus). At present, 60 native communities of Yaneshas live in this region.
The park protects part of its last territories, where we can find some Inca and Yanesha archaeological remains. The Yanachaga-Chemillé National Park was principally created for the protection of the high basins of the affluent waters of the Palcazú, Huancabamba and Pozuzo rivers in order to guarantee the sustained production in adjacent valleys and avoid natural disasters by erotion of the protected areas. Likewise, it aims at protecting natural areas constituting security zones for the Yaneshas native communities settled near the park, and preserving representative samples of the ecosystems in the eastern slopes of the Andes up to the lower jungle, which are part of the shelter in the Ucayali-Pachitea Pleistocene. At the same time, it seeks the integration of this zone into the economic regional development and the promotion of its resources for tourist, scientific and cultural purposes.
