In Oroya, the Oroya–Saqra Cumbre sector is classified as a natural site and offers natural features for observing flora and fauna. The Río Araza and the Oroya bridges also shape the area's river and historical connections. The protected forests and a large-scale conservation concession, however, are located in the wider context of the Camanti District.

Nature in Oroya and Camanti

The Oroya–Saqra Cumbre natural site is the nature feature explicitly located in Oroya. Howler monkeys (Aoluatta semiculus), maquisapas (Ateles chamek), amphibians, and reptiles live in the protected forests of Camanti; macaws are easy to spot there. The two location references offer different perspectives: one concerns a sector in Oroya, while the wildlife is found in the forests of Camanti District.

In 2022, SERFOR reported on the conservation concession held by Asociación Camanti Sostenible. It covers 15,447.54 hectares in the Bosque Protector del Cusco, in Camanti District and Quispicanchi Province. The concession's forests are home to, among other species, the dwarf brocket deer (Mazama chunyi), giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus), giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), and spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). The area figure is on a different scale from the natural site in Oroya: here the subject is a protected area, while there it is a specifically named sector.

The Río Araza and its banks

The river is also associated with precisely defined landscape measurements. In the Puente Oroya sector of Camanti District, a 0.84-kilometre-long strip along both banks of the Río Araza has been demarcated. Its minimum width is 8.00 metres on the right bank and 4.40 metres on the left bank. Unlike the concession, whose area is stated in hectares, these measurements describe a demarcated stretch along the river. Thus, a large-scale protected-area perspective and a narrowly defined riverside measurement sit side by side.

Cacao and local history

Cacao cultivation is another specific local connection. On June 19, 2023, a workshop for local producers on grafting and pruning cacao plants took place in the Oroya sector. For travellers who want to understand a place's agricultural side as well as its nature, the event points to hands-on work with the plants and to local producers.

The history of the bridges is also part of understanding the area. Part of the Kuporo Cusco Lodge property was formerly used for the construction of the old and present-day Oroya bridges, as well as for cultivation. Construction and cultivation represent two former uses of this part of the property. Another historical landmark is the disused La Oroya Bridge, also known as Puente Viejo: it was swept away by the Río Araza during the flooding in December 2020.

Accommodation in Camanti

Kuporo Cusco Lodge gives its location as Kilometer 185 on the Interoceánica Sur in Camanti, Quispicanchi, Cusco. This is a specifically identified accommodation option in the district. Together with the lodge's property history, it complements the nature and river connections with an aspect of local development: bridge construction, cultivation, and its current location are chapters in the history of this area.

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For the main travel overview: Cuzco.