When it comes to isolation, few towns beat Huancabamba. A small city in the northern Andes of Peru, it has a bus connection to one city — Piura — on one terrifying road. Best known for the shamans who live higher up the mountain and the sacred lakes (lagunas) used for ritual bathing, the town makes a good base for exploring a remote and beautiful region. Huancabamba sits in a lush green valley full of small plots and eucalyptus trees, livelier than its isolation would suggest thanks to domestic tourism and mototaxi traffic.
The road from Piura is one of the main attractions. Even the buses stop from time to time so passengers can admire the landscape. The trip is not for the faint-hearted — the road is in poor condition and the drop-offs are vertiginous. The views are wonderful, particularly around the mountain pass where every drop of water must decide whether to head to the nearby Pacific through the desert or through the jungle all the way to the Atlantic.
It is also possible to continue down the eastern side toward Jaen, passing through Tabaconas where you can visit the Sanctuario Nacional Tabaconas Namballe. From Jaen the road goes east to Chachapoyas and the Amazon, or west to Chiclayo.