Cordillera Escalera Regional Conservation Area, Natural reserve in San Martín Region, Peru.

Cordillera Escalera is a regional conservation area of 149,870 hectares in San Martín, Peru, created in 2005 to protect the tropical cloud forest of the Cordillera Escalera, a pre-Andean range of the eastern Peruvian cordillera. It lies 5 km northeast of Tarapoto and spans districts of the San Martín and Lamas provinces; National Route 5N (Tarapoto–Yurimaguas) crosses its east side.

The protected area was established in 2005 by the San Martín Regional Government to safeguard the region's diverse habitats and water resources. This decision came from recognizing that these mountain forests are essential for providing water to surrounding communities.

The reserve lies 5 km northeast of Tarapoto and spans the districts of Chazuta, La Banda de Shilcayo, Shapaja and San Antonio in San Martín province, plus Barranquita, Caynarachi, San Roque de Cumbaza and Pinto Recodo in Lamas province. Its name comes from the Cordillera Escalera, the Andean foothill range it protects. The Ahuashiyacu waterfall stands inside the area.

Access is typically through guided hikes that offer varying difficulty levels and often lead to the Ahuashiyacu waterfall, a popular visitor destination. Sturdy footwear is important and visitors should prepare for changing weather conditions in the higher elevations.

The yellow-browed toucanet (Aulacorhynchus huallagae) is known from very few places, and this reserve is one of them; the grey-throated antwren (Herpsilochmus parkeri) is likewise tied to these forests. Both are range-restricted birds that researchers look for here. The reserve also shelters the spectacled bear, the jaguar and the Peruvian owlet-nightjar (Xenoglaux loweryi).