Puerto Maldonado Tours, Travel and Adventures
Tourism in Peru

VISIT PUERTO MALDONADO MANU AND TAMBOPATA

Some of the most unspoilt yet accessible jungle locales in Peru, Puerto Maldonado gives the traveler the chance to see, feel and hear the Amazonian jungle like nowhere else in Peru. Nearby are the Manú National Park, and Tambopata National Reserve.

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PUERTO MALDONADO MANU AND TAMBOPATA: Travel and Tours in Peru

Visit in Puerto :

• Japipi. A butterfly farm and biodiversity center. The name means “butterfly” in the Ese’eja language.

Excursions from Puerto Maldonado:

• Lake Sandoval. In the middle of the rainforest, it is home to a vast amount of plants and animals, like herons, hoatzins – the only ruminant-like bird on the planet – and caimans. Activities on the lake include fishing, boat rides (rentals), swimming, or just watching the reflection of the light on the water at sunset. This is also a good launching point for visiting one of the few chestnut tree forests in Peru.

• Lake Valencia. A truly awesome place. Its waters are so rich that both the native Huarayos and the settlers nearby make their livings from fishing a wide array of different varieties of catfish (doncellas and dorados), oscars, piranhas and paiche. Besides fishing, chestnut gathering is another important livelihood in the area.

• Tambopata National Reserve. Located between the river basins of the Tambopata River and the Heath River, the biodiversity of the reserve is simply immeasurable. On record are 632 species of birds, 1,200 of butterflies, 169 of mammals, 205 of fish, 103 of amphibians and 67 of reptiles. Likewise, you can see all the characteristic tropical vegetation there. To enter, you need to have a previously arranged INRENA permit.

• Colorado macaw clay lick. This spot is located within the confines of the Tambopata National Reserve and is the site of an exciting show; each morning, macaws, parrots and parakeets meet at one of the world’s largest clay licks – each species at a time -, swirling and swooping around it before beginning the “colpeo” ceremony, which consists of them eating the clay found on the sides of the ravine.

• Bahuaja Sonene National Park. This national park straddles the departments of Puno and Madre de Dios and includes extensive mountain forests, tropical rainforests, savannahs filled with palm trees and other forests where chestnut trees and different valuable wood trees grow. It is likewise one of the world’s greatest amassing of biodiversity, where one-of-akind and endangered species live, the likes of the river otter and the black caiman. It is also home to the Ese’eja people.

• Manu National Park. Altitude ranges between 300 masl and 4,000 masl (984 fasl and 13,120 fasl). The park contains the entire Manu watershed on lands belonging to two departments: Cusco and Madre de Dios. Here, hidden away are some of the greatest concentrations of life on the planet; it is a world record holder in bird varieties (over 800 species, like the harpy eagle and the Cock-of-the- Rocks), mammal species (nearly 200 of these), an huge variety of bats and insects, and a list of yet unclassified reptiles. The figures on the plants are also astonishing: close to 2,000 species, including gigantic orchids and emergent trees, towering above 45 meters in height and possessing 3-meter diameter trunks. Many of these species are endemic to the area. Also found within the park’s territory are 30 indigenous people groups, owners of their own traditions, culture and languages, people like the Machiguengas, Amahuacas, Yaminahuas, Piros, Amarakaeries, Huachipaires and Nahuas.

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WHEN

Feast of Saint John the Baptist. June 24th. The day is celebrated throughout the entire department in honor of this saint.

The most intense activity takes place at resorts on the banks of the main rivers, where live bands play traditional music and where regional dishes are prepared and served (such as the ever present juane, a type of rice tamale) in a festive atmosphere.

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PUERTO MALDONADO, MANU AND TAMBOPATA.

“Awaken your senses and take full pleasure in a real paradise of biodiversity.”

Being part of the audience to this show of natural wealth in all its glory, as is seen in the department of Madre de Dios, is a unique experience. And truth be told, you could expect no less from this exotic place that gathers together some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.

The Manu National Park is one of the world’s most cherished natural laboratories and wildlife refuges and for very good reasons because living inside its vibrant subtropical environment is an endless variety of plant and animal species. Go there and discover more than 800 bird, close to 200 mammal and even more than 100 bat species.

The tangible beauty found in Madre de Dios seems to have no end. More excitement is located just a few minutes away from Puerto Maldonado, the capital city of the department: the Tambopata National Reserve is ready with fresh surprises for us. Despite being smaller than the Manu National Park in extension, it is similarly a jewel of biodiversity. Lodges inside it meet the requirements of environment protection.
As you go into the depths of this paradise, you will discover the overwhelming variety of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and butterflies that make Peru not only a country of mega diversity but one designed to please the senses.

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That our Amazon makes Peru one of the major mega diverse countries is not a secret, but its amazing natural areas hold plenty of species for us.

Routes & length of stay

Puerto Maldonado and Lake Sandoval.

Tambopata National Reserve.
Bahuaja Sonene National Park.
Manu National Park.

1 Inambari River
2 Madre de Dios River
3 Manu River

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Accommodation and tourist services

Puerto Maldonado does have basic lodging.

There are excellent lodges in Tambopata, where it is possible to sail downriver to get to Puerto Maldonado.

In Manu, there is lodging in the Park’s Tourist and Recreational Use Area – Manu River basin that includes lodges and campgrounds. There is also basic lodging along the way to the park in the communities of Salvación, Pilcopata, and Boca Manu.

You can also book a flight on a light aircraft from the city of Cusco to the community of Boca Manu (at the mouth of the Manu River in Madre de Dios) and then continue on by boat (4 hours).

Also offered are fully outfitted tours that are accompanied by naturalists and specialized guides.

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Recommended for

People attracted to visiting native communities, who will see that each one has their own identity, world view and language. Among the many ethnic groups, there are the Ese’eja, Machiguengas and Yines.

Plant and animal watchers, who, once in the natural protected areas, will be able to see large cats, tapirs and wild boars as well as mushrooms, orchids and centuries old mahogany trees.

People interested in scientific tourism, since Manu is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, containing unique species or those already extinct in other places in Amazonia.

Trekkers, who will discover Madre de Dios is an ideal destination. Lodges and travel agencies offer out of the ordinary trekking circuits.

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What to buy?

Many artisans work in wood, creating paper weights, ash trays, wooden postcards and other decorative pieces. Others make necklaces and bracelets out of plant fibers, seeds and jungle roots. Still others fashion key chains from chestnut shells.

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What to eat?

Regional cuisine carries the stamp of the combination of produce from both farmers’ fields (cassava, banana, peanut and other crops) and resources given by nature (paiche – a massive freshwater fish – palm tree heart, game meats and others). This happy mixing makes it possible to enjoy such dishes as patarashca, fish wrapped in banana leaves and grilled over charcoal, and timbuche, a fish broth with green bananas and wild coriander. International food is served in some Puerto Maldonado restaurants and tourist lodges located along the river banks. Otherwise, there is a definite Brazilian influence in many restaurants in Puerto Maldonado, seen in dishes that combine beans with beef. In constant supply are the exquisitely tasty drinks made from tropical fruits.

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Special recommendations

Given it is the tropics, we suggest to wear light clothing yet long-sleeve shirts and a hat. Pack a flashlight with extra batteries and bring a poncho and waterproof boots. Also important is to use insect repellant, especially one that protects against mosquito bites. It is compulsory to get a yellow fever vaccine, which has to be applied 10 days before travelling.
Another important piece of advice is to hire the services of a specialized guide and to follow his or her instructions. Likewise, bear in mind that Peruvian law prohibits and penalizes the extraction, transportation, marketing and export of any type of plant or animal species, living or dead.
Furthermore, to visit these areas takes an INRENA permit. If the trip is a tourist visit to the Manu National Park (PNM), then you must use an authorized travel agency that can process the permits and duty payments for the visit.

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Manú National Park

Manú National Park is a biosphere reserve located in Madre de Dios and Paucartambo, Cusco. Before becoming an area protected by the Peruvian government, the Manú National Park was conserved thanks to its inaccessibility. The park remains fairly inaccessible by road to this day. In 1977, UNESCO recognised it as a Biosphere Reserve and in 1987, it was pronounced a World Heritage Site. It is the largest National Park in Peru, covering an area of 15,328 km². The Biosphere Reserve includes an additional 2,570 km², and a further 914 km² are included in a “Cultural Zone” (which also is afforded a level of protection), bringing the total area up to 18,811 km².

The park protects several ecological zones ranging from as low as 150 meters above sea level in parts of the Southwest Amazon moist forests to Peruvian Yungas at middle elevations to Central Andean wet puna at altitudes of 4200 meters.[1] Because of this topographical range, it has one of highest levels of biodiversity of any park in the world. Overall, more than 15,000 species of plants are found in Manú, and up to 250 varieties of trees have been found in a single hectare. The reserve is a destination for birdwatchers from all over the world, as it is home to over 1000 species of birds, more than the number of bird species found in the United States and Canada combined. It is also acclaimed as having one of the highest abundances of land vertebrates ever found in Latin American tropical forests.

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Tambopata – Candamo National Reservations of Peru

Tambopata-Candamo is a nature reserve in the Peruvian Amazon Basin south of the Madre de Dios River in Tambopata Province’s Inambari and Tambopata districts. It was created on January 26, 1990, to protect the forests adjacent to the rivers Heath and Tambopata that have two important ecosystems and are noted for its biodiversity, representing native flora and fauna with 165 species and 41 families of trees, 103 species of mammals, 1300 species of butterflies and 90 species of amphibians.

The reserve is located across the regions of Madre de Dios and Puno:

– Tambopata is the 40% of the reserve in the department of Madre de Dios.
– Carabaya and Sandia are the 60% of the reserve in the department of Puno.

Access is from Puerto Maldonado, where one can get to the preserve via the Tambopata River; or by car via the Puerto Maldonado–Cuzco Road (kilometer 30)

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