The Amazon basin is a prime destination for experiencing nature. Although Brazil often comes to mind first, the Peruvian jungle offers a rich immersion in biodiversity. The Amazon, covering 550 million hectares across nine South American countries, contains about 50% of the world’s remaining rainforests and two-thirds of its plant and animal species.
Peru hosts the second-largest portion of this vast region, believed to be where the Amazon River originates from the convergence of the Ucayali and Marañon rivers. One notable area in Peru is the Tambopata National Reserve, a biodiversity hotspot offering exciting ecotourism activities.
Visitors can intimately connect with nature, exploring a range of flora and fauna, making it a thrilling addition to any adventure in the land of the Incas.
Puerto Maldonado: The Starting Point
Puerto Maldonado, located in the heart of the southern Peruvian jungle, serves as a gateway to the Tambopata National Reserve. It is easily accessible by car from Cusco and by flights from Lima and Cusco, it’s known for its impressive natural scenery and cultural expression.
Puerto Maldonado lies within the Madre de Dios department, a region rich in unspoiled natural areas and considered one of the least disturbed parts of the rainforest. The city enjoys a tropical climate with high temperatures year-round and two seasons: rainy and dry.
Annual precipitation averages 2,167 mm, with the heaviest rainfall from October to April. Travelers should note that even in the dry season, which runs from June to September, weather can be unpredictable. Its unique location and accessibility make it an essential stop for those visiting the Tambopata National Reserve.
Puerto Maldonado offers an immersive experience in the Peruvian Amazon’s diverse ecosystem. For a detailed guide on the best times to visit Peru, including weather conditions, a specialized blog is recommended.
Tambopata National Reserve
This national reserve is one of the most visited parts of the Peruvian jungle since it is easily accessible from the city of Puerto Maldonado. It is considered one of the most biodiverse places on the planet since it gathers thousands of plant and animal species.
Therefore, it is very popular among visitors thanks to the different ecolodges that offer a total immersion in the lush nature of the region. Likewise, they look to promote and raise awareness about the importance and impact of this beautiful natural resource on the world.
The Tambopata National Reserve extends to 275,000 hectares, comprising 632 bird species, 1,200 types of butterflies, 103 amphibians, 180 fishes, 169 mammals, and 103 reptiles. The reserve is also home to several endangered species such as the river wolf, the otter, the yaguarundi, the puma, the jaguar, and the ocelot.
Here you’ll be able to have a more intimate experience with nature, while also getting to know about the daily lives of the locals that inhabited this remote location. Here at Viagens Machu Picchu, we have partnered with the Inkaterra hotel chain, which offers eco-friendly excursions and low-ecological footprint facilities.
Inkaterra offers an array of activities for those who wish to get deeply immersed in the lush rainforest, where hiking excursions, boat rides, and incredible bridges built between the treetops will get you totally captivated by the region’s flora and fauna. Below you’ll get to know everything about it!
Ecotourism and Excursions by InkaTerra
Jungle Tour
If staying in any of InkaTerra’s ecolodges, one of the main activities will take you to the depths of the rainforest, so you can soak in the flora and fauna of the national reserve. Here, you’ll have a professional guide that will give you all the details about the jungle’s vegetation.
Nocturnal Life Excursion
This will be an activity for the bravest ones since you’ll cross the Madre de Dios river at night. On this expedition, you’ll get to see the different animals that make their life once the sun is down. Here you’ll get to see caimans, snakes, and other animals that make their way through the darkness and hallucinating nature of the jungle.
Canopy Walkway
This is the most popular attraction within the Inkaterra complex. On this opportunity, you’ll climb to the top of a 29-meter tower and observe the wildlife that inhabits the treetops. Later, you’ll walk through a network of bridges connected by eight observation platforms, where you’ll get to see the region’s diverse wildlife.
Anaconda Path
Here you’ll walk across the swamp through a system of wooden bridges from where you’ll be able to observe the biodiversity of the jungle’s swamps. The Anaconda Path is composed of a 200-meter wooden bridge located on top of the wetland, allowing you to observe various amphibians, birds, and mammal species.
How to Visit the Tambopata National Reserve?
As we said earlier, the Tambopata National Reserve is one of the easily accessible places in the Peruvian rainforest since it is located near the Capital of Biodiversity, Puerto Maldonado. To visit this famous protected area, it’s best to start from Cusco City since the flights or car rides will be shorter.
Besides, if you start your adventure in the so-called Imperial City of the Incas, you’ll have time to explore Machu Picchu and many other tourist attractions before getting fully immersed in the lush Peruvian jungle. Currently, there are only two ways to reach Puerto Maldonado. Whether you’d like to take a flight or bus ride, here’s what you should know:
Buses to Puerto Maldonado: This option is more suitable if you’re starting your adventure from Cusco City. That is because Puerto Maldonado is located 10 hours away from this famous destination.
Although we’ve always mentioned that traveling through Peru by bus can be a very enriching experience, we do not recommend taking a bus ride to Puerto Maldonado due to the time travel and because the road may present landslides and floods during the rainy season.
Flights to Puerto Maldonado: Flying to this city might be the most suitable option for anyone who wishes to visit the Tambopata National Reserve. If you’re taking the flight from Cusco, it will take about 1 hour to get there; whilst from Lima, 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Peru is a widely diverse country, where history, culture, and natural wonders will give you an unforgettable experience during your vacation. For that reason, we encourage you to visit other cities before going to the Amazon rainforest.
In case you’d like to explore more of Peru during your trip, we’d love to show you one of our best itineraries that will take you not only to the Tambopata National Reserve but Lima, Paracas, Huacachina, Nazca, Arequipa Puno, and Cusco.
The Classic Peru with Amazon Experience package is the perfect option for those who wish to know Peru to its fullest. This itinerary will give you a broader view of the three natural regions of the country, while also showing you everything about their history and cultural expression.
Make your way through Peru like a local expert! If you wish to learn about the different things to do in this magical South American gem, then you should check our Peru travel packages and start planning the trip of your dreams while you’re here.
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