The Amazonas in Peru

A perfect relaxing vacation would mean a nice secluded area away from the hustle and bustle of the cities. Imagine waking up to the sounds of birds and animals, in the middle of a beautiful thick rain forest, and staying in a hut with only basic amenities. Add a flowing river next to the hut and you are on your way to a well-deserving holiday. The Amazonas in Peru is one such location where you could be with nature, forgetting all the disturbances from the city you come from.

If you are new on this page, we recommend starting your Peru travel planning with these two articles: Why Peru should be your next travel destination and our complete 2+ weeks itinerary for Peru.

How to get to the Amazonas in Peru

There are two main gateways to Amazonas in Peru i.e. Puerto Maldonado and Iquitos. Both these cities are accessible by boats and planes, and in addition, you can reach Puerto Maldonado via bus / road as well.

We spent a couple of days in Puerto Maldonado and decided to take a flight instead of traveling by road, to save up on time. Flights are very affordable and there is connectivity from all major cities in Peru to this little airport.

Gateway to Amazonas in Peru: Puerto Maldonado Vs Iquitos

We regret not considering Iquitos as our gateway to Amazonas. Hence, we are highlighting some main differences between which will help you make an informed choice.

Iquitos is 5 times larger than Puerto Maldonado, so getting inside and exploring the deeper Amazonas will take longer. This in turn requires you to dedicate more days at Amazonas. Arrival at your jungle longe will take on an average of 2 hours in Iquitos and around 45 minutes in Puerto Maldonado.
Iquitos offers both Amazon river cruises and jungle lodges however, Puerto Maldonado offers only the jungle lodges.
Iquitos is at the intersection of Amazon and Itaya River where is Puerto Maldonado is located around Amazon’s tributary rivers Tambopata and Madre De Dios. So, if you want to experience the actual Amazon river, you should aim for Iquitos.
Due to its connectivity via road, Puerto Maldonado has seen a huge amount of mining in recent years, causing the Tambopata river to become extremely contaminated, dirty, and brownish in color. Due to this mining, there is also an impact on wildlife, so chances are you won’t see as many during your jungle tour in Puerto Maldonado.
On the other hand, deforestation and development have caused erosion of the Amazon basin, in and around Iquitos. So, getting to your jungle lodge deep inside the Amazonas will take you longer than before.

Where to stay at Puerto Maldonado & Tour Options

We stayed at Tambopata River and enjoyed our cute little jungle lodge. Like all jungle lodges, this lodge has very basic amenities and no hot water. However, tranquility and a lot of greenery surround the lodge. The lodge is located right on the Tambopata River. They provide freshly prepared lunch and dinner on demand and at an extra cost, which is very helpful as there aren’t any restaurants around. Traveling to the town is a bit difficult as there isn’t any public transportation in that area.

There are two ways to travel to Amazonas in Peru i.e. book your entire tour package for 3-4 days, which includes your guided tour, accommodation, food, etc, or just book your jungle lodge first and get a separate tour of whichever activity interests you. We went ahead with the second approach, i.e. only booked our jungle lodge. When we arrived in Puerto Maldonado, we had an option to pick and choose the tours we wanted to do. This turned out to be a cost-effective option. Also, we could just sit and relax in the lodge for a day or so. Just to note, each tour we took set us back by around USD $40-$60 per person.

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Things to do in Puerto Maldonado

Below is the list of things you could do in Puerto Maldonado

Sunset river cruise –

We took a river cruise in search of caymans and different species of birds. It was a lovely experience which lasted for about 1.5-2 hours. The pick-up point was right on the banks of our lodge, so it was very convenient.

Jungle Tour –

This included a tour to Tambopata National Reserve and Sandoval Lake. We were picked up from the lodge in the morning and transported to Madre river. Then we were taken on a boat ride on the Madre river of God for about 45 minutes. After reaching Tambopata National Reserve, we hiked through the Amazon forest for about 2 hours. At the end of the hike, we were taken on a boat right through Sandoval Lake. Lunch was usually provided by the tour company before we followed the same route back to your lodge.

Amazonas in Peru Jungle tour, Tambopata National Reserve

Amazon Shelter –

Instead of the tour, we decided to hire a taxi and visit the shelter on our own. Mrs. Magali is doing amazing work in rescuing and taking care of animals. It was heartwarming to hear some of the rescue stories. We are glad our entry fees went to a good cause.

Macaw Claylick –

This is a popular tour in the Amazonas, but we decided to skip it and get some rest instead. In this tour, you get a chance to observe the parrots, macaws, and other animals of the reserve.

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Amazonas in Peru, Tambopata National Reserve