Puerto Maldonado in Peru is so much more than Amazon lodges. And in fact, the amazon lodges in Puerto Maldonado aren’t always the best way to see the rainforest or to visit the natural attractions that Tambopata offers.
I’m a huge fan of sport fishing. And as an expat living Peru I’m a frequent visitor to Puerto Maldonado. I’ve visited all the tourist lakes and many more that aren’t even on the maps. I’ve seen the monkeys on ‘monkey island‘ and I’ve spotlighted caiman along the river banks. Plus, I’ve gone fishing for piranha and I’ve tried the local cuisine.
In this article, I’m going to try to answer some of your more pressing questions about visiting Puerto Maldonado. And hopefully after reading this article, you’ll be better able to plan your own trip.
Puerto Maldonado in Peru
Where is Puerto Maldonado?
Puerto Maldonado is the main city in the province of Tambopata, the largest of the three provinces that make up the Madre de Dios Region of Peru. It can be reached by both road and air.
To get to Puerto Maldonado, you can take a direct flight from either Lima or Cusco. Or, you can take an overnight sleeper ‘super cama’ bed bus from Cusco. Depending on how much traffic there is along the route, the busses from Cusco take between 8-10 hours to arrive in Puerto Maldonado.
However, if you can find a tour operator that drives between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado during the day, it makes for a truly awe inspiring road trip. Becasue the road between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado goes up and over Ausangate and then down through Quincemil township.
It’s an amazing route that takes you through high altitude grassland, past glaciers and valleys covered in Inca terraces and down through cloud forests into the jungle. The road between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado is one of those once in a lifetime road trips.
Travel tip: Do not rent a car and try to drive yourself from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. It’s a route that should only be driven by an experienced local driver who has experience with that particular road. And do ensure that you have a can of supplemental oxygen on hand if taking the land route. As the road goes up and over 16,000ft (4900m) above sea level. Cans of oxygen are cheap and available from all drugstores (pharmacies) in Cusco.
Why visit Puerto Maldonado?
Puerto Maldonado is for anyone that wants to visit the Peruvian amazon rainforest. If you’re wanting to go fishing for hundreds of different species of fish, see monkeys, macaws and other parrot species, snakes, tarantulas, caiman and even sloth and jaguars, then you need to visit Tambopata.
Now, I go to Puerto Maldonado to go sport fishing in the Madre de Dios river and the many oxbow lakes that are abundant along its length. And I do the touristy wildlife stuff while I’m there. Becasue it’s hard not to see the wildlife when you’re already in this region of Peru. It’s just everywhere!
You might be thinking I’m over selling the amount of wildlife that you can see. But let me tell you, after you’ve stumbled into a jaguar at 2am on a lonely jungle path, you definitely start to take the abundant wildlife in this region of Peru seriously.
At night is when the wildlife really comes out. Along the banks of the Madre de Dios river you’ll see capybara and caiman. Just shine a bright torch along the water’s edge and you’ll see all their eyes light up. Making it very easy to locate them.
As for the monkeys, they have their own island. You can take a trip to ‘Isla de los monos’ or ‘Island of the Monkeys’. It’s on the main Madre de Dios river just opposite the entry to Lake Sandoval. And it’s a refuge for monkeys taken from captivity. You can visit and feed the monkeys. Though they are all quite shy and they do keep their distance.
If you’re wanting to see giant amazon river otters, they take refuge in Lake Sandoval. Where you can also see the larger black species of caiman and go fishing for piranha.
For those of you wanting to see a different kind of lake, there’s Lago Yacumama. It’s less than 15 minutes by road from the center of Puerto Maldonado. We go for the sunrise whenever we’re in Puerto Maldonado and to watch the chestnut-fronted macaws.
How long do you need in Puerto Maldonado?
You’re going to need at least 2 full days in order to visit Puerto Maldonado. If you have less than 2 full days to allocate to Tambopata, I would save visiting the Amazon for a different trip.
Now, some people will recommend more days. Often upwards of 4 or 5 days to really experience the amazon. And if you are planning to stay in one of the resorts, a longer stay can be beneficial. Most of the resorts are some ways away from Puerto Maldonado. And a longer stay can be beneficial given the often intense rain that exists in the off season (summer).
However, if you’re not planning on visiting in summer and you’re planning to base yourself in Puerto Maldonado itself, 2 full days is a feasible amount of time to see all the main attractions. Yet, if you’re wanting to go at a more relaxed pace or see more, consider adding an extra day or two.
Travel tip: The heat and humidity in the peruvian amazon can sap your energy. And life does move slower in the amazon jungle. So if you’re older or not physically fit, consider a slightly longer stay.
Is Puerto Maldonado better than Iquitos?
One is not better than the other. Both Puerto Maldonado and Iquitos have different positives and negatives. For example, there’s different fish species and more anacondas in Iquitos. But then, Iquitos is much more difficult to get to and is less convenient for tourists to visit.
As for jaguars, monkeys and caiman, you can witness them in both locations. Yet, you have greater opportunity to spot the ever elusive jaguars in Tambopata. And from Puerto Maldonado you can visit macaw clay licks.
Personally, I would only visit Iquitos or recommend to my own family and friends that they spend the extra money to visit Iquitos over Puerto Maldonado, if they were desperate to see an anaconda in the wild. Or if they were intent on going fishing for larger peacock bass and arowana.
Things to do in Puerto Maldonado Peru?
There’s 6 big ticket items that the majority of people want to experience when visiting the Amazon regions of Peru. These are the items that everyone wants to tick off their list to be able to say they’ve ‘visited the amazon’.
- Lake Yacumama
- Lake Sandoval
- Macaw clay licks
- Fishing for piranha
- Monkey Island
- Capybara & caiman spotting
Yet, I would also add that if you are visiting Tambopata and you’re in anyway interested in fishing or in seeing what’s under the waters surface, you should consider including at least one day of Sport fishing in your itinerary. There are literally hundreds of species of fish in the rivers and lakes around Puerto Maldonado. And some, are river monsters!
Where to find tours in Puerto Maldonado?
I get my own tours and guides from two different places. If I need a specialist or boutique experience created for me, or when my friends and relatives bring their kids, I will have my friend Marco who runs Bloody Bueno Peru create a one of a kind bespoke tour package.
Yet, when it’s just me or a couple of friends, I get my own tours online from civitatis. For Peru, as an expat actually living in the country, civitatis is my prefered company. The prices are more affordable and all the experiences and guides are vetted.
With civitatis I can see actual reviews from travelers which is important in Peru. What was a good tour and a good provider one day, might not be the same quality a week later. Things do change very quickly in Peru!
My favorite thing to do in Puerto Maldonado?
Beyond the obvious, which is sport fishing in the Madre de Dios, I quite enjoy seeing so many species of plants that I recognise and that I have in my own mini garden at home, growing wild in the jungle.
Yet, when it comes to wildlife in Peru’s amazon rainforest, I find the parrot and butterfly species that abound in Tambopata to be some of the best things to see. Not only do the different species of macaws seek out ‘clay licks’, the butterflies are attracted to residual salt in the clay.
If you visit Puerto Maldonado in summer, you’ll get to see huge clouds of butterflies landing on the rivers edge. And if you get close, they all begin to fly and it’s like walking through a massive cloud of butterflies!
Where do I stay when in Puerto Maldonado?
If I want airconditioning and a big breakfast in a hotel, there’s only really one place to stay in Puerto Maldonado. And that’s the Copasu Hotel. It’s about 3 blocks from the center and is the best value hotel in Puerto Maldonado. I’ve stayed there on my last 2 trips and I loved it.
When we found the Copasu Hotel we were originally trying to get a room in the Tambopata Hostel which has a pool. Yet, the airconditioning made all the difference. And because Puerto Maldonado is so very hot and humid, we were glad we chose Copasu.
The next hotel I recommend to friends and family is on the river and it has amazing river views and a pool. It’s also much more reasonably priced than most of the lodges and has better facilities. If you’re wanting to experience both luxury and tranquility, the Enai Hotel is the place to stay.
Now, if after reading this article you are still set on the idea of staying in one of the Amazon rainforest lodges, there’s really only one Amazon lodge to choose in Tambopata. And that’s the Inkaterra Ecological Reserve.
The Inkaterra Ecological Reserve is the preeminent rainforest lodge in Puerto Maldonado. And it has the greatest access to wildlife and activities to accommodate all visitors.
Other considerations when visiting Puerto Maldonado
Being that it’s the Amazon rainforest, the climate is hot and humid. And in the summer months (December-February) the amazon rains are at their peak. The rivers rise, the sand bars go under water and the forests flood. In winter (May to October), Puerto Maldonado is still hot and humid. Yet, it’s a tad cooler and it rains a lot less.
Now, if you’re visiting in winter (peak season), the prices for everything will be higher. And you will sometimes need to traverse river banks to get into and out of the river boats. But you will see more wildlife and the climate will be more tolerable for those people coming from cooler regions. Unfortunately, both seasons have bugs like mosquitos to contend with.
When you’re visiting the amazon rainforest there are 4 things you absolutely must have with you. And those things are:
- Strong bug spray with high amounts of DEET
- Sunscreen with SPF 50+
- Very sturdy shoes with lots of grip
- Travel insurance
The bugs and heat in the amazon will be the thing you notice the most. The mosquitos are so big in Tambopata that I’ve had them bite me through 3 layers of clothing. Bug spray with high concentrations of DEET will slow them down. Yet, only a thick waterproof canvas jacket actually stops them from biting you.
The sun on the rivers and lakes from both above and from the reflection off the water’s surface is intense. And all of the river banks that you will need to traverse to get into and out of the boats, will be steep and made of slippery wet clay.
With all the bugs, heat, sun and opportunities for accidents to occur when getting into and out of the tour boats, you should never visit the amazon rainforest without good travel insurance. I get my own travel insurance from visitorscoverage.com
I’m always totally covered in protective gear from head to toe when I visit Peru’s amazon. And on my last two trips, I’ve become ill from either the bugs or the plants. I’ve contracted cellulitis in both feet on one trip and dengue fever on the very next trip. So when I tell you that you need to have travel insurance when visiting the Amazon Rainforest in Peru, I mean it!
Safe travels!
