PUERTO MALDONADO AND TAMBOPATA

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Puerto Maldonado is a city in Southeastern Peru in the Amazon forest 55 kilometres (34 mi) west of the Bolivian border on the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Madre de Dios Region.

It is also one of the main jungle destinations for foreign travellers to Peru, largely due to its easy accessibility from Cusco. For visitors wishing to experience some of the jungle, but only having a couple of days, the area around Puerto Maldonado is a good option.

There are many jungle lodges in the area, and although the lodges closest to the city (those most appropriate for short stays) are far from virgin rainforest, they still offer a good opportunity to see some wildlife and jungle vegetation.

Nearby are the Manú National Park, Tambopata National Reserve, and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. These are some of the most pristine primary rain forests in the world, which include several oxbow lakes and clay licks, where hundreds of birds including macaws feed on clay.

The Manu, Tambopata-Candamo and Pampas de Heath Reserves

These national parks cover over 8'645,000 acres of jungle land, and are blessed with the richest blo-diversity in the world. Some flora and fauna species, impossible to find elsewhere, including 2,500 flower varieties, more than 1,000 birds (10% of the world's species,) 900 butterfly species and more than 20 kinds of monkeys.

Sandoval and Valencia Lakes

This sweet water lakes close to Bolivia (4 hours away by boat), are amazing natural venues that offer incredible opportunities to fish, connect with nature and interact with the local communities.

Clay Licks and Macaw Conservation

The Tambopata Macaw project has been working hard to understand the links between the clay lick, nesting, tree phenology (flowering and fruiting) and the movements of parrots in and out of the area. Over a thousand mornings of clay lick observation and literally hundreds of thousands of registrations may be the largest set of parrot data ever assembled. We have come a long way in understanding these interactions and now have a much better idea of what drives the annual life cycles of the macaws and parrots in Tambopata.

Aborigines - Jungle Natives

Several jungle tribes are still alive in the virgin forests of Madre de Dios. The Ese'eja, Machiguengas, the Huarayos, the Mashcos, the Arasaris (practically exterminated), the Huachiparis, the Shirenis, the Iñaparis, the Amaricaris, almost all incorporated to civilization by evangelical missionaries, still conserve much of their ancestral customs.

This population has many myths and legends, some of them mystical; there is a great diffusion of the folkloric and quack medicine on the base of the great quantity of medicinal plants that exist. You can participate in ayahuasca medicinal rituals, although good education on the subject and preparation is highly recommended.

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