Amazon Rainforest

A visit to Puerto Maldonado or Manu can easily be added onto the beginning or end of any trip to Cusco, Lima or other southern destinations. Trips can be customized based on your individual preferences, including type of lodging, preferred activities and budget. We offer trips from 3 days all the way up to one week plus.

Please inquire about a trip into the rainforests when you submit your booking information and we can provide you with all relevant details!

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Overview
As noted above there are essentially three different destinations from which the Amazon can be visited in Peru – Puerto Maldonado, Manu Biosphere Reserve and Iquitos.

Puerto Maldonado
The most popular rainforest destination near Puerto Maldonado is the Tambopata National Reserve, which is a 275,000 hectare conservation unit created by the Peruvian government in 1990 to protect the areas surrounding the Tambopata and Candamo rivers. This pristine forest contains 1300 bird species, 32 parrot species (10% of the world’s total), 200 mammal species, 1,200 butterfly species and over 10,000 species of vascular plants.

This area is the most economical and easiest to visit on a tight schedule, due to its proximity to the Puerto Maldonado. Thus it is also the most popular.

Manu Biosphere
The Manu Biosphere Reserve covers almost 20,000 square kilometeres in Eastern Peru and is one of the best places in South America to see a wide variety of tropical wildlife. It is also one of the best protected, virgin wildlife zones in the world both because it is so remote and because of Peru’s protection efforts started in 1973. The park is divided into three zones: the zona natural comprises 60% of the total park area (mostly in the west) and is essentially closed to visitors, the zona experimental comprises 30% of the park (in the northeast) and is where most controlled research and tourism activities are permitted and finally the zona cultural comprises the remaining 10% (in the southeast).

Since access to this reserve is strictly controlled, visitors can only visit on an organized tour with an authorized tour operator. So while Manu is probably the most memorable and virgin of the three rainforest areas in Peru, it is also the most expensive.

Iquitos
As opposed to Manu and Puerto Maldonado, which are several hundred miles from the actual Amazon River, the rainforest surrounding Iquitos sits on the banks of the mighty Amazon. In fact, during the rainy season (November to April), the river swells and much of the area becomes a huge wetland. 93 miles upriver from Iquitos lies the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, the largest in Peru. This reserve supports a wide range of plant and animal species and is also home to nearly 50,000 local peoples.

If you are primarily interested in seeing the actual Amazon River, Iquitos is the place for you.

Typical activities:

• Kayaking on oxbow lakes
• Bird watching at clay licks
• Rainforest or canopy hikes
• Mountain biking
• Relaxation and holistic activities (massages, meditations, etc)

Check out our pictures on Flickr:

See our Amazon Rainforest pictures on Flickr

Optimal trip length
The Amazon Rainforest presents unlimited opportunities for visitors – and you could literally spend years exploring the area. However, because it is one of the more expensive areas to visit in Peru, most people will devote about a week to the rainforest. Especially since it often takes a day to get to the jungle from most major cities. During your week in the rainforest, you will be able to participate in a wide range of activities (from kayaking to bird watching to hiking/trekking) and see a diverse range of flora and fauna.

However, if you are on a shorter schedule and still want to see the Amazon – we do offer 3-4 day trips that are very comprehensive and cover a wide range of activities. For these shorter trips, we recommend the areas surrounding Puerto Maldonado, since many airlines offer direct flights and then it is only a few hour boat/truck ride into the jungle.

Best time of year to visit
In general, the jungle can be visited during most of the year since the weather really doesn’t vary that much. The dry season might be best time to visit, since you generally stay drier, there are typically fewer mosquitoes and it is often easier to see wildlife closer to the river. However, for some, travel in the wet season is better, as higher water levels mean that more of the jungle is accesible by small boats, and this is usually the easiest way to get around. The best advice might be to try travelling in April or May, when water levels are still good, but the heavier rain showers have stopped.

Weather
The jungle is basically hot and steamy all year round. However, it is certainly less steamy in the dry season (roughly May-October) – although from November to April the rain rarely falls for more than a few hours at a time. Year round daytime temperatures in the jungle usually hover between 85-100 degrees Fahrenheit (30-35 degrees Celsius).

Transportation to the Amazon
For most travelers, getting to the rainforest will involve a mix of transportation – including flights, buses, overland trucks and boats. Below we have listed out transportation options for the three most popular destinations.

Puerto Maldonado
As noted, the rainforests near Puerto Maldonado are the most accessible in Peru. While those on a budget might consider the 12+ hour bus ride from Cusco, most travelers will fly on one of the many daily flights into Puerto Maldonado (~30-60 minutes from Cusco). LAN and StarPeru both offer flights to Puerto Maldonado – with LAN being about twice the price, but more reliable. From Puerto Maldonado, you will take a combination of trucks and boats, depending on which reserve you plan to visit

Manu Biosphere
While Manu is one of the most bio-diverse places on earth, it is also one of the hardest to access. Access might be by a variety of means – overland from Cuzco or by charter plane to remote airstrips, or sometimes by boat from Puerto Maldonado. In any case, you should plan on a full-day to reach Manu.

Iquitos
Because it is so remote, Iquitos is only accessible by boat (allow 4-7 for this trip) or a 1.5 hour flight from Lima (all 3 Peru airlines offer flights) – in fact, it is the largest continental city that is not accessible by road. Once you reach Iquitos, the most likely way to reach many of the surrounding reserves is via boat.

Some other important details you might find useful:

• The rainforest is one of the few places in Peru where you could encounter malaria. We strongly encourage travelers to take all necessary precautions including taking malaria medicine, wearing long sleeves and pants and using strong mosquito repellent.