Travel to Peru: Amazon Tours

Why travel to the Amazon

The Peruvian Amazon rainforest, still mostly a mystery, covers over half of the country and provides an opportunity for incredible adventure. Offering unrivaled access to the world’s largest jungle, the Peruvian Amazon stands in stark contrast to the rugged Andean peaks and the arid desert coastline to the west.

The influence of the Andes has led to the development of several distinctly unique eco-systems. These eco-systems combine to create the most biologically diverse region on the planet, which although containing only 5% of Peru’s population, is home to thousands of species of flora and fauna.

2.5 million different types of insects; 40,000 different plant types; 3,000 species of fish; 1,294 bird species; 427 mammal types; 428 amphibians; and 328 types of reptiles have been identified in the Amazon. And there are many more species that have not yet been discovered.

Over the last few decades, the Peruvian Amazon has seen a dramatic increase in eco-tourism. Options for visitors wishing to explore the spectacular protected areas are growing steadily, with some of the development occurring in an environmentally-responsible manner. Arrival to the main centers is mostly by air, but once one arrives in the jungle there are several options for exploration. With the region’s immense diversity, the most difficult choice is deciding which area to visit, and what type of jungle experience you are looking for.

What to do in the Amazon

There are many ways to ensure a unique experience in the Peruvian Amazon.

Iquitos: Northern Peruvian Amazon journeys typically begin in Iquitos, the world’s largest jungle settlement that can be accessed only by air or boat. This remote jungle city is completely isolated from the rest of Peru, and serves as the gateway to the northern part of the Peruvian Amazon.

Nestled on the banks of the Amazon River and with a population of around 370,000 people, Iquitos is a charming, laid back town. Founded in 1757, the city experienced huge growth during the 19th century when it became one of the world’s great rubber producers. Hot and humid by day, Iquitos has a buzzing cosmopolitan aura and a sizzling night time bar scene. One of the highlights of the city is the shantytown suburb of Puerto Belen, where rustic wooden huts stand on stilts in the Amazon waters and the markets hum cheerfully with activity.

For most visitors, however, the reason to travel to Iquitos is quite simply the Amazon itself. The huge, complex river system around Iquitos offers some of the best access to indigenous villages, lodges, and primary rainforest in the entire Amazon. The jungle around Iquitos is Peru’s largest area of lowland jungle, and the perfect place to launch an exciting Amazon cruise.

Puerto Maldonado: Puerto Maldonado is a city located in the southeastern part of the Peruvian Amazon rainforest closest to both the Bolivian and Brazilian borders, off the banks of the Tambopata River. The ramshackle jungle town of Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the Madre de Dios región, and offers another option for access to the Amazon rainforest. Despite its isolated location, this bustling town receives a constant stream of visitors. The town has been important over the years for rubber, logging, and even for gold and oil prospecting.

Puerto Maldonado is the perfect starting point for an Amazon tour to some of the most pristine rainforest areas, such as the Manu National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve. The beautiful Tambopata National Reserve can easily be accessed from Puerto Maldonado. It covers over 13, 590 acres and boasts some of the finest and most biologically diverse rainforest on the planet. This spectacular part of the Peruvian rainforest is home to a huge spectrum of jungle wildlife. The area is also known for its numerous Brazil nut tree trails, indigenous villages, excellent local guides and ecologists, and a great range of jungle lodges—by far the best way to experience the surrounding jungle.

Manu: Located in the foothills of the eastern Andes, the Manu Biosphere Reserve is one of the most important Amazon destinations in Peru with some of the richest and most extraordinary biological areas in the Peruvian Amazon. It encompasses more than 4.5 million acres of the least-accessible and least-explored jungle of primary and secondary forest in Peru. One of the largest protected areas on the continent, Manu’s variety of environments includes Andean highlands, precipitous cloud forests, and dense lowland jungle. The sheer volume and diversity of flora and fauna within the reserve is astonishing.

The highlights of any Amazon vacation to Manu are the fantastic trail networks and the lakes of Cocha Salvador and Cocha Otorongo. These areas offer the greatest diversity in animal, bird, and water life. Visitors also marvel at the several types of caiman, giant river otters, wild monkeys, tapirs, capybara, parrots, and macaws which can be spotted in the light-brown waters and among the giant cedars of the lowland jungle. Manu, which can be accessed from Puerto Maldonado, is also home to many indigenous tribes, some of which have contact with the outside world and others that still remain relatively secluded.

When to visit the Amazon

In the Peruvian Amazon, the trees are tall and the flat lands along the banks of the already mighty Amazon are regularly flooded. Come rainy season from December to March, the area becomes a vast swampland that attracts a phenomenal amount of wildlife, comparable only to that of the Pantanal swamps of southwestern Brazil. The flooding allows for access to otherwise inaccessible areas of jungle by boat. However, during the rainy season, river banks are higher, which makes it more difficult to see animals during an Amazon boat tour. The rainy season also brings about more bugs, so be sure to bring your bug spray if you’re traveling during this time.

Travel Testimonials

Our travel to Puerto Maldonado and the Selva beyond was also great! The boat ride to Refugio Amazonas was such an exciting way to enter the jungle. Refugio Amazonas was like an oasis in the jungle, and when we arrived we were greeted by friendly smiles, icy-cold towels for our faces, and sweet lemonade. The accommodations were tranquil and our jungle itinerary was packed with adventure. Our guide, Johan, was knowledgeable and tireless. He had a wonderful sense of people and made everyone feel included. The food at Refugio was also delicious, produced largely from the local geography.

Sarah Seward (California, USA) traveled to the Amazon in January 2011

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We went on many tours and each was lead by extremely knowledgeable tour guides who again, had a wonderful passion for their country. In the Amazon, Explorama Lodge was awesome. We felt that we were in the rain forest but with a group of excited explorers. We hung out on the hammocks, went for a few hikes, watched the sunset over the Amazon, went fishing for piranhas and saw countless creepy but interesting bugs!! This was by far, the best food we had during the trip.

Emily & Geoff Wilson (Minnesota, USA) traveled to the Amazon in October 2010

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Puerto Maldonado Lodges

Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica 5*

Reserva Amazonica is located along the river, on a 40 square mile (103.6 square kilometer) private ecological reserve, which is adjacent to the Tambopata National Park. Offering 30 private cabanas, 3 suites, and a unique canopy tree house that sits 90 feet above ground and can accommodate two, the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica provides comfortable accommodation amidst spectacular scenery. All guest rooms and common areas are built with local materials and high-pitched palm-thatched roofs in local Ese-Eja and Machiguenga native styles. Each room is attractively furnished with log chairs, comfortable beds covered by mosquito netting, and a small porch with two hammocks. The rooms have no electricity, and after dinner guests return to their cabanas across tree-trunk-boardwalks to find the entryways and bathrooms lit with candles and kerosene lamps. Reserva Amazonica is a perfect place to be to relax and enjoy everything the Amazon Rainforest has to offer.

Restaurant

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Posada Amazonas Jungle Lodge 4*

Posada Amazonas is a comfortable, low profile, 24-bedroom jungle eco-lodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese'eja Native Community of Tambopata. Each quaint room features three bamboo-walls that act as mesh nets to allow a refreshing cross-breeze through your private accommodation. The fourth side of the charming room is wide open to provide an amazing view of the Puerto Maldonado tropics and to let guests enjoy the natural wonders of this region unobstructed. Because of its accessibility, opportunities for excellent wildlife observation, and comfortable accommodation, a stay at Posada Amazonas is the ideal introductory nature tour to the Amazonian rain forests.

Restaurant

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Manu Lodges

Manu Wildlife Center 3*

The Manu Wildlife Center is ideally located in a large private rain forest reserve that is adjacent to the even larger Amarakaeri Reserved Zone. With numerous wildlife hotspots within easy reach on foot or by boat, the lodge is perfect for those who want an intense experience during their Peru vacation in Manu. “Manu Wildlife Center has become a base of choice for elite bird-watching tours and wildlife-documentary crews- people willing to spend good money to be treated well...” Conde Nast Traveler, 2002. Visitors will welcome the amenities and exclusive comfort of this attractive lodge - boasting 22 roomy, private bungalows with en suite private bathrooms and hot showers- especially if they are arriving from the rustic simplicity of Manu National Park.

Restaurant Internet

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Manu Cloud Forest Lodge 3*

The first accommodation to be built in the cloud forests of Manu, the Manu Cloud Forest Lodge is idyllically located between cloud forest-covered slopes and adjacent to a narrow 400-foot-high waterfall. Rushing streams next to the site are two of the small water courses that descend from the mountains to the Qosñipata River. Amenities include private bathrooms with hot water, private verandas overlooking the pristine Union creek, and a sauna to relax after a day of activities on your Peru Amazon vacation.

Restaurant

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Amazon Cruises

Delfin I

Visitors looking for the epitome of opulence during their Peru Amazon vacation can not do better than a sail on the mighty Delfin cruise ship. This 67 feet long vessel provides travelers with the luxury expected at first-rate restaurants, but within the tropical setting of Peru's lush rainforest, teeming with wildlife not seen anywhere else. Two elegantly appointed and charming suites feature comfortable king size beds that are covered with 100% Peruvian cotton sheets, while bathrooms boast all-cotton towels, soft bath robes and eco-friendly amenities.

Each suite features a large window that displays a gorgeous panoramic view of the seemingly never-ending Amazon River and come equipped with a silent air-conditioning unit. Four twin-bedded cabins are also available to utilize and feature the same modern conveniences as the suites. Crystal and fine china await you on the Delfin's second deck dining room where guests can dine on traditional Peruvian meals, while the third deck offers a wonderfully furnished observation desk where visitors can have a cocktail or relax on the sundeck hammock. Finally, there is a quaint shop with indigenous Amazonian arts and crafts available for purchase, the perfect souvenir to remember your luxurious Peru Amazon getaway.

Gift Shop Restaurant

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M/V Aqua

The first luxury vessel of its kind to cruise the untamed but breathtaking Amazon River, the Aqua is a 130-foot luxury ship prepared to provide guests with the utmost opulence during their Peru Amazon adventure. Designed by an internationally celebrated Peruvian interior designer, this riverboat is a floating five-star hotel set against the backdrop of the lush forests of the Peru rainforest.

12 well-appointed and quaint suites are elegantly decorated with chic furnishings, feature a comfortable sitting area and come with large windows that provide a gorgeous panoramic view of the vast Amazon River. Guests can dine on delicious first-class meals served on the Aqua's on-site restaurant, do a bit of sunbathing on the cruise ship's observation deck or even purchase indigenous Peru handicrafts on the ship's charming boutique shop. Setting sail on this first-rate cruise ship is sure to guarantee the most luxurious Peru Amazon vacation imaginable.

Gift Shop Restaurant

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