Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Nazca or Lake Titicaca are some of the great attractions that catch all the travelers who go to Peru every year. Farther inland, however, there is another, wilder and different world in an area considered the “lungs of the planet“. Today we’re taking you on a trip through the Peruvian Amazon.
Peru’s Amazon represents a small area compared to the rest of the country but an area that is the largest rainforest in South America, much of it occupying Brazilian territory. Have you considered that it can be a perfect extension to complete your journey? Through Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado?
Iquitos, in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest
Iquitos is the capital of the Department of Loreto and is today the main river port of Peru and a perfect point to plan a route through the Amazon River Jungle. Using Iquitos as a base we can access National Reserves such as Pacaya – Samiria or Allpahuayo – Mishana, where lakes or wetlands intermingle with the vegetation itself, forming a perfect ecosystem for fish, otters, armadillos or a few dozen species already registered.
The also called capital of the Peruvian Amazon was the protagonist, along with Manaus (Brazil), of the enormous Dengue Fever of the late nineteenth century and today still maintains river access from it, although it is considered an important air connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
Puerto Maldonado, the entrance to the southern Amazon
A trip through the Peruvian Amazon that enters through Puerto Maldonado is a guarantee of adventure from the moment you leave the plane. Boats loaded by the dark Madre de Dios River downstream, hard trails or scenic lakes full of animal life, separate the civilization from an integrated lodging in the most unaltered nature. Nevertheless, Puerto Maldonado is considered the Capital of Biodiversity of Peru.
In the Manu National Park or in the Tambopata National Reserve, 60 km from Puerto Maldonado, the sounds of one of the most privileged environments that the planet has preserved make you forget for a few days more crowded ones, only achieved by the singing of the strange fauna that surrounds us. Caimans who watch us perplexed with their bright eyes from close up, the cute lake otters or the big nose from a high branch of a nearby tree.
But also creepy tarantulas, prehistoric-looking birds and even dangerous anacondas, which our guides will know how to avoid with experience. We are in one of the places with the greatest biodiversity on the planet and an unlimited natural wealth.
Is it safe to travel to the Amazon in Peru?
The infrastructures of most of these places attempt the greatest integration and respect for their environment. This means that many times electricity schedules are limited to a storage tank as well as hot water, without the basic comforts for a perfect trip.
What kind of wildlife can I expect to find?
The Tambopata National Reserve alone has more than 1200 species of butterflies, 90 species of mammals, 120 species of reptiles and amphibians and 700 species of birds. Monkeys of all kinds, nice otters, giant anacondas, multiple turtles, macaws and toucans and many other exotic animals can be discovered on your trip.
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