Great Deals in Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon Rainforest

It’s no secret that the Amazon is an entirely unique environment that can be life-altering for travelers, and the town of Puerto Maldonado happens to be the most popular gateway into the Peruvian Amazon, as it’s close to various national parks and protected areas. For travelers, the two of most interest are Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve, which boasts the highest bio-diversity in the world, and Tambopata National Park, which is very popular thanks to its parrot and macaw clay licks and Sandoval Lake.

Pirwa’s hostel in Puerto Maldonado is currently offering a variety of promotions for those of you traveling through the low-season. They can’t be combined, so you have to choose one:

• If you reserve a private room for 2 nights, Pirwa Maldonado will invite you to visit Tambopata Butterfly House so that you can admire the brightly-colored butterflies of the Amazon. This offer covers the entry cost, but not transport, and isn’t available for reservations in shared dormitories. It’s available until January 5^th.
• If you reserve a private room for 3 nights, you can get 50% off of the third night. This offer is available until January 5^th.
• You can get 20% off of all room types until Nov. 30^th.

You can reach Puerto Maldonado by taking a short 30-minute flight from Cusco or Lima or a 10-hour bus trip from Cusco. Once there, we recommend that you explore the local open-air market to see the exotic produce and meats. You can sample some wonderful fresh juices- give lúcuma (eggfruit) or copuazu (often referred to as ‘white cacao’) a try. Or, if you’re brave, try suri, the wormlike grub which grows in local nuts and is served skewered and grilled.

You’ll want to climb the Obelisk in the main square for a view of the city and its surrounding river and jungle. It costs S/2 Peruvian soles to enter. A half-hour at nearby Puerto Capitanía dock, just watching the river traffic, would be well-spent as well. The river is the town’s lifeline, with colorfully painted peque–peques and motor-canoes bringing goods in and out. Finally, learn about jungle wildlife at Monkey Island or the Snake Rescue House, which is located on the main road from the airport.

At some point, you’ll want to leave Puerto Maldonado to venture into that beckoning jungle. If you only have a short amount of time, a daytrip to Sandoval Lake in Tambopata National Park gives you the best bang for your buck- the lake teems with surprising plants and animals, including various monkey species, giant river otters and pre-historic Hoatzin birds.

If you have more time to spare, you’ll want to take a multi-day tour in Tambopata or Manu. These tours will take you along the Madre de Dios River to an eco-lodge, which will act as a base for treks into the virgin jungle, canoe trips, visits to macaw clay licks, swims with pink river dolphins, piranha fishing, and more. Wild cats include the oncilla (or trigrillo) and the jaguar, but jaguar spottings are very rare. You’ll get to see pig-like capybara, caiman with their glow-in-the-dark eyes. Some excursions will take you to visit indigenous communities to learn about their way of life. The Machiguenga and Huacaria ethnic groups often accept visitors. Click on these links to learn more about tours in the Amazon.