Puerto Maldonado

It is the capital city of the Madre de Dios Department, in the east southern jungle of Peru, . A flight from Cusco takes about 30 minutes, so it is the best choice for visiting the jungle once that you are in the Inkas' Capital. As in the case of Iquitos over here you will be taken to one of the many lodges in the region for starting expeditions of nature observation. The jungle around here is even less explored than in Iquitos, and you will be able to take walks around the famous "Cochas" or ox-bow lakes, that are the main fauna environment.

From Puerto Maldonado it is possible to take trips to 2 Peruvian Nature Reserves:

Manu Biosphere Reserve; it is a broad territory between Cusco and Madre de Dios covering about 19137 sq. km (10% of the national territory). The scientific interest that awakens the Manu Park is based on its great diversity of flora and fauna species that is one of the biggest in the world and which is kept almost unchanged in millions of years of natural evolution. If you are looking for a real experience in nature observation this is the spot for you. It is estimated that in Manu there are about 1000 species of birds, 200 different mammal species including 13 species of primates, 100 species of bats, etc. Moreover, over here is possible to easily find endangered species such as the Black Caiman and the Giant Otter. All those characteristics made the UNESCO recognize the Manu Park as a protected Biosphere Reserve.

Tambopata - Candamo Natural Reserve; it is another Park in the jungle between Madre de Dios and Puno and not so far from the border with Bolivia; on the banks of the Tambopata River. It is a reserve ideal for observation of undisturbed flora and fauna including jaguars, ocelots, peccaries, giant otters, tapirs, etc. It is estimated that around here there are about 600 different species of birds.