Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SOUTHERN AMAZON
Abutting the neighboring nations of Bolivia and Brazil, the vast tract of the southern
Amazon Basin is one of the Peru's remotest territories: comparatively little of it is either in-
habited or explored. That said, this is changing almost as fast as a Peruvian bus timetable,
thanks to the Trans-Oceanic Highway (see boxed text,
Click here
)
transecting much of the
region. Yet with well-developed facilities for ecotravelers, the benefits of travel here are
clear: visitors will, with relatively little effort, be rewarded with a treasure trove of unfor-
gettable close encounters of the wild kind.
Puerto Maldonado
082 / POP 56,000 / ELEV 250M
At first sight a mayhem of mud streets and manically tooting
mototaxis
(three-wheeled mo-
torcycle rickshaw taxis), Puerto Maldonado soon endears itself to you. Its money-spinning
proximity to some of the most easily visited animal-rich jungle in the entire Amazon Basin
is its blessing but also its curse: travelers arrive, yet all too quickly leave again en route to
the lodges and wildlife on the nearby rivers.
Yet the town's languid, laid-back ambience invites you to linger. Whether you arrive by
air or by road, Puerto Maldonado will certainly be a shock to the system. Unlike Peru's lar-
ger Amazon cities further north, this is a rawer, untidier jungle town (although it's rapidly
becoming more well-heeled) with a mercilessly sweltering climate and a fair quantity of
mosquitoes. But its beautiful plaza and burgeoning accommodation options will, together
with a lively nightlife, provide plenty of reason to hang around here for a couple of days.
The town itself has been important over the years for rubber, logging, gold and oil pro-
specting, and its commercial role has taken on greater dimensions as a port of call on the
Transoceanic Highway (see boxed text,
Click here
)
. It's of foremost importance to travel-
ers, however, as the jumping-off point for a voyage on the Ríos Tambopata and Madre de
Dios, converging here. These watery wonderlands offer the most accessible primary jungle
locales in the country, yet are served by excellent accommodation options for those craving
that touch of luxury. Undisputedly, Puerto Maldonado offers travelers more chance to see,
feel and hear the Amazonian jungle than anywhere else in Peru.
