Amazon Basin - Peru - page 927

Peruvian border formalities can be carried out in Iñapari. Stores around the main plaza accept and change both
Peruvian and Brazilian currency; if leaving Peru, it's best to get rid of any nuevos soles here. Small denominations
of US cash are negotiable, and hotels and buses often quote rates in US dollars. From Iñapari, you can cross over
the new bridge to Assis Brasil , which has better hotels (starting from around US$10 per person).
US citizens need to get a Brazilian visa beforehand, either in the USA or Lima. It's 325km (six to seven hours)
by paved road from here to the important Brazilian city of Rio Branco, via Brasiléia (100km, two hours).
For more detailed coverage beyond this point, pick up Lonely Planet's Brazil, or get The Amazon Travel Guide
from the Lonely Planet online shop ( http://shop.lonelyplanet.com ) .
Air
The airport is 7km outside town. Scheduled flights leave every day to/from Lima via
Cuzco with LAN ( 57-3677; www.lan.com ; Velarde 503) and Star Perú (
57-3564; www.starperu.com ; Velarde 151) . Schedules and airlines can change from one
year to the next, but numerous travel agents in the town center have the latest details.
Boat
Hire boats at the Río Madre de Dios ferry dock for local excursions or to take you down-
river to destinations such as Lago Sandoval, Río Heath and the Bolivian border (for more
on crossing the border into Bolivia or Brazil see boxed texts this page and Click here ) .
It's difficult to find boats going up the Madre de Dios (against the current) to Manu;
Cuzco is a better departure point for Manu. Occasionally, people reach Puerto Maldonado
by boat from Manu (with the current) or from the Bolivian border (against the current). If
you're set on the former option, Amazon Trails Peru of Cuzco ( Click here ) can arrange
boat/bus options with a Manu package. Transportation is infrequent: be prepared for waits
of several days.
At the Tambopata dock, 2km south of town and reached by mototaxis, there are public
boats up the Tambopata as far as the community of Baltimore. The Tiburón leaves twice a
week (currently Monday and Thursday) and can drop you off at lodges between Puerto
Maldonado and Baltimore. The fare is S20 or less, depending how far you go. All passen-
gers must stop at La Torre Puesto de Control (checkpoint), where passports and Sernanp
permits (S30) are needed. (For details on Sernanp permits, see above).
Boats to jungle lodges leave from both docks, depending on the lodge location. When
transporting visitors upriver, some Río Tambopata lodges avoid two hours of river travel
by taking the bumpy track to Infierno (about one hour), and continuing by boat from
there. Travel to Infierno needs to be arranged in advance: there is nowhere to stay there
and no boats await passengers.