Because the Amazon basin covers nine countries in South America and is so huge, it can be difficult to know how to visit the rainforest as part of a short annual vacation. But, if you’re starting to plan a Peru vacation with friends or family, you should think about trying to make the most of your trip and set aside a few days to visit the jungle in Peru.
Although Peru is better known for the Andes, the Incas, Cusco, Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, it is also home to the second largest area of Amazon rainforest after Brazil, and it is much easier to get into the jungle in Peru as part of a 10-day or 2-week vacation than anywhere else in South America.
There are many ways to visit the rainforest in Peru, in different parts of the country. But, if you are planning to visit Peru for just a couple of weeks, and you want to see as much as possible, the best gateway to the Amazon is the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado.
This is because you can plan to arrive in the capital, Lima, fly to Cusco and visit Machu Picchu by train or walk the Inca Trail, and then take a flight or even a bus from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, all as part of an activity-filled, adventurous but comfortable short Peru vacation.
At Tambopata Ecolodge, we meet all our guests from the local airport or bus station in town, and take them in our vehicle to the river port, for the boat ride deep into protected, fauna-rich rainforest, with our remote and comfortable eco-lodge as the base for immersive ecotourism excursions.
The rainforest we help to protect through our conservation-based ecotourism activities is home to more macaw and parrot clay licks than any other part of the Amazon. We offer guided tours to Tambopata’s clay licks, and in addition to the clay licks, we take our guests on forest trails to beautiful lakes that are home to abundant wildlife, including endangered giant river otters.
By visiting us in our jungle home, travelers can experience one of the most biologically diverse places on Earth, spot wildlife and learn about rainforest plants, all as part of a relaxing few days spent at our comfortable lodge, after visiting Peru’s more famous attractions of Cusco and Machu Picchu.