Day 1: Arrival In Puerto Maldonado – Peruvian Amazon ‘ Tambopata Nature Reserve’
Welcome in Puerto Maldonado. You may visit the Butterfly House near the airport and then reach the boarding wharf in only 15 minutes. Begin to experience the enchantment of the rainforest, as you take the 45-minute boat ride along the Madre de Dios River, to arrive at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica lodge. After a short briefing, settle into your beautiful cabaña and enjoy your lunch in the dining room. Take a nap, followed by a refreshing tea time and get ready for the afternoon excursion.
After gathering with your Inkaterra Explorer Guide, you can choose from the various excursions available at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica. On your first day, we recommend a guided walk along the hiking trails system into the Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica natural area, where you will discover the Amazon Basin. This hike offers an excellent introduction to the jungle environment, winding past impressive trees such as the staggeringly tall kapok and the strangely beautiful strangler fig, and offering excellent opportunities for bird watching and observing exotic insects.
On the first night we also recommend our Twilight River excursion — a guided afternoon boat ride on the Madre de Dios River. Witness the transformation from a diurnal to a nocturnal world: animals and birds of the daytime give way to species specially adapted to the night. As you enjoy their paradise, you will learn about their habits, while you search for nightjars, owls, capybaras and up to three different caiman species.
Enjoy dinner in the main dining room from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. After dinner, you may retire early to your own cabaña, or share your experience in the rainforest with other guests and interpreters, as you listen to the intriguing sounds of the jungle at night.
Day 2: Tambopata Nature Reserve
Wake up late or rise early — the choice is yours. Breakfast begins at 5:30 a.m. (until 9:30 a.m.), for those who want to avoid the heat and enjoy nature at its fullest. This morning you will do the Lake Sandoval excursion in the Tambopata National Reserve. Get in a wooden canoe and navigate across the beautiful, mirror-like oxbow lake that is home to the endangered giant river otter, as well as red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anacondas, side-neck turtles and black caimans. Return to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica for lunch.
After lunch, you visit the remarkable Inkaterra Canopy Walkway. Ascending the first tower, 29 meters above the forest ground, you begin your encounter with the treetop realm. For more than a quarter of a mile, you will literally walk through the rainforest canopy on a suspension bridge network linking eight observation platforms. During this hour-and-a-half expedition, be on the lookout for colourful toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, monkeys, and sloths. If you wish you could extend your excursion and enjoy the sunset from one of the towers. Return to the lodge in the afternoon for a nice dinner.
