Take advantage of your time in Cuzco by making a trip to one of Peru’s most extensive and unspoiled areas of jungle. The Madre de Dios region, known as the biodiversity capital of the world, is home to some of the most remarkable natural areas in Peru: Manu National Park and the Tambopata National Reserve. In these protected natural areas, visitors can enjoy the wonders of nature in comfort, particularly in the Tambopata Reserve, which offers a choice of comfortable lodges located on the riverbank, including Hacienda Concepcion, where guests can enjoy delicious meals and fascinating walks in the forest, or visit Sandoval lake, home to many endangered species. This lodge also offers nocturnal canoe trips and the 7 rope bridges which form a canopy walk, 100 feet / 30 meters above the ground in the treetops, where many species of monkeys and birds can be observed.
Day 1: CUZCO / PUERTO MALDONADO
The trip begins with your arrival at Puerto Maldonado. Allow yourself to be surrounded by the jungle as you travel by motorized canoe along the Madre de Dios River as far as Hacienda Concepcion (approximately 25 minutes downriver). Enjoy a buffet lunch made from organic ingredients with all the flavors of the forest. After lunch you will walk the Concepcion Trails. A series of nature trails surrounds the lodge, and as you discover them for yourself you will learn more about the primary and secondary forest, its component parts, uses, the transformations made by mankind, and the relevance of the forest for the world. After sundown, take a canoe excursion on the river by night. Navigating the Madre de Dios river, you will learn about its ecosystems, Amazonian valleys, the behavior of nocturnal fauna, and the constellations of the southern hemisphere. That evening dinner will be served in the lodge’s dining room.
Day 2: PUERTO MALDONADO
New emotions await you, and after a nutritious buffet breakfast it will be time to prepare for a long walk through the Tambopata National Reserve as far as Sandoval lake. Here you will begin to understand why the Madre de Dios region is known throughout the world as the biodiversity capital of Peru. You will learn about the conservation work being undertaken within the reserve and discover how the lake was formed as we explore the entire length of this body of water, home to the endangered giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), the blue and yellow macaw (Ara ararauna), the howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), the black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) and one of the world’s largest fresh water fish, the paiche (Arapaima gigas). You will return to the lodge at lunchtime. Later, it will be time to prepare again, this time for the canopy walkway and the Anaconda Trail. A 20 minute trip by motorized canoe will take you to the Canopy Visitors’ Center, where you will learn about the construction of the canopy walk. It will then be time to climb one of the 98 feet towers (30 meters) and cross the 7 suspension bridges that connect the 91 feet (28 meters) treetops. Enjoy the majestic views and take the opportunity to observe red-billed toucans (Ramphastos tucanus), hummingbirds, trogons, squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis) and three-toed sloths (Choleopus hoffmani). After returning to ground level, you will continue to enjoy the incredible atmosphere of the primary forest as we take 30 minutes to cross the 656 feet / 200 meters long wooden bridge that crosses the wetlands. You will return to the lodge to enjoy our evening meal.
Day 3: PUERTO MALDONADO / LIMA
Enjoy a nutritious buffet breakfast before setting off. This morning you will travel by motorized canoe back to Puerto Maldonado, where you will visit the Inkaterra Lounge (Butterfly Garden). Here you will be able to relax as you wait for your flight to Lima.