RÍOS TAMBOPATA AND MADRE DE DIOS AREA
The beautiful rivers, pristine lakes, and primary rainforests of southeastern Peru are teeming with wildlife. This is the most biodiverse area of Peru’s Amazon and has the highest concentration of jungle lodges, staffed by naturalist guides and reached only by river. Most of the land south of Río Madre de Dios is protected by national parks. The vibrant frontier city of Puerto Maldonado sits conveniently at the confluence of the Madre de Dios and Tambopata rivers, and is the best base for visiting the area. Most visitors reach Puerto Maldonado on daily flights from Cusco. However, there is also an unpaved 310-mile (500-km) road which takes two to six days from Cusco depending on the season.
- 37 miles (60 km) SW from Puerto Maldonado.
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from Lima.
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from Cusco.
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from Puerto Maldonado.
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in Puerto Maldonado.
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organized through tour operators.
Fitzcarrald made a fortune during the rubber boom in the 1880s. He discovered that the Ucayali and Madre de Dios river basins were separated by a short finger of the Andean foothills. Enslaving hundreds of indigenous people, he moved a steamship piece by piece over the isthmus, and traveled down Madre de Dios past what would later become Puerto Maldonado. Werner Herzog’s film, Fitzcarraldo was inspired by his story.
