Exploring Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon

Touching down at the airport, I was immediately welcomed to Puerto Maldonado by the warm embrace of humidity. A stark contrast from the dry air on my flight. I had finally arrived to the Amazon and felt a sudden thrill for the adventure ahead. A thrill that only intensified after spotting a group of guides from Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, the off-grid resort where I would be spending the next three days.

Taking my luggage, one of them escorted me to our resort’s bus where I took my seat and was soon joined by an extended family from Lima, who quickly took me in conversation made me feel a little less awkward being the only one not part of their large group.

Soon enough, we were off, with the staff providing a quick welcome summary in both English and Spanish during our short 20 minute drive to the Madre de Dios river port. We disembarked from the bus while our luggage was loaded onto an old fashioned-looking speedboat.

The weather was mild on land, but as soon as we set sail, it turned to thunderstorms and rain. Luckily the boat’s wooden ceiling sheltered us from most of the dampness as we journeyed further into the rainforest.

After about 45 minutes, our boat slowed and pulled to an discreet dock where our party was greeted by Inkaterra staff holding with warm, fresh towels and a fruity welcome drinks. We enjoyed dinner at the main lodge and received briefings on the following morning’s itinerary before settling into our cabanas for the night.

Getting To Tambopata National Reserve

Starting early the next day with breakfast in the main lodge, I met my Inkaterra guide and a few other guests who would be on my first excursion: Lake Sandoval. As a norm for most journeys at the lodge, we hopped into one of Inkaterra’s wooden speedboats and began our trip.

After about 20 minutes traveling upstream, our boat pulled up to a small and somewhat precarious-looking dock on the opposite side of the Madre de Dios river. We climbed the wooden stairs and I caught my first wildlife sighting – a red howler monkey in the trees not too far off. An amazing welcome to my whole Amazon experience.

Starting at the dock, our group set off for 5 minutes along a man-made wooden path until we arrived at the ranger’s station and the entrance of Tambopata National Reserve, a biodiverse section of the rainforest and home to Lake Sandoval.

Because of the Reserve’s location and protected status, it’s one of the best places in this part of the Amazon to see monkeys and other types of wildlife that might otherwise be too scared of humans. It was also just at the rangers station that we could quickly use the restroom and wash our hands before more officially beginning our trek to the lake.

Later that same day, our group departed for a lagoon at nearby Hacienda Concepcion, an Inkaterra sister property. In comparison to our resort, Hacienda felt as though it had been overtaken by the rainforest. Between the two, I still prefer the more peaceful luxury of Reserva Amazonica, but it was fun to be able to see another hotel option in the Amazon.

At the lagoon, we quickly boarded a canoe and set off in the loud quiet of the rainforest. This excursion was much shorter than Lake Sandoval, but no less beautiful. I remember thinking just how peaceful it all was when our guide casually mentioned that the water was normally home to wild snakes and piranhas!

Peace interrupted! But lucky for me and my Indiana Jones-level fear of snakes, we didn’t see any during our tour – just lots of native birds.

As soon as we were off the water, we went back to Hacienda Concepcion’s learning center. There, our guide showed us the bones and preserved remains of native monkeys, caimans, snakes and spiders – telling us which animals were more safe or more deadly in the Amazon.

Finally, before heading back to the resort, our guide took us to one of the largest ceiba trees in this part of the Amazon and found us a ripe cacao plant to taste. Tasting the raw cacao was my highlight of the tour. I was shocked at how it looked and tasted NOTHING like chocolate. Think creamy to look at, but slimy and sweet to taste, and once you take a bite – bright purple!

Finally, as an exciting end to day one in the Amazon, I joined the resort’s twilight river cruise. Despite its name, this tour actually took place in the dark of night.

While much of the rainforest would be much too dangerous for a group of tourists to trek through at night, the river was the exception – offering a unique nocturnal view of caimans in their natural habitat, hunting for food.

We saw 4 caimans total during this tour – one black caiman and three white caimans, who are more populous in this section of the Madre de Dios river.

The next morning, our same group from Lake Sandoval reunited to explore the Gamitana Model Farm and Creek. Gamitana was just a short 20 minute boat ride from the resort, but was the furthest excursion that we had downstream.

On arrival, we saw the various shelters and rows of crops that made up the farm. It was here that our guide explained how Amazonian farms typically operate and what is typically harvested each month of the year.

After the introduction to farming in the Amazon, we embarked on a trail system around the property and toward the Creek.

We saw all kinds of unique plants, the types that really remind you how deep into the rainforest you really are. My favorite was probably the walking tree, whose roots resemble legs fully standing above the ground.

As for animals, the most memorable and thrilling was when we stumbled across a troop of army ants and subsequently, groups of fire ants! Both are exceedingly vicious, so running through the trail and trying to avoid stepping on or getting bitten by any definitely got my blood pumping! Thankfully, all of us made it out unscathed just in time to take a boat ride down the Creek.

Our journey down the Creek was both peaceful and awe-inducing, save for one large spider that decided to make a sudden appearance in our boat midway downstream. Gamitana held a sense of an adventure which revealed new and lush landscapes at each turn of the Creek.

The Inkaterra Canopy Walkway is undoubtedly one of the highlights of Reserva Amazonica. Luckily, the resort planned my visit so that I would be able to have this experience all to myself.

If I counted correctly, there were 7 total rope suspension bridges between the trees that made up the walkway. Some were rather large, others small. It was both exciting and scary: traversing the rainforest canopy and trying not to let the suspension’s bounce throw me off.

We didn’t see many animals up here, only butterflies and bugs, but that’s not to say it doesn’t ever happen. Groups of howler monkeys have been spotted playing on this same canopy walkway before – all depends on your luck. Either way, animals or no, being this high up in the canopy made me feel like I was in Indiana Jones or Jurassic Park.

My final excursion in Puerto Maldonado was at the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica trail system. This excursion is typically done as an introductory walk where guests learn the various types of rainforest flora and fauna, but my group and I didn’t receive this tour until later in our stay. The staff changed our itinerary around a bit due to inclimate weather.

All that to say, the tour was fantastic and ultimately a wildlife hotspot. Sloths, capybaras, turtles and even a yellow snake!

Obviously most of the animals in the Amazon are wild, with the exception of a few domesticated farm animals, so there’s no telling where they’ll pop up! This tour was a great reminder of that. It also encouraged me to get out there and see everything I can during my next visit to the rainforest, even if that means braving the one tour I skipped on this trip for fear of encountering any deadly snakes and spiders: Inkaterra’s Rainforest By Night tour. I’m so excited for my next trip – I’m certainly ready to conquer some fears!