Without a doubt, it is worth making a stop during our visit to Peru in the city of Puerto Maldonado, considered the capital of biodiversity as it is the entrance to the Tambopata National Park and the Manu Reserve, two very tempting options that will put us in a dilemma when choosing. In this blog we are going to detail the pros and cons of each one.
Tambopata National Park
Tambopata offers us a greater ease of getting to know the Amazon jungle since it has been developed in a better way for tourism, it has several walks and hostels where you can stay. We can get to Tambopata from the City of Cusco by plane or bus and then board a boat that will take us into this tropical forest.
Unlike Manu in Tambopata we can reach the tropical zone and virgin jungle much faster which makes the cost of our trip lower. But being an area that has been affected by business and the large influx of visitors has made it much more difficult to see a wide variety of wild animals.
We recommend Tambopata for people who have a tight itinerary but who want to visit the Peruvian jungle, you can find tours that last 3-4 days. The quickest way is to take a walk from the city of Puerto Maldonado to Lake Sandoval, one of the most requested walks due to the great variety of wildlife that we can see in a short time.
Manu National Park and Reserve
The Manu National Park and Reserve is the largest and one of the protected reserves in Peru. And so it is a little more difficult to get to. The most common route starts from the city of Cusco passing through Paucartambo and descending into the tropical jungle to reach the limit of the reserve and then take a boat that will take us to the most interesting part of the reserve and live a true jungle experience. Amazonian.
Another route is to take a flight from Cusco to the community of Diamante near Boca Manu. This flight takes approximately 40 minutes and then boards a boat to enter the park sailing along the river. The problem with this route is that flight cancellations are very frequent.
A third option is to arrive at the city of Puerto Maldonado to head by car to Puerto Carlos, crossing the Inambari River by boat and continuing by car to the town of Boca Colorado and then sailing on the Madre de Dios River for about 6 to 7 hours per day. boat to finally reach Boca Manu and enter the reserve.
The tours can cost up to 3 times more than a tour in Tambopata, and the small number of hostels means that the demand is mostly for small groups, making the prices much higher.
If you want to take a walk in the Manu reserve and see the most original part of it, we recommend having at least 9 days. There are tours that last fewer days but more time is spent traveling to the reserve than getting to know the wonderful places it can offer us. However, there are longer walks in which we will be able to enjoy Manu in all its splendor, living an incredible and real experience in the jungle.
For explorers and nature lovers, visiting Manu is the greatest experience since they can see it in all its splendor and enjoy the wildlife in this reserve that has little or nothing been invaded by “civilization” making our visit a true one. adventure where a lot of courage and freedom are required.
Whether you choose Tambopata or Manu, the Amazon jungle offers you a wide variety of species of wild flora and fauna. In both reserves, there are boat visits, night walks and canopy circuits, which are the best option for observing monkeys, birds, giant otters, caimans (the black caiman), capybaras and the Hoatzin in their natural habitat, which are frequently seen. Although species such as toucans, pumas and jaguars are rarely seen by visitors, some local guides even report having never seen a jaguar during their guided tours. But if you manage to appreciate one, enjoy it and consider yourself one of the luckiest people in the world.