Near the city of Puerto Maldonado, in the southern part of the Peruvian jungle, is the Tambopata National Reserve, one of the most important natural areas in the entire country and with one of the greatest biodiversity on the entire planet. Walking through Tambopata is, without a doubt, a gift from nature. Will you join us on this tour?
Where is the Tambopata National Reserve located?
The Tambopata National Reserve is located in the department of Madre de Dios, southeast of Peru and on the border with Brazil. Its proximity to the city of Puerto Maldonado makes it one of the main tourist attractions to visit in the southernmost area of the Peruvian Amazon jungle.
What will you find in the Tambopata National Reserve?
The Tambopata National Reserve is divided into 6 zones: the wild zone, the direct use zone, the tourist and recreational use zone, the recovery zone, the special use zone and the strict protection zone. In the latter, access is only allowed for scientific research.
These six areas are the habitat of countless fauna and flora. Just knowing the data will leave you speechless: up to 632 species of birds, 1,200 of butterflies, 103 of amphibians, 180 of fish, 169 of mammals and 103 of reptiles have been found.
In addition, its large lakes attract attention, such as Sandoval, Sachavacayoc and Valencia. But to truly be fascinated by the fauna of this national reserve, visit the clay licks, where hundreds of macaws, parakeets and parrots gather.
What to visit in the Tambopata National Reserve?
In its almost 300,000 hectares, the Tambopata National Reserve offers countless activities to do and in which to explore the most remote corners of the jungle. Some better known and others less, here we leave you with the places that you cannot miss when you visit this wonder of the Amazon.
Can you imagine ziplining in the middle of the Amazon jungle? Or traveling along rivers on a raft with countless nature around you? One of the most exciting things about the Tambopata National Reserve is that you can do different adventure sports in a unique setting.
Although there are not many companies that offer this type of activities, it is worth contacting one of them and experiencing a day of total adrenaline rush in the Tambopata National Reserve. For our part, we have the Full Day Adventure tour, in which you can do these and other activities with the help of experts in this type of sports.
Lake Sandoval
The most famous (although not the only) lake in the Tambopata National Reserve is Sandoval. It is the perfect place to spend a vacation of total relaxation and rest from the daily routine.
But not all that awaits you in this destination is lying in a hammock to enjoy the landscape and not thinking about anything, since in the lake and its surroundings you can do various activities: boat ride, trekking, night walk… you will have a lot to choose from!
So that you can enjoy all the activities of Lake Sandoval, at Denomades we offer tours of one to three days, in which we will thoroughly explore the lake and its surroundings.
Macaw Clay Lick
Macaws are the most famous birds in the entire Tambopata National Reserve. Their striking plumage gives great color to this area of the Peruvian jungle and seeing them fly alongside other species such as hawks and parrots is a spectacle that you cannot miss.
To get to know these birds up close, there are clay licks, salty land in Quechua, where these animals come to eat a clay that provides them with a large amount of nutrients. The best-known clay licks are those of El Chuncho and Colorado, which you will have to visit very early in the morning, when the birds arrive.
To see the clay licks you will have to hire the services of a tourist agency. At Denomades we have several options to visit this place, such as our 2-day tour to the Chuncho de Guacamayos Collpa.
Sachavacayoc Lake, Valencia and Tres Chimbadas
Although Lake Sandoval is the best known and most touristy of the entire Tambopata National Reserve, there are others just as impressive that are well worth booking a day to see.
These three that we name below you have to write down on your list to take into account when planning your trip to the Tambopata National Reserve: Sachavacayoc, Valencia and Tres Chimbadas.
We couldn’t recommend just one of them, since in all of them you will find incredible landscapes, made up of diverse fauna and flora, such as palm trees, piranhas and monkeys.
indigenous communities
One of the most enriching experiences when you visit the Amazon is to delve into the culture and customs of the indigenous communities that live here. Although there are some that still have no contact with society, most of them are completely familiar with civilization and are used to receiving visits from tourists.
In the Madre de Dios region there are different ethnic groups, such as the Eje Esa, the Harakbut and the Matsigenka, among others, who you can visit and learn more about their customs and way of life.
How to get to the Tambopata National Reserve?
As we have mentioned above, the Tambopata National Reserve is the closest jungle area to Puerto Maldonado, so the first step will be to get to this city. Once here, you will have to take a motor boat and travel along the Tambopata River for two hours.
In order to take this boat, and ultimately whenever you visit the jungle, you have to keep in mind that you must do so with the help of a specialized guide, since the paths are convoluted and it is difficult to move through it without getting lost.
For this reason, we recommend that you go to Tambopata with one of the tours that we offer at Denomades from Puerto Maldonado, with activities lasting between one and four days, where we visit the most important areas of the National Reserve.
