Puerto Maldonado

• 🌍 Padre Aldamiz International Airport (PEM  ^IATA), ☏ +51 84-571531. Only LATAM Peru flies here, from Cusco and Lima. Commercial flights in and out of Puerto Maldonado are almost always in the morning or early afternoon. (updated Sep 2022)

The road to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco is improving since it is part of the Interoceanic highway. The bus trip still takes 12 hours, there are overnight trips. There is also overnight bus to Juliaca.

Some lodges, including Wasai, even offer mountain biking tours from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. This trip, however, is not for the casual beginner; it's a serious trek for serious athletes.

You can reach Puerto Maldonado from either the Tambopata or Madre de Dios rivers, but this is not likely for tourists.

Many jungle lodges in the surrounding area offer complete tour programs. Some of the available lodges are as follows:

• Rainforest Expeditions Many package deals are done in association with this company, but you can just walk over to their counter on the right hand side of the airport and arrange your own tour there too. You can stay at any of their 3 lodges, Posada Amazonas is the closest to town (about 45 minutes by boat from Infierno), for those who want to experience the jungle without getting in too deep! Associated with the local community, this company does a lot to keep ecotourism 'green' and sustainable. And for those who really want to experience the richness of the forest, you can go right out to the famous TRC research center (about 7 hours by boat from Infierno), home to the largest claylick in the world where you will see amazing displays of parrots and macaws feeding in the mornings and always plenty of animal life around! Hand-raised macaws will even join you for breakfast! Highly recommended for birdwatchers. There is also Refugio Amazonas halfway between the two, which is the newest lodge. The guides will amaze you with their experience of the forest, and you will leave having had an unforgettable experience.
• Taricaya Research Center This lodge is located about 1½ hours down the Madre de Dios river, and actually has the highest canopy walkway in South America (42 meters high). Run exclusively by Projects Abroad, you can arrange a day trip to this place. Besides the canopy, they have an animal release program and many other active conservation projects that make this a must see.
• Bello Horizonte Lodge Lodge with a spring fed swimming pool, situated 1 hour from Puerto Maldonado. This lodge has a great view of the jungle below. 100% of its profits go to the children’s homes “San Vincente” and “Principito”.
• Wasai Tambopata Lodge This lodge is located about 4 hours up the Tambopata River. Nice options for those interested to visit the largest macaws' clay lick of the upper Tambopata River. There are no more dwellings upstream from the lodge. The lack of people and the closeness to the Andes produces an abundance of flora and fauna not seen in other areas of the Amazon.
• Wasai Puerto Maldonado Eco Lodge The hotel is in the most convenient location on the river bank, offering spectacular views of the Madre de Dios River and the amazon rain forest.
• Anaconda Lodge One of the few pretty lodges that on the outskirts of the city, surrounded by beautiful vegetation. Boasts a swimming pool and a Thai restaurant, and also offers camping.
• Sandoval Lake Lodge On the beautiful oxbow Lake Sandoval, it's very comfortably accommodated with hot water, electricity, fabulous meals, and guides. Plus, it is only approximately 30 minutes by boat to the 5-km trail which leads to the lake, unlike most of the other lodges which need to be hours away from town in order to see wildlife. Its location on the lake (as opposed to the river) insures excellent wildlife views including the Giant Otter, Black Caiman, about a dozen species of primates, and tremendous avian variety, including the Hoatzin.
• Mejia Family Lodge If a backpacker's stay is more your style and/or budget, try this place. They are located about 1 km from Sandoval Lake Lodge and rent their bungalow style rooms (meals included) considerably cheaper than Sandoval.
• Cusco Amazonico Lodge This one is downriver from Madre de Dios at about 20 km (12 miles) (about 45 minutes).
• Explorers' Inn This lodge is 58 km up the Tambopata river from Puerto Maldonado, about 1½ hours by boat from the community of Infierno, on the borders of the Tambopata National Reserve. Bird, butterfly and dragonfly biodiversity are notable in the rainforest immediately around the lodge.
• Heath River Wildlife center This wonderful lodge is in the Heath River in the Bolivian side. Nice options for those interested in macaw clay lick and visit other ecosystem like the savannah.

• Tambopata Hostel. Really clean hostel, really friendly owners, including an ex-guide very knowledgeable about the biodiversity of the area. Facilities include kitchen that you are free to use, and a lounge area with cable tv, and small library with books on the region including local wildlife and plenty of DVDs to watch. You can stay in either a group dorm (S/30 a night) or your own room with double bed (S/80 a night). Beautiful garden, hammock area, clean and simple with a wonderful relaxed atmosphere. Hop into a moto-taxi and if they don't know 'Tambopata Hostel', or 'avenida 26 de deciembre', just ask for the Plaza de Armas (main town square); carry on past the main square on the right hand side, and on reaching the top corner ask the driver to turn right (derecha) and continue up to the last road (avenida 26 de deciembre), turn right and about 10 feet on the right is the hostel. (look for the building with all the little international flags). Having read that, beware and always pay your reservation in advance or get kicked out of the house after having made a tour with them.
• Brombu's, Located just outside the airport, this place has a small pool and clean rooms. The people here are absolutely wonderful, and the price is very reasonable.
• Hotel Bahia, US$4-6 with or without private bath, some rooms are rather noisy.
• Hotel Wilson, US$4-6 with or without private bath, safe and clean.
• Tambo de Oro, US$2-4 without private bath. Safe and clean as you can expect, but this "house of gold" won't offer you much else. Great place if you aren't too picky and are on a budget.

• Anaconda Lodge, US$13-32, bungalows with private bathrooms and others with shared bathrooms. Located outside the towncentre so much quieter than other places, and surrounded by a botanical garden. This place has a great swimmingpool and Thai restaurant, and has a very nice vibe. You can also camp in the garden for only S/20 a night.
• Hotel Wasai, US$30, with private bath, nice place on the Madre de Dios river on the northeast side of town.
• Corto Maltes (Down River from Puerto Maldonado). Really beautiful. Restaurant and bar overlooking the river. Great activities. 
• Amazon Shelter, US$25 per double room, shared bathroom but including food. This is a very quiet and pleasant place, next to jungle, just outside town, close to Tambopata River. Very hospitable owner who runs this animal shelter, where animals roam free at least once every other day. You get to pet some, enjoy their company and learn about their history. It is on Carretera Tambopata, but most taxi drivers will not have a clue where to go. You need to tell them that the road there is "a continuacion de La Av. Ernesto Rivero, Carretera Isuyama, Circuito Tambopata".
• Hospedaje Chonta, near the "Obelisco" on Plaza Francisco Bolognesi (a run-down park). S/70 for a double room with private bath/shower, (a/c is extra but not really needed as the windows open to get a breeze at night). Clean, secure (desk seems to be staffed 24 hours) and quiet with a swimming pool. Couple of blocks walking distance to supermarket and restaurants. S/2 mototaxi to/from downtown, S/4 mototaxi to/from bus station.