Tambopata National Reserve, a charm in the Peruvian Amazon

In the heart of the Peruvian Amazon, in the department of Madre de Dios, is located one of the greatest natural treasures of this country: the Tambopata National Reserve. With an extensive area of great biological richness, its purpose is to protect the multiple species of flora and fauna, as well as to provide resources to the native communities that inhabit it and to safeguard the beauty of the tropical sub-humid forest.

Visiting this reserve will always be a special experience not only for being a tourist place, but also for its immense value in generating environmental awareness and for being an opportunity for the visitor to connect with nature and all its benefits.

In Tambopata you can navigate on rivers and lakes, observe reptiles in the light of the moon, discover the collpas frequented by birds and climb to the top of the trees to observe all the spectacle that this ecological wonder offers.

What to visit?

Tambopata is divided into six zones, of which two are for tourist and recreational use, located along the Malinowsky and Tambopata rivers. There you will be able to contemplate charming attractions like collpas -in Quechua 'salty land'- or clay benches located on the banks of rivers, where macaws and various species of parrots feed on mineral salts. This richness of nutrients makes them a key site within the ecosystem.

Another tourist spot that captivates is Lake Sandoval. Located a few minutes from the Tambopata River, you can observe there, through a boat ride, a great diversity of flora and fauna. Species of all kinds like river wolves, alligators, otters and turtles, as well as harpy eagles are seen along the route.

On the other hand, the Tambopata National Reserve is also home to native communities that have inhabited it since ancient times, such as the Eja and Pukineri ethnic groups. If you want to know more about them and experience their lifestyle, you go and visit them, they will teach you their view of the world.

Visiting this reserve will always be a special experience not only for being a tourist place.
Credit: Richard Hirano / PromPerú.

How to get there?

To get to the reserve from Lima or Cusco, you must take a plane to Puerto Maldonado, capital of Madre de Dios. There are daily flights of 90 and 30 minutes, respectively, at least three times a day. From there, you have to travel to the community of Infierno, 25 km away. You can also do a 45 km boat ride, which takes about two hours. 

In this community, you will have to pass a control with a cost of 30 soles, which marks the entrance to the reserve, to finally be transferred by boat to the areas that can be visited in a tour that lasts approximately an hour and a half. The best time to visit Tambopata is the dry season, between May and November, when the weather fluctuates between 50 and 95 °F.

There are more than a dozen tourist lodges within the limits of the reserve, to where more than 14 thousand visitors, including foreigners and nationals, arrive each year. This paradise of nature fights for the conservation of the natural resources that the earth offers us. Go when you can and seal your commitment to the planet!

Sources: Sernanp / ¿Y tú qué planes? / Tambopatatourism.com / El Comercio / Blog Red Bus

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