Puerto Maldonado

Introducing Puerto Maldonado

The ramshackle jungle town of Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the Madre de Dios department – and an unlikely traveler destination. Hard to get to by land, rarely served by river passenger ferries and sequestered away in the far southeastern sector of Peru’s vast jungle territory, this bustling boomtown nonetheless receives a constant stream of visitors who flock here on the daily flight from Lima via Cuzco. The reason? Some of the most unspoilt yet accessible jungle locales in the country, served by some excellent accommodation options for travelers who want just a touch of luxury. Puerto Maldonado gives the traveler the chance to see, feel and hear the Amazonian jungle like nowhere else in Peru.

The town itself has been important over the years for rubber, logging and even for gold and oil prospecting, and its role as a crossroads is about to take on even greater dimensions as the interoceanic highway linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean via Brazil and Peru slowly takes shape. Few travelers stay long in Puerto Maldonado, though its languid, relaxing ambience certainly invites you to linger and there are enough distractions to keep you occupied for a day or two.

Orientation

Puerto Maldonado is a fairly compact town. The small airport is 7km north of the town center, while buses and trucks arrive about half a dozen blocks from the center. Small river ports on both the Ríos Tambopata and Madre de Dios serve the closer jungle lodges, while the more distant lodges are served by a jetty at Infierno, a 45-minute bus ride away.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009