Hospedaje El Gato

Amazon Basin


One of those rare jungle lodges catering to mochileros (backpackers), this rustic refuge in Baltimore is 90km from Puerto Maldonado up on a cliff by a bubbling tributary of the Río Tambopata, complete with waterfalls and bathing spots. In terms of the 'rainforest experience' it gives the pricier lodges hereabouts a run for their money.

To get there, you could take the passenger boat departing Puerto Maldonado's Tambopata ferry dock at 8am on Mondays, returning from Baltimore around the same time on Fridays. Or you could take a Laberinto-bound colectivo/minivan to Km 37 on the Carr Interocéanica, then hike (three hours) down to the riverbank opposite the hospedaje (homestay), where a boat can collect you. With either of these options, the cost is vastly lower (just S80 per person per night with activities and food thrown in) than the standard rates quoted (which are for a standard package with airport pickup).

Book online or at the Puerto Maldonado office.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Amazon Basin attractions

1. Baltimore

0.67 MILES

The community of Baltimore, just after Refugio Amazonas lodge, is the only real settlement on the river, and has a few simple hospedajes (homestays)…

2. Collpa Chuncho

8.71 MILES

One of the best clay licks in the Reserva Nacional Tambopata, where you can see the colorful cacophony of feeding macaws for which the Tambopata region is…

3. Reserva Nacional Tambopata

15.24 MILES

The wildlife-rich Río Tambopata is a major tributary of the Río Madre de Dios, joining it at Puerto Maldonado. Boats go up the river, past several good…

4. Mariposario Tambopata Butterfly Farm

23.68 MILES

Peru has the greatest number of butterfly species in the world (some 3700) and you can see many of them here at this well-run butterfly conservation…

5. Mirador de la Biodiversidad

25.43 MILES

Although this strangely cosmic blue building, surrounded by statues of locals in various poses of labor outside, was designed as a modern mirador (lookout…

6. Puente Guillermo Billinghurst

26.22 MILES

This bridge, since 2011 carrying the Carr Interocéanica across the Río Madre de Dios – connects Puerto Maldonado by paved road to the outside world for…

7. Río Madre de Dios Ferry Dock

26.24 MILES

This dock close to the Plaza de Armas is a cheap way of seeing a little of the action on a major Peruvian jungle river (the Río Madre de Dios), which is…

8. Hacienda Concepción Research Center

29.39 MILES

Formerly the ITA Aceer Tambopata Research Center, Inkaterra’s reconstructed lodge, 8km downriver from Puerto Maldonado, is an important research center of…