I’ll start by stating the obvious here – the amazon is HUGE. It is the world’s largest tropical rainforest and stretches into Colombia, Peru, Brazil, and other South American countries. I knew when taking my first visit to South America; I had to include a visit to the Amazon. I’ve mentioned in previous posts, but it’s important to me to have at least one unique experience every trip, so the research began.

There are three main places to visit the Peruvian Amazon, which are Iquitos Region, Tambopata Region, and Manu Region. Of course, there are pros and cons to each.

The largest region of the Peruvian Amazon can be reached by flying into the port city of Iquitos, Peru. Fun fact: Iquitos, Peru is the world’s largest city that can’t be reached by road or car, you can only get there by plane or boat. The upside of Iquitos is it’s the actual Amazon River, not a tributary, and the only region in Peru where you have the chance to see rare wildlife, such as the rare pink dolphins. However, you won’t find any direct flights from Cusco to Iquitos, and trips can be expensive and long, depending on when you go.

I wasn’t very impressed by the Manu Region because there weren’t many lodging options. There was only a handful I found, and I wasn’t sold on any of them. However, it supposedly has some of the best wildlife, most affordable lodging, and is also close to Cusco; it could be the best option for many.

Ultimately, we decided on the Tambopata region, the southern gateway to the Amazon. It’s a quick one hour plane ride from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, which is the hub for transportation. With diverse wildlife and being home to Lake Sandoval, a beautiful lake with unique species, it also had the most impressive selection of lodging. It was finding the Intakerra concepts that sold us!

The Flights

Since the Amazon was on the tail-end of our trip, we needed flights from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado and then back to Lima to fly home back to the states.

Avianca flight from Cusco (CUZ) to Puerto Maldonado (PEM)
Arriving at 10:50 am on January 3, 2019, was $58

Avianca flight from Puerto Maldonado (PEM) to Lima (LIM)
Arriving at 3:30 pm on January 5, 2019, was $156

Avianca is a major carrier in Peru, and part of the Star Alliance, which is made up of United Airlines, Air Canada, and several others. Make sure to put in your frequent flyer number when booking to collect miles!

The Lodging

I stumbled onto finding the Inkaterra Hacienda Concepcion, and I’m so grateful I did! They have several unique concepts spread all over the world. Their Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel was featured in National Geographics, “Unique Lodges of the World.”

Of course, luxury in the middle of the jungle doesn’t come cheap. The price was dependent on what itinerary and room you choose.  The choices were 5 Days / 4 Nights, 4 Days / 3 Nights, 3 Days / 2 Nights and either a room in the main guesthouse or a private cabana. Comparing the two, the private cabana backed up to the jungle with huge open screens, it felt like the true Amazon experience. When in Rome, right?

For the 3 Days / 2 Nights itinerary and private cabana, it came to $914 total and included the following:

• Roundtrip by land and river (Airport / Lodge/ Airport)
• Full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Excursions with an Inkaterra Explorer Guide in Spanish or English
• Entrance fees to Lake Sandoval and Canopy Walkway
  • They also included little things like welcome drinks, bottled water, a welcome gift, flashlights, etc.
    

Inkaterra provided an itinerary of what to expect:

Find the detailed, full Inkaterra itinerary here.

The Experience

Day 1

• Arrive & check-in
• Fresh Lunch
• Walk-through the Conception Trails
• Twilight River Excursion
• Evening Dinner Service

Day 2

• Breakfast Buffett
• Day trip to Lake Sandoval
• Canopy Walkway & Anaconda Walk
• Rainforest by night walk
• Evening Dinner Service

Day 3

• Breakfast Buffett
• Checkout
• Butterfly House