Tim and I ended our trip to Peru in the Amazon rainforest. This would end up being quite the experience and would take us out of our comfort zone. I was now wearing a giant, hot, plaster cast on my left hand that was already beginning to disintegrate (I broke my hand mountain biking a few days earlier). Tim and I were heading into the jungle, and we didn’t know what to expect, other than it was going to be very hot, very humid, and very far from home.
Getting to the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica
It was only a 35 minute flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. The two towns are not far apart but because of the poor quality of the roads it would take several days to drive from one to the other. Puerto Maldonado is a very small town in the Amazon rainforest. The air traffic control tower was a very small wooden building on stilts. Four flights a day fly into and out of Puerto Maldonado.
Tim and I stepped off of the airplane onto the tarmac and we could instantly feel the hot, muggy air. The Inkaterra staff were waiting for us. We took a short ride in an open truck, checked in at the Butterfly House, and then were driven to our boat on the Madre de Dios River.
It was a 45 minute ride by boat downstream to our hotel, the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica. It was a beautiful ride on the river. We were in the Amazon rainforest!
The Inkaterra was incredible. Our cabana, which was really just a very nice screened in porch, had hammocks and huge bed with mosquito netting, and a view of the Madre de Dios River. Power on the entire property was turned off between 3 and 6 pm and again during the night in order to conserve electricity. We had no cell phone connection, no TV, and no radio, so this was a very different experience for us.
First Excursion into the Rainforest
Our first excursion was with our guide, Wilson. So, wearing our permethrin treated clothes, sunblock, and insect repellent, we went hiking into the rainforest. Wilson showed and taught us about termites, vines, trees, birds, and pygmy marmosets. It was a one hour introduction to the rainforest and an eye opener as to how hot and muggy the next two days would be.
We ate dinner in the lodge. Meals became my favorite part of staying at Inkaterra. The food was always phenomenal and our waiter, Roberto, was awesome. He recognized that I was learning Spanish and he made it a point to teach me a little more Spanish at every meal. He joked, “if you don’t order in Spanish, you cannot eat.” He even had Tim speaking Spanish. We had so much fun!
Twilight River Excursion
Tim and I took a second excursion after dinner. We went on the Twilight River Excursion with other hotel guests. We all got into a boat and drove along the shore of the river with flashlights looking for caiman. It was wild being out on the river at night! There were no other lights for miles. We were an hour from the closest town (and a small one, at that). We were truly in the middle of nowhere.
Now it was off to bed. Tim and I took showers (we were both covered in bug spray and still very hot) and climbed into bed with our flashlights. We tucked our mosquito netting in around the bed and laid down for a good nights sleep. It would have been more romantic if we hadn’t been so freaked out about turning off the flashlights. And when we did, wow it was dark! We are talking pitch dark, can’t see your hand in front of your face. Hopefully we won’t feel any creepie crawlies run over our legs tonight!
Hiking into the Amazon Rainforest
Tim and I spent our second day hiking in the Amazon rainforest. Our day started with a 5 am wake up call and then a twenty minute boat ride upriver on the Madre de Dios River to the Tambopata Reserve on Lake Sandoval. We were told that the excursion would involve a one hour hike through the rainforest and a one hour canoe trip around the lake, and then a return trip back to the lodge.
Our one hour hike turned into a two and half hour slog along an extremely muddy trail through the rainforest. Occasionally, Wilson would make a detour off of the path and we would be hiking through trees and bush to spot a macaw or howler monkey. It was fun at first but I was always wondering if we would accidentally walk through the web of some crazy looking spider or have a close encounter with a poisonous snake.
Those two scenarios never happened but Tim was stung by a crazy looking bug. A very small bug with tiny legs stung Tim through his shirt on his right flank. Tim said it felt like five bees were stinging him at once and then for awhile afterwards he kept feeling electric shocks in the same area. After that sting I know Tim did not love the idea of hiking off of the trail for the rest of the morning.
While hiking to the lake we did get to see a howler monkey, capuchin monkeys, spider monkeys, a tarantula, leaf cutter ants, various birds, and many insects. The monkeys were awesome. They kept jumping from tree to tree above our heads and whistling to one another. Seeing the monkeys would be the highlight of the excursion.
It felt like a never-ending walk to Lake Sandoval but eventually we made it. Wilson paddled us around the lake for about an hour looking for more wildlife. It was nice being out on the lake and there was a breeze which was refreshing.
The hike back out to the river went much quicker. We did not take any more detours into the forest to spot more wildlife. We were all done at this point, even Wilson. By now it was 11:30 and we had been walking in the heat for five and a half hours with one bottle of water each. Eventually we finished slogging through the mud in our Wellington boots, took the twenty minute boat ride back to Inkaterra, and then took one of the best showers in our whole life.
Into the Tree Tops
After a wonderful lunch and a little chill time in our cabana we were back out with Wilson on another excursion. We spent part of the afternoon walking along the tree top canopy bridges. This was really cool because now we were walking up in the treetops and could look out over the rainforest. Even though Tim and I did not see any wildlife this was still our favorite excursion in the Amazon.
The Rainforest at Night
At 6:00 the sun sets and at 6:30 we met up with Wilson for the third time of the day. Now Tim and I were going to walk through the rainforest at night. With flashlights in hand we walked around the property of the Inkaterra spotting mostly insects. Wilson did show us a couple of tarantulas, one was in the palm tree right next to our cabana. But we never saw any snakes. It would have been the coolest thing ever to see an anaconda!
In Conclusion
Tomorrow we fly back home to the US (it would take us 36 hours…one boat ride and five flights to get from the Inkaterra in the Amazon to our house in Maryland).
Looking back on our three days in the Amazon, it was something Tim and I are both very glad we did. However, at the time, we were always hot, always slathering on the bug spray, and missing our kids. I am very glad to have had this experience, but there are many other places I want to go in the world before returning to the Amazon.
More Information for Your Trip to Peru
PERU ITINERARY: In this 10 Day Peru Itinerary, visit Cusco, walk the one day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, explore Ollantaytambo and the Urabamba River Valley, and journey into the Amazon. It’s a trip of a lifetime!
PLACES TO GO IN PERU: Explore the Sacred Valley near Cusco, go shopping in the Pisac Market, walk the one day Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, and spend the day exploring Machu Picchu.
ADVENTURE TRAVEL: Here are 50 adventures to turn your next trip into an epic travel experience.
TRAVEL BLOGGING: This website started with a trip around the world and has become one of the most popular travel sites on the internet. Learn more about what it is like to run this website in our article My Life as a Travel Blogger.
TRAVEL INSPIRATION: Here are 30 great travel books and a list of the best travel movies to feed your wanderlust.
Read all of our articles about Peru in our Peru Travel Guide.
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Comments 6
Hi! Thank you for your wonderful post and insights on what to expect in the Amazon! We will be visiting Peru in May 2024 and planning to stay in Inkaterra. May I ask are the boots for trekking provided by the hotels? Or do we have to bring our own? Thank you!
Author
The boots that you see in our photos were provided by the hotel. I wouldn’t think things have changed, but we did this 10 years ago, so it would be good to confirm that they still provide boots. It’s much better than bringing your own because it can be very muddy. Have a great trip to Peru! Cheers, Julie
Thank You
Do you still live in Maryland? I’m stationed at Ft. Meade! Going to Peru next month thanks to your itinerary. Just reading this article for the first time and am starting to think I may not want to go to the Amazon with all those bugs, stings, and tarantulas…Do you think Inkaterra is the only choice, or would you have been comfortable with a cheaper Amazon hotel?
Author
Hello Samantha. Yes, we still live in Maryland. The only experience we have in the Amazon is the Inkaterra and I’m very glad we stayed there. It is a very unique experience, being located outside of the smaller towns. At the time we did this trip (it was before the around the world trip) our travel experience was relatively limited and we really felt like we were in the middle of nowhere. At the time, it was tough. But looking back, it’s an experience I am so glad I had and even now, our trip to Peru is still one of my favorites of all time. You could look into cheaper hotels, but check the reviews for things like cleanliness, air conditioning (if that is even a possibility), and where to eat. Cheers, Julie
Thank you for sharing your fascinating experiences !! I have been to Thailand, several times and loved it !! I always wanted to go to Burma but never made it. But I want to offer a word of caution. Unless think have changed considerably, eating street food could give you food poisoning. I knew friends in Thailand, who gotten very sick from street food. I am sure the food is delicious, it’s great to support the local people, and many are probably safe. But I can be risky. Take charcoal with you, the right dose can clean your system in 2-3 days and get you back to normal. Happy travels 😊