How to get from Cusco to the Amazon for the best jungle tour
28 January 2026 (297 visits)For most people who plan to travel to Peru, Cusco is synonymous with the Incas and the Andes mountains. As part of their Peru vacation, just about everyone who plans to visit Peru has in mind the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, rather than an Amazon jungle tour package. But, in fact, Cusco is actually the best place in Peru to start a jungle tour. The most accessible part of the Amazon in the whole of South America is reached from Cusco, via regular flights or even a bus service.
Puerto Maldonado, a jungle town in southeastern Peru, is the best gateway to the Amazon for travelers hoping to spend part of their Peru vacation in the rainforest. Puerto Maldonado can be reached by plane from Cusco in less than one hour, and it can also be reached by air via regular flights from Lima, the Peruvian capital. And for those who prefer to travel on a budget in Peru, Puerto Maldonado can also be reached by road from Cusco via night buses. In this way, budget travelers can save money on a flight, and at the same time save a night’s hotel, by sleeping on the bus!
In Puerto Maldonado, we meet all our guests from their flight or at the bus terminal. After some time spent at our office in town, where our guests are invited to store the luggage they won’t need during their stay at our eco-lodge, the adventure really begins. To get to our jungle lodge on the banks of the Tambopata River, first we drive to the river port, where we board one of our boats for a fascinating and relaxing introduction to the Amazon rainforest.
Our Tambopata Ecolodge is situated on the edge of Tambopata National Reserve, one of the most important and biologically diverse places for Amazon wildlife spotting and scientific study anywhere in South America. In the National Reserve, and in our own Private Conservation Area, we offer ecotourism experiences guided by local experts whose knowledge of the rainforest is unsurpassed.
So, if you have just 3 or 4 days to spend in the Amazon jungle as part of your Peru vacation, and you want to see and experience as much as possible in that time, visit us at our jungle lodge and we’ll introduce you to the countless wonders of the Amazon basin!
