Peru jungle vacation: how to prepare
23 December 2022 (294 visits)With amazing wildlife and flora, the Peruvian Amazon offers exciting ecofriendly adventures for those who visit Peru. The lush Amazon rainforest is vast, so you’ll need to know what areas to explore, the best time to visit, some essential travel tips, and how to get there.
While the Amazon forest makes up 60% of Peru’s land area, only 5% of its population lives there. This is an enormous area, but it can be easily accessed. One of the best ways to visit the Amazon for travelers without unlimited time or resources, is to fly there from Lima or Cusco. There are regular flights from those two cities to the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado.
And at Puerto Maldonado airport, our Tambopata Ecolodge team meets our guests from their flight, for the incredible boat ride deep into the rainforest to our eco-lodge. Puerto Maldonado is a small town in southeast Peru, where the Madre de Dios River meets the Tambopata River, and where the protected fauna-rich Tambopata National Reserve is located.
The Amazon is a year-round destination. It has a warm, tropical climate and humidity is high. Because the Amazon is a tropical rainforest, travelers should be prepared for a certain amount of rainfall at any time of year.
Traveling in the dry season means that most hiking trails are easily accessible and it is easy to walk deep into the jungle, in the company of an experienced guide. But visiting during the rainy season also has its advantages, with many species of monkeys and birds particularly active, because the trees produce fruit at that time of year. And traveling by boat offers the chance to get closer to some wildlife, particularly those animals with the habit of venturing down to riverside beaches.
Working out what to bring on your Amazon jungle trip can be confusing. With Tambopata Ecolodge, all you need to do is contact us, and we’ll answer all your questions and help you prepare for your trip. The things you’ll need include insect repellent, a waterproof daypack, sunscreen, and clothing suitable for the high temperatures of the tropical forest, but which is also quick-drying.
When visiting the Amazon jungle, you’ll also need rubber boots, and at our eco-lodge we supply those for our guests, in a range of sizes. In addition to your own hiking boots, you should also bring along sandals to wear around the lodge facilities.
You’ll also want to charge your devices during your stay. At our eco-lodge, there is electricity at certain times of day, and you’ll be able to charge your phone and camera. In addition to a camera, you might also like to consider taking along a pair of binoculars for wildlife spotting and birdwatching.
Vaccinations such as yellow fever are not officially required, but they are recommended for travel anywhere in the tropics, so it’s best to schedule an appointment with your doctor or local clinic before you travel. And of course, you should also be prepared with a good supply of insect repellent and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when you are in the forest.
