Puerto Maldonado

The canoe pushes through the mist, as if to tear it apart and cuta path for the hesitant rays of light unable to find an opening in the thick, hazy, almost impenetrable cloak. The haze seems to shroud everything in a dawn of diffused lines and shades, in which gnarled trunks and mud paths are sensed rather than seen.

But a insistent breeze little by little blows the fog of the languid dawn away. The shadows disappear. No longer is anything sensed. The forest is made visible, a grand, extraordinary green labyrinth… and an ocelot, wise, intrepid, silent, slips away from those adventurous men that travel the Madre de Dios river, a paradise of biodiversity in the southeast of Peru.

This is an exuberant and vigorous land that has not yet been punished by the destructive claws of civilization. The jungle is ferocious and intricate, hot and oppressive, but rich in life. In this area of the Amazon - mythologized by the Spanish conquerors as El Dorado - the greatest variety of animal and plant species on the planet coexist in perfect harmony.

There are three conservation areas in Madre de Dios of great importance: the Manu Biosphere Reserve, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987, the Tambopata - Candamo Reserve, with intact populations of several endangered species, such as the giant river otter and the Harpy eagle, and the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, home to some 450 different species of birds.

Madre de Dios can only be described as a miracle of nature: A world of gigantic trees, powerful rivers and thick fog, in which man is an outsider, a strange being disturbed by the whispers of the inhabitants of the jungle as he walks its tortuous trails. Here silence never reigns. Here anything could happen.

The Tambopata Reserved Zone, a bustling, booming tropical frontier town known as the most biologically diverse environment on earth, is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and ecotourism.

Research over the last two decades has shown that this area has the greatest diversity of wildlife discovered in the world so far. It has more species of birds in the world (595 spp.), birdwatchers have counted up to 100 different species in a day; butterflies (over 1200 spp.) and many other animal groups that any other location of its size on earth. This exceptional diversity is due to its privileged location at the meeting point of lowland Amazon forest with three other ecosystems: Andean foothills, Dry forests and Pampas Savannah. At least seven major forest types can be distinguished at the Tampobata-Candamo Reserved Zone.

Because of its unique features, this area was set aside in 1977 as a Reserved Zone by the Peruvian Government prohibiting any hunting and timber cutting. In 1990 the 1,478,943 hectare Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone was created which encompasses the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park created in 1996.

This programme is our recommended introduction to the Rainforest based in Posada Amazonas - but still an introduction. You will have time to visit a canopy tower, a parrot clay lick at prime time, an oxbow lake and an ethno botanical centre; additionally, you will hike a rain forest trail with a member of the Infierno Community.

We cannot understand and appreciate the intricate and endangered wonders on our planet without looking at the Amazon Rainforest. It produces 20% of the earth's oxygen and 10% of the earth's fresh water flows from its rivers into the ocean. The Amazon has over 25,000 plant species, 4,300 bird types, and about 20,000 animal species. In less than one hour from Cusco, you are within Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone. This extensive zone, part of which is located in the Department of Madre de Dios, is considered one of the best preserved areas of Amazonia in South America.

The exceptional diversity found within small areas of this reserved zone is due to its unique location between the High Andean slopes and the low outlying forest and grassland. In this short visit to the "Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone" a diverse, profound, and colourful experience is assured. This program is the ideal rain forest tour for nature enthusiasts. You will see the world's largest clay lick, visit the canopy tower and oxbow lake at Posada Amazonas, hike to a Macaw nesting colony at Tambopata Research Centre, and explore its trail system at leisure with expert naturalist guides.