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If you’re looking for an epic Amazon adventure from Puerto Maldonado, Peru, you’ve come to the right place!
While we were traveling all over South America, we had a hard time deciding where to visit the Amazon. Some places were too expensive, some were too remote, and some were too mainstream and overcrowded with tourists. So when we came across Puerto Maldonado we were excited. Not only was it right beside the Amazon, but it was affordable, authentic, and easily accessible from Cusco!
When visiting, it’s important to choose a reputable tour that will give you the full Amazonian experience from wildlife watching to pirana fishing. That’s why we created this blog to help guide you through the best tours available so you can choose the option that best fits your time and budget!
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Tour
If you don’t have time to read the full article, we’ve got you covered! This 4-day Amazon tour from Puerto Maldonado is the absolute best tour available. You’ll get an all-inclusive, immersive experience deep in the Amazon jungle at an eco-lodge surrounded by unique and diverse wildlife.
You get a wealth of experiences included such as various nature walks, river boat rides, a visit to the monkey canopy, ziplining, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience to visit the Macaw Clay Lick to see hundreds of Macaws gather and feed!
All of this, plus your transportation, accommodation, expert guides, and meals costs only $449 USD – which we think is a fantastic deal for the amazing Amazon adventure you get!
Check availability for our favorite Amazon Tour from Puerto Maldonado here!
The BEST Amazon Tours from Puerto Maldonado
1. 1-Day Amazon Tour from Puerto Maldonado (Day Trip)
If you are really short on time you can go on this full-day tour to the Amazon Jungle from Puerto Maldonado. I recommend spending a couple of nights at an eco-lodge if you can, but if that’s not in your budget or itinerary, then this day trip is a great option!
The day starts bright and early with a 2:30 am pick-up from your hotel in Puerto Maldonado. You will drive for about 2.5 hours then take a boat ride on the Tambopata River to the Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick. This is the largest clay lick on earth and it is where hundreds of brightly colored macaws, parrots, and parakeets gather every day to enjoy a nice snack on the cliffside. The cliff soil is full of nutrients that attract the birds, and watching them is such an amazing spectacle!
Make sure to keep your eyes peeled as there is lots of other wildlife in this area, including Jaguars! But don’t worry – you’ll be safe in the boat!
This full-day tour lasts around 11 hours and you will return to Puerto Maldonado, where the guides will drop you off at your hotel or airport if required. It is the only one-day tour in the area and is perfect if you’re short on time. It costs $221 USD and runs daily throughout the year.
Book your 1-Day Amazon adventure here and receive FREE 24-hour cancelation!
2. 2-Days, 1-Night Amazon Tour from Puerto Maldonado
With only 1 night you can still visit the Amazon jungle in Peru for a truly epic experience! On this 2-day tour, you will spend the night in an eco-lodge in the Amazon and have many opportunities to view wildlife.
We prefer this option over the day trip because it provides more time to see wildlife, plus lots of animals are nocturnal and don’t come out until nighttime. You will get to visit the Macaw Clay Lick and Lake Sandoval for a guided jungle walk and a canoe ride in search of giant otters, monkeys, and osprey (just to name a few!).
Most tours that are only 2 days and 1 night skip the Macaw Clay Lick altogether (since it’s a fair distance away), but not this tour, which is what makes it so special – believe me, you don’t want to miss the Clay Lick, it was the highlight of our trip!
The cost is $281 USD which is just $60 USD more than the full-day tour so if you can spare the extra time I definitely recommend doing this tour instead. It includes everything such as meals, water, coffee/tea, transportation, and activities. You will only need to pay for any alcoholic drinks or soda pop!
Secure your spot on this 2-day Amazon Jungle tour here!
3. 3-Days, 2-Nights Amazon Tour from Puerto Maldonado
This 3-day tour is the most popular trip to the Amazon from Puerto Maldonado and exactly the tour that we did when we visited! The great thing about the 3-day trip is that you have time to go deep into the Tambopata Reserve and explore some of the more isolated areas.
Our trip began early in the morning as we drove for about 1.5 hours then boarded a boat deep into the jungle to our eco-lodge. The lodge relied heavily on sourcing their own food from their gardens and ran off solar power. There were no sounds in the air except for nature and we even saw monkeys swinging in the trees outside of our room!
The next morning we visited the Macaw Clay Lick and were lucky to see several Macaws. Afterward, we went animal spotting down the river where we saw a large caiman and the world’s largest rodent, the Capybara! That evening concluded with a night-time jungle walk to check out all of the Amazon’s nocturnal critters.
We had so much fun on this Amazon adventure, and so have many others (check out the 5-star reviews here). It costs $513 USD per person which includes all meals, your guide, transportation, and accommodation.
Book this all-inclusive 3-day Amazon tour here!
Related Read: Planning to do some hiking in Peru? Check out our blog that’s a complete guide to trekking/hiking in Peru!
4. 4-Days, 3-Night Amazon Tour from Puerto Maldonado
The more time you have to spend in the Amazon jungle the better! This 4-day tour brings you deep into the Amazon to relax at an eco-lodge, see the Macaws, try pirana fishing, and go on various nature walks and hikes!
This tour is packed full of amazing experiences perfect for any animal and nature lover. Not only are there a ton of nature walks and boat rides, but you get to visit a canopy 40 meters (131 ft) high to see various types of monkeys. And that’s not all, you’ll get to go ziplining and explore Sandoval Lake which is home to caimans, sloths, and giant otters!
We love that this tour has a maximum of 8 people, making the experience very personalized. You will be well taken care of and will learn so much about the area from the knowledgeable local guides. Make sure there’s lots of room on your memory card for this tour because there are endless opportunities to see unique wildlife and flora and fauna that you won’t see anywhere else!
It only costs $449 USD per person, which includes absolutely everything except additional drinks bought at the lodge bar – which is an amazing deal. Especially when you consider that the 4-day tour is cheaper than the 3-day, so you’re basically getting your 4th day free! If we ever go back to the Amazon, this is definitely the tour that we would do, just look at all of these glowing 5-star reviews!
Reserve your spot on this 4-day Amazon tour here and enjoy FREE 24-hour cancellation!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
About Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Puerto Maldonado is a small city located in Peru. It is right next to the country’s border with both Bolivia and Brazil and also very close to the Amazon Jungle making it a great place to visit with easy access to the Amazon!
The Interoceanic Highway connects Puerto Maldonado with Cusco. You can get to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco by taking a scenic 8-hour bus along the Interoceanic Highway. You can also take a domestic flight into Puerto Maldonado from Cusco or Lima.
Tours from Puerto Maldonado to eco-lodges in the remote Amazon are popular. However, there is more to Puerto Maldonado than this. It’s a culturally rich city home to approximately 85,000 people. You’ll find a colorful central square here and plenty of nice restaurants, shops, and hotels.
Puerto Maldonado borders the huge Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers. In fact, the city is near where these two rivers meet! Nearby is also Manu National Park, one of the most biodiverse places in Peru, and Tambopata National Reserve. All of these protected areas mean that Puerto Maldonado is the perfect base for wildlife lovers – and we couldn’t agree more!
Related Read: No trip to Peru is complete without visiting Lima! There is so much to do in Lima, Peru with its beautiful coast, vibrant streets, and amazing food scene.
Should I book my Amazon tour in advance?
Yes, it’s a good idea!
Although there are some last-minute trips you can book while in Puerto Maldonado, you don’t always know what you’re going to get. We think if you are heading all the way there, you should research and reserve in advance. This way you can look at the itineraries and reviews and know that you are making a good choice worth your time and money.
Most of the tours that we mentioned above include a free 24-hour cancellation policy. This means that you can reserve your spot on the tour and if your travel plans happen to change you can always cancel up to 24 hours before the tour start time to get a full refund. This is why we always book with Viator, the flexibility and security of booking with such a well-known international organization is absolutely worth it! Plus, with their lowest price guarantee, you know that you are always getting the best deal available!
Learn more about our favorite Amazon tour from Puerto Maldonado here!
Is an Amazon tour from Puerto Maldonado worth it?
100% yes!
Overall, we had a great time! It was nice to experience the remote Amazon jungle in an authentic way at the eco-lodge. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see a variety of wildlife in its natural environment and something we will never forget!
While these tours are a bit more expensive than other activities in Peru, we think that it’s well worth it! If you are already planning a trip to Cusco, then definitely consider extending it for a few days to visit Puerto Maldonado and the Amazon!
Learn more about our favorite Amazon tour from Puerto Maldonado here!
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind. You can read our honest review of SafetyWing for all the pros and cons.
Thanks for reading!
If you’re thinking of visiting Puerto Maldonado and the Amazon jungle, we say go for it! We hope this guide helped you to find a tour that best suits your needs and travel itinerary. If you have any more questions about these tours, make sure to ask us in the comments!
If you are planning a trip to Peru be sure to check out all of our Peru travel blogs! Here are a few of the articles you might like: