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The Billinghurst Bridge
from Madre de Dios
by Visit Peru
Tambopata National Reserve 47 km to the south of the city of Puerto Maldonado (2 hr. in motor boat) or 18 km to the community of Infierno (by 4x4 vehicle) and a river ride (2 hr. in motor boat). Visits with authorization from SERNANP, telephone (51) 954-175-848 / (51) 968-218-649. Ticket entry. Located between the basins of the Tambopata, Madre de Dios and Heath rivers, this natural refuge is host to a huge number of species of birds (632), butterflies (1200), mammals (169), fish (205), amphibians (103) and reptiles (67). Its flora is typical of tropical regions.
Sandoval Lake 10 km to the east of the center of the city of Puerto Maldonado (25 min. by motor boat) and 3 km from the bank of the Madre de Dios River to the lake (45 min. on foot). Visits are undertaken with registered travel agencies. A large variety of fish, otters and lizards inhabit the warm waters of this lake. The countryside consists of the aguaje palm, orchids, heliconias and mahogany trees. In the surroundings you can watch birds such as cormorants, toucans, macaws, herons and even a colorful wild hen known as the shansho. There are also tapirs and turtles.
Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick 120 km south of the center of Puerto Maldonado (7 hr. by motor boat). Visits are undertaken with registered travel agencies. The erosion caused by the river flow has left soils rich in minerals and organic compounds on the surface. Every morning, from 5 am, flocks of birds come here to feed, an event that is observed from an island in the Tambopata River.
The Bahuaja – Sonene National Park 90 km south of the center of Puerto Maldonado along the Heath River (4-5 hr. by motor boat). Visits are undertaken with registered travel agencies. Ticket entry. Located between the departments of Puno and Madre de Dios, the park’s 1,091,416 hectares protect the country’s only tropical humid savanna. Some of the most fascinating species that inhabit it include the marsh deer, the giant anteater, the giant o er, the bush dog, the black caiman and the harpy eagle.
