Places to Visit in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, America

Places to Visit in Puerto Maldonado, Peru, America

Puerto Maldonado is the capital city of the Madre de Dios Region falling under the Tambopata Province in Peru, located around 1500 km southeast of Lima, the capital of Peru. Puerto Maldonado is surrounded by Tambopata National Reserve, Bahuaja-Sonene National Park and Manú National Park with numerous clay licks and oxbow lakes.

Geography of Puerto Maldonado:

Puerto Maldonado is placed at the confluence of the rivers of Tambopata and Madre de Dios River between 12°36′ S latitude and 69°11′ W longitude at an altitude of 183 meters.

The climate always remains hot and humid in Puerto Maldonado while August and September are the hottest months in Puerto Maldonado.

History of Puerto Maldonado:

Don Juan Villalta was the founder of Puerto Maldonado, who founded it as a station on July 10, 1902 and named in the honor of the explorer, Faustino Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado was opted as a capital of the Madre de Dios region on Dec 26, 1912 and was officially recognized as a city in 1985.

How to reach Puerto Maldonado?

Puerto Maldonado is positioned around 55 km west of the border of Bolivia. It takes around 10 hours to reach Puerto Maldonado from Cusco in Cuzco, costing S/35-50 and about 36 hours from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, charging S/130.

Padre Aldamiz International Airport is situated around 13 km away from the centre of Puerto Maldonado city with connections to Cusco and Lima, catered by Star Perú, LAN Perú and Avianca. Taxis are available at the airport.

Food and Shopping in Puerto Maldonado:

Puerto Maldonado is home to many internet cafes, most of which are sited near Plaza de Armas, charging 2 soles for an hour. Tourists can buy special music CD’s and other typical electronic items at local shops.

List of the major restaurants in Puerto Maldonado include:

Gustitos del Cura
Burgos’s Restaurante
La Casa Nostra
Cafe Snack Cashapona

What to do in Puerto Maldonado?

Tambopata Tours
Amazon River boating
Yakari Canopy Adventure
Jungle hikes

Places to see in Puerto Maldonado:

Plaza de Armas:

Plaza de Armas is the central square of Puerto Maldonado with nicely construed clock tower and typical trees and plants. It is also a nice relaxing point ideal for photography.

El Jaguar Zoo & Disco:

There is a zoo that is few kilometers away from the downtown Puerto Maldonado home for many attractive native animals and birds including brown capuchin monkeys and the zoo will be changing as a club at night. Great to dance.

The Obelisk:

The Obelisk is an 8 storey tower offering entire view of the city, surrounding jungle and the confluence of the rivers of Tambopata and Madre de Dios. There are sculptures outside the obelisk great to learn about local forest.

List of other places of interest in Puerto Maldonado include:

Rescue Snake House
Lumber yard
Local Market
Madre de Dios River
Tambopata River
Tambopata National Reserve
Bahuaja-Sonene National Park
Manú National Park
Lago Sandoval
Inkaterra Ecological Reserve
Butterfly Farm
Serpentario Tropifauna Madre de Dios

Ideal time to visit Puerto Maldonado:

Compared to other months, beginning of June to the end of July will be ideal to travel Puerto Maldonado.

Accommodation options in Puerto Maldonado:

In Puerto Maldonado, jungle lodges are widely used to stay because they offer special jungle tour and other adventure and recreational activities. The major hotels and lodges in Puerto Maldonado are: