Iquitos Travel Forum

For our trip in June we'll be going to the Amazon... which is better for wildlife and overall experience? Iquitos or P. Maldonado? Just curious on peoples thoughts thanks!

i think puerto Maldonado, MAnu NR, State of Madre de Dios

Hi Shawn,

Peru offers a number of amazon destinations for wildlife and flora, the most popular being Manu (just over the mountains from Cusco), Tambopata (the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado in SE Peru), and Iquitos, in northeast Peru on the Amazon river.

These places all have a great variety of wildlife, in general monkeys, birds, river snakes, butterflies. Specific wildlife can be found at particular destinations, as not all destinations in the rainforest have the same animals and plants.

Lodges in Puerto Maldonado that are really good: Sandoval Lake Lodge, and Heath Wildlife Center. Places around Iquitos are: Yarapa (part of the Cornell University Research Station), and Tahuayo Lodge (in the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve). Manu has the Manu Wildlife Center, consider by many as the prime destination in the amazon for wildlife.

Tampobata, a great place to see giant otters and macaws. With 5-8 days you can get to more remote areas. A great place is the Heath River area (river that is the border of Peru-Bolivia).

For Iquitos it is best to have at least 5 days, as the better wildlife areas are about 6+hours by boat each way from Iquitos (places like Tahuayo and Yarapa). New trips are now possible to the Pacaya Sameria Reserve, the largest protected reserve in Peru (even camping trips combined with a budget lodge).

Manu, Iquitos and Tambopata have a great variety of wildlife, birds and a good number of monkeys. Tambopata is known for giant otters and macaw clay licks (like one at the Heath River). Iquitos is famous for pink dolphins and the rare Uakari monkey (red-faced monkey). Manu for tapirs, otters, macaws, and nearly a score of monkey species.

To help with your research, check out www.naturelodges.com
And www.peruperu.com

Some of my travel stories to the amazon are at www.expphoto.com/home.html

Have a great trip!
Davarian

Don't expect too much wildlife, the Amazon is not the African bushes. Wildlife is more in the details (unfortunately the wildest may be the moskitos). Maldonado is not as destroyed as Iquitos. You will need to go at least 100km away from Iquitos to experience primary rain forest.
Gkrauss

Puerto Maldonado is significantly better for viewing wildlife. Having said that, the wiuldlife differs between the two areas a bit. Macaws and parrots are more easily seen in Pto Maldonado, and the pink dolphins are seen in the Iquitos area, but not in Madres De Dios.

I have visited both, and prefer Madre De Dios for wildlife. I particularly recommend the Tambopata Research Center. Great clay lick.