Puerto Maldonado

Puerto Maldonado is an important starting point for visiting the southeastern jungles of the Tambopata Reserve, or for departing to Brazil or Bolivia. Most visitors do not see much of the place because they are whisked through town on their way to a lodge on the Río Madre de Dios or the Río Tambopata. The city dwellers haven't been too pleased about this, preferring tourists to spend some time in town, which is a major timber, gold mining, Brazil nut and tourism centre. Its expansion is bound to continue as a bridge, part of the Interoceánica highway, is being built across the Río Madre de Dios. When the road is complete, the town's isolation will diminish. It's a safe place, with

music blaring out from most street corners. There is a

tourist office at the airport.

The road from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado is being upgraded as part of the Interoceánica highway. There are regular bus services. As paving proceeds, journey times will lessen and the road's susceptibility to bad weather will decrease. The road passes through Ocongate and Marcapata before reaching

, 240 km from Urcos, a centre for alluvial gold-mining. Petrol is scarce here because most vehicles continue on 70 km to

, where it's cheaper. The changing scenery is magnificent. Take warm clothing for travelling through the sierra.

Puerto Maldonado overlooks the confluence of the rivers Tambopata and Madre de Dios. From the park at the end of Jirón Arequipa, across from the Capitanía, you get a good view of the two rivers, the ferries across the Madre de Dios (soon to be replaced by the new bridge) and the stacks of lumber at the dockside. The Brazil-nut harvest is from December to February and the crop tends to be good on alternate years. Nuts are sold on the street, plain or coated in sugar or chocolate.

The beautiful and tranquil

Upstream from Lago Sandoval, towards Puerto Maldonado, is the wreck of a steamer that resembles the

. It lies a few metres from the Madre de Dios in the bed of a small stream. The German director, Werner Herzog, was inspired to make his famous film,

, by the story of Fitzcarrald's attempt to haul a boat from the Ucuyali to the Madre de Dios drainage basins (in what is now the Manu National Park).

For those interested in seeing a gold-rush town, a trip to

is suggested. There is one hotel and several poor restaurants. At Km 13 on the Cuzco road is a pleasant recreational centre with a restaurant and natural pools where it's possible to swim. It gets busy at weekends. Trips can be made to

, 60 km away near the Bolivian border; four hours there, six hours back. It is an oxbow lake with lots of wildlife, and many excellent beaches and islands are located within an hour's boat ride. Mosquitoes are voracious. You can stay overnight with local families or at a refuge.