The wooden canoe
A silent paddle.
Håkan Svensson (Xauxa) — CC BY 2.5 · Ozesama — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Carine06 from UK — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Carine06 from UK — CC BY-SA 2.0
A calm crescent lake in the Amazon rainforest, formed when the Madre de Dios River changed course and left an old bend cut off behind it, covering about 125 hectares. It is one of the easiest ways to see Amazon wildlife from Puerto Maldonado in a single day. The trip starts with a boat on the wide brown river, then a walk of about three kilometres on a boardwalk and muddy trail under towering trees, where you may spot monkeys and big blue butterflies. Then a guide paddles you silently across the lake in a wooden canoe, between shores lined with aguaje palms. The lake's best-known residents are giant otters, which live in families and fish noisily, black caimans whose eyes show above the water at dusk, colourful macaws and parrots, and the odd hoatzin bird with its spiky crest. Otters are not guaranteed, but early morning is the best time. The trip usually comes with a tour company or a lodge near the lake for the night. Bring rubber boots for the mud; it is hot and humid all year. Health authorities recommend a yellow fever vaccine for Peru's Amazon, so see your doctor before travelling, and bring strong insect repellent and long sleeves.
A silent paddle.
Families fishing.
Monkeys and butterflies.
Tambopata reserve, about 16 km from Puerto Maldonado; by boat on the Madre de Dios River, then a walk
Yes: it is about an hour from Puerto Maldonado by boat and on foot, back the same day. A night at a nearby lodge, though, lets you see wildlife at dawn and dusk.