Puerto Maldonado is a city surrounded by pristine jungles and because of that, it is often referred to as the world capital of flora and fauna. Founded in the epoch of "rubber fever", now it attracts eco-tourism enthusiasts from all over the world to Peru. After all, Puerto Maldonado is, in fact, the gateway to the amazing world of Tambopata National Park, which boasts its diversity of the species of animals, and birds that live here, as well as unique vegetation. Not far from the city is the famous Manu Park, whose territory is listed by UNESCO as the Natural Heritage of Mankind. In addition to exotic animals, it is a home for Indians tribes, who lead a completely primitive way of life. This truly does add a spicy twist to a tour to Puerto Maldonado! Today, the city's economy is based primarily on ecotourism, as well as the construction of boats for travelers around the Amazon. However, the earlier settlement flourished due to the use of its natural wealth. Here are actively developed deposits of gold, oil, and also there was a massive deforestation. There were several wood processing enterprises in the city. Puerto Maldonado did not pass the “rubber boom” period, when hundreds of adventurers profited from the extraction and export of this “black gold”. At the same time, the city and the adjacent province still remain one of the most backward districts of Peru. Most likely, this situation is associated with a high density of local forests and the isolation of these territories from the rest of the country.
The history of this fascinating city of Peru began in 1902. In the past, the economy of Puerto Maldonado was also based on logging, gold mining, and Brazil nuts harvesting. After the formation of the Manu National Park and Tambopata Nature Reserve, the city turned into a major center of ecotourism and people from all around the world started coming to Peru to see the rich flora and fauna for themselves during Puerto Maldonado tours. The national nature reserve of Tambopata is located in the valleys of the rivers Tambopata and Heath, 45 km south of Puerto Maldonado. This reserve is a real treasure trove of various species of flora and fauna: more than 632 species of birds, 1200 species of butterflies, 103 amphibians, 169 mammal species, 205 fish species, 67 species of reptiles, and 161 species of trees have been registered here. This will truly guaranty you great nature pics back from trip to Peru.
Of course, tourists who have decided to spend their holidays in the resort of Puerto Maldonado do not come here in search of noisy nightlife or sunny beaches, since there are none of them here anyway. Inspect the cultural sights and monuments of antiquity is also not necessary. The main reason for visiting Puerto Maldonado is the purest and untouched wildlife. The surroundings of the city and the entire adjacent region are literally overflowing with national parks, the main attractions of which are considered the cleanest ponds and lakes, exotic flora and fauna. Things to do in Puerto Maldonado include visiting the Manu National Park, one of the largest protected areas on the planet and a treasure of Peru. More than 800 species of birds are recorded here, among them a wild eagle, Brazilian stork, forest geese. The park is inhabited with jaguars, black monkeys, river pink dolphins, black caimans, lynx, and numerous species of bats. These diversity makes trip to Puerto Maldonado so worth it. The climate is hot and humid, although in the Puerto Maldonado from June to September there are cold Andean fronts and the air temperature drops to +8 degrees. During the year the temperature fluctuates around +24 - 26 degrees which make for a great weather for exploring the city during a trip to Puerto Maldonado.
Experienced tourists say that the best time for the tour to Puerto Maldonado is from May to October. However, a taitalindo tour to Puerto Maldonado with an experienced guide who truly loves what he does is exciting during any season. Seeing all the beautiful flora and fauna will not guaranty you the full experience of the tour to Puerto Maldonado. You need to try some authentic Peruvian food to truly appreciate this magical place. In the restaurants of Puerto Maldonado, there is excellent food both local cuisine of Peru and Europe, including delicacies of French cooking. If you are a nature lover and a foodie, a tailindo tour to Puerto Maldonado is something you will definitely like! Typical dishes of the region are: Juane - rice porridge with meat pieces, boiled in bihao leaves; Inchicapi - chicken soup with nuts, kultantro and yucca; Timbuche - fish soup with green bananas and kultantro; Asado de venado - fried venison with rice and green banana; Tacacho con cecina - fried banana with pieces of dried meat; Asado de picuro - tender meat of the Amazonian rodent picuro, roasted over charcoal; Caldo de carachama - soup of karachama fish with bananas and kultantro.