Remember the Howler monkeys guffawing as they throw ripe fruit at Captain Haddock in Tintin and the Picaros , or that army of ants marching home with merchandise as seen in cartoons?
It actually happens in real life, and experiences like these that seem to be in the realm of fantasy (like swimming with piranhas) can really be experienced in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest.
Think Peru, and Machu Picchu comes to mind. Yet, just a 50-minute flight away from Cusco, the base from where Machu Picchu is explored, is Puerto Maldonado, Peru’s gateway to the Amazon Rainforest.
Cusco sits high in the Andes at 11,151 feet and Puerto Maldonado is behind the Andes at 600 feet, so arriving there feels like stepping from a freezer into a sauna.
The Amazon Rainforest experience is usually an all-inclusive one at lodges that have been built on the banks of the Rio Madre De Dios.
One such is the Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, an eco luxury lodge.
A 20-minute drive from the airport brings visitors to the rudimentary jetty, from where it is a 40-minute-long boat ride to the resort. Cell phone network disappears in about 10 minutes, as do the last views of urbanity that’s replaced with dense forests on both banks.
The resort features 35 wooden cabanas, some with a private plunge pools and open-air showers, set within the rainforest and inspired by the Ese’Eja culture, one of the many indigenous cultures that exist in the Amazon region.
Five hundred and forty bird species have been inventoried around the property. Sometimes a snake might slink past, and the sight of spiders, even tarantulas, is not uncommon. But the most common sight is the Capybaras — the world’s largest rodent — scurrying about.
Since everything is self-contained and the river is the only way in and out, the interpretative centre on the property, with its knowledgeable in-house guides, sets up a detailed programme for guests after they have arrived and settled in.
There are a number of activities that range from quarter day, half day to full day, and they are categorised into difficulty levels 1 to 3.
The guides help guests plan a schedule for their stay, taking into consideration factors like if there are kids in tow, energy levels and interests, so that visitors can get the most from their Amazon Rainforest experience.
Here are some of the interesting activities:
