Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado, for jungle adventures in Peru?
We'd like to stay in Peru for about 3 week this September. We're interested in visiting the Amazonian jungles, mostly for the wildlife, I care mostly about seeing monkeys, dolphins and other bigger animals, but seeing the mighty river itself also sound very appealing. From all I've read, Iquitos sounds like a much more interesting place on its own, but everyone says wildlife is better in the south. Now, my question here is: for the animals I've mentioned, is Puerto Maldonado a clear winner or can I still see it all around Iquitos as well? Also, is there a point in seeing both during a 3-week trip? I presume there isn't, but better to ask...
Best Answer
I have quite a bit South American experience though, in fairness, not too much Amazonian experience. That said, Puerto Maldonado is not at all on the tourist trail. Public transport to Puerto Maldonado is infrequent, the city has very few tour operators and the hotels do not cater to tourists.
I traveled through Puerto Maldonado last year, on my way to Brazil.
Iquitos is known for it being the center of the Peruvian Amazon. So, it seems to make sense to focus your attention there.
Also, you are aware that both cities are about 1000km apart, as the crow flies?
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Is Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado better?
Puerto Maldonado is the better option, as it is easily accessible by both bus and plane from Cusco. Is it your dream to swim with pink river dolphins? Iquitos is the better option since pink river dolphins cannot be found as far upstream as Puerto Maldonado.Is Puerto Maldonado worth visiting?
Most travelers visiting Puerto Maldonado are there for the things to do outside of the city, and often make a beeline for the Tambopata National Reserve, home to rare wildlife like spider monkeys, tapir and jaguar, and many lodges for varying budgets.Is Iquitos in the jungle?
Iquitos is also known as \u201cthe capital of the Peruvian Amazon\u201d, as it's located next to the Amazon river and in the middle of the jungle.Is Iquitos the largest jungle city?
Iquitos is an important port city of the Amazon and Peru's largest jungle town. It is located in the Amazon basin at the confluence of the Nanay and Itaya rivers, about 3,700 km upstream from the Atla...Adventures in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle, Libertad Jungle Lodge out of Iquitos, Peru
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Answer 2
Just to expand on a couple of the answers above, in logistical terms it's true that you have to fly to get to either Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado, but... it's worth noting that from Iquitos you can only really fly to Lima whereas you can fly between Puerto Maldonado and Cusco as well as Lima - this means that Puerto Maldonado fits in much better to a trip in the rest of Peru, assuming you also want to go and visit places like Machu Picchu.
Oh, and one more thing which may make the above irrelevant: if you want to see river dolphins it will have to be Iquitos: you don't get them in the southern Amazon basin!
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