Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [391]
Courses
Tambopata Hostel (57-4201; www.tambopatahostel.com; Av 26 de Diciembre 234) can arrange fun salsa classes, basic Spanish lessons and Peruvian cookery classes for very reasonable prices.
Tours & Guides
Most visitors arrive with prearranged tours and stay at a jungle lodge – which is convenient but by no means the only possibility. You can arrange a tour upon arrival, either by going to the lodge offices, where you might get a small discount on a tour that would cost more in Lima or Cuzco, or by looking for a guide.
Choosing a guide is a lottery: they’ll offer you tours for less, but stories of bad independent guides are not uncommon. Beware of guides at the airport, who often take you to a ‘recommended’ hotel (and collect a commission) and then hound you throughout your stay. There are crooked operators out there, too: shop around, don’t prepay for any tour and, if paying an advance deposit, insist on a signed receipt. If you agree to a boat driver’s price, make sure it includes the return trip.
There are about 30 guides with official licenses granted by the local Ministerio de Industria y Turismo. Many of the best ones work full time for one of the local jungle lodges. Having a licensed guide gives you some recourse in the unlikely event of a disastrous trip. Note that tours require boat rides to leave from Puerto Maldonado: boats use a lot of gas and are notoriously expensive to run. Guides charge from S75 to S150 per person per day, depending on the destination and number of people. Ask if quoted prices include park fees. Going with more people reduces the cost; in fact, some guides will only take tours with a three-person minimum.
The following are recommended:
Hernán Llavé Cortéz (57-3306, 982-61-0065) Speaks some English. If he’s not on a tour, you’ll find him in the baggage reception area of the airport, waiting for incoming flights.
Gerson Medina Valera (57-4201; gerson_bw@hotmail.com) Formerly a guide for Rainforest Expeditions, Gerson has lots of experience in bird-watching tours and speaks fluent English. His one- to three-day Lago Sandoval tours (around S150 per person per day) are inclusive of all costs. You can also contact him at Tambopata Hostel (Click here).
Victor Yohamona Dumay (982-68-6279; victorguideperu@hotmail.com) A well-known, experienced guide, also reachable through Hostal Cabaña Quinta (Click here).
Sleeping
Options have markedly improved in the last few years. Besides the plethora of basic budget places, you can now choose from pleasant backpacker accommodation or comfortable lodges and hotels. Note that not all lodges have reservations offices in Puerto Maldonado; some only have offices in Cuzco, Lima or the USA.
BUDGET
Hospedaje Rey Port (57-1177; Velarde 457; s/d without bathroom 10/20, s/d S30/50) Rooms are mostly clean and have fans, but aren’t remarkable. Bargain hunters: ground-floor courtyard rooms with shared bathrooms may be cheapest, but the top floor has large rooms with private bathrooms for S15 per person. They’re grubbier but have good views (the hotel’s best feature).
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WACKY AMAZON
You may know about off-the-beaten-track, but how about off-the-wall? Try one of these less-conventional Amazon experiences.
Ditch the big names in the Tambopata lodge scene and stay with the locals at Baltimore (Click here), where you can help out with community tasks and shower in waterfalls.
Buy fresh coffee straight from the plantation at Chanchamayo Highland Coffee (Click here) in La Merced.
Experience an unexpected smattering of German culture and customs in Oxapampa (Click here).
Watch out for piranhas at the Amazon’s only golf club (Click here), in Iquitos.
Swim off the creeks and beaches