Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [394]
Peruvian border formalities can be carried out in Iñapari. Stores around the main plaza accept and change both Peruvian and Brazilian currency; if leaving Peru, it’s best to get rid of any nuevos soles here. Small denominations of US cash are negotiable, and hotels and buses often quote rates in US dollars. A block north of the plaza, Hostal Milagritos (082-57-4274; s/d US$8/13) has the best rooms. From Iñapari, you can cross over the new bridge to Assis Brasil, which has better hotels (starting from around US$10 per person).
US citizens need to get a Brazilian visa beforehand, either in the USA or Lima. It’s about 100km (four hours) by bus from here to Brasiléia, then another 244km (4½ hours) by paved road to the important Brazilian city of Rio Branco.
For detailed coverage beyond this point, pick up Lonely Planet’s Brazil, or get The Amazon Travel Guide from the Lonely Planet online shop (http://shop.lonelyplanet.com).
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Shopping
Proximity to local tribes means many of the lodges around town, such as Posadas Amazonas on the Rio Tambopata, are far better for purchasing local handicrafts than in the town itself.
Getting There & Away
Most travelers fly here from Lima or Cuzco. The long road or river trips are only for travelers prepared to put up with discomfort and delay. A new highway is slowly being established to link western Brazil with the Andes; when complete, road travel from Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado will be a viable option.
AIR
The airport is 7km out of town. Scheduled flights leave every day to and from Lima via Cuzco with LAN Peru (57-3677; www.lan.com; Velarde 503) and Star Perú (01-705-9000; www.starperu.com; airport). Schedules and airlines can change from one year to the next, but numerous travel agents in the town center have the latest details.
Light aircraft to any destination can be chartered as long as you pay for five seats and the return trip. Ask at the airport.
BOAT
Hire boats at the Río Madre de Dios ferry dock for local excursions or to take you downriver to the Bolivian border. It’s difficult to find boats going up the Madre de Dios (against the current) to Manu; Cuzco is a better departure point for Manu. Occasionally, people reach Puerto Maldonado by boat from Manu (with the current) or from the Bolivian border (against the current). If you’re set on the former option, Amazon Trails Peru of Cuzco (Click here) can arrange boat/bus options with a Manu package. Transportation is infrequent: be prepared for waits of several days.
At the Tambopata dock, 2km south of town and reached by mototaxis, there are public boats up the Tambopata as far as the community of Baltimore. The Tiburón leaves twice a week (currently Monday and Thursday) and can drop you off at lodges between Puerto Maldonado and Baltimore. The fare is S20 or less, depending how far you go. All passengers must stop at La Torre Puesto de Control (checkpoint), where passports and Sernanp permits (S30) are needed. (For details on Sernanp permits, Click here).
When transporting visitors upriver, some Río Tambopata lodges avoid two hours of river travel by taking the bumpy track to Infierno (about one hour), and continuing by boat from there. Travel to Infierno needs to be arranged in advance: there is nowhere to stay there and no boats await passengers.
BUS & TAXI
Laberinto-bound trucks, minibuses and colectivos (shared taxis) leave Puerto Maldonado for Laberinto (1½ hours), passing the turnoff to Baltimore at Km 37 on the Cuzco road. They leave frequently during the morning and less often in the afternoon from the corner of Ica and Rivero. Colectivos to Iñapari (S40, three hours), near the borders with Brazil and Bolivia, leave from Nuevo Peru (57-4235; cnr Piura & Ica) when they have four passengers. Other companies on the same block also advertise this trip.
The 500km road to Cuzco has improved rapidly in the last few years, and long sections were already paved when this book was researched. That said, it was dubbed Peru’s