Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the Department of Madre de Dios - the least populated territory in Peru (with only 600,000 people living in its 80,000 sq km of jungle area). Overlooking the confluence of the rivers Tambopata and Madre de Dios, it is an important starting point for visiting the rainforest, or for departing to Bolivia.
There are three conservation areas in Madre de Dios of great importance:
Manu Biosphere Reserve - declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987
Tambopata - Candamo Reserve - with intact populations of several endangered species, such as the giant otter and the shrew eagle
Bahuaja-Sonene National Park - home to 450 different species of birds.
Those reserves cover 3'500,000 jungle hectares, the largest and richest blo-diversity of the world. They also keep unique flora and fauna species, impossible to find elsewhere, including 2,500 flower varieties, more than 1,000 birds (10% of the world's species,) 900 butterfly species and more than 20 kinds of monkeys.
Escorted Tours including Puerto Maldonado/ Tambopata:
