Jungle Tours

Apus Peru offers you the opportunity to maximise your time on the South American continent with our Trek or tour extensions in the amazing Amazon jungle. We work with operators that reflect our own values – seeking to give back to the communities where they work and practicing responsible and sustainable tourism.

Please contact us for innovative ideas and itineraries that will help you to get the best out of your holiday and will be custom designed to your needs. Our reservations staff have travelled extensively in the Amazon regions and will be delighted to discuss your travel needs. 

The Amazing Amazon
Peru has the source of the Amazon River and approximately a third of the country is taken up by the Amazon Basin.  The Amazon rain forest is the largest tropical forest on Earth, covering about 2.7 million square miles (seven million square kilometers) or 90% the size of the 48 lower states of the U.S. Though the Peruvian Amazon is only 10% of this total, it represents the wildest, most wildlife-packed rain forest in the world. 

Which area of the jungle that you visit depends on your budget, interests and amount of time available.  Each area of the jungle offers different advantages and disadvantages. The best way to work out which area is right for you is to talk one of our well travelled reservations staff.

Manu
Manu National Park is the most biologically diverse region of the Amazon for terrestrial life. It provides unforgettable opportunities for a nature and birding experience.  Manu consists of the area surrounding the Manu Biosphere Reserve and extends eastward through the Manu Lowlands (Peru). The list of flora and fauna includes 1,000 species of birds, more than 200 species of mammals, 13 species of monkey, a great variety of butterflies and 15,000 species of flowering plants.   This natural paradise is officially recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site. In 1977 they designated Manu as a World Biosphere Reserve because it contains the best existing example of bio-diversity in protected areas of rain forest, as well as endemic areas of cloud forest.

Manu is considered difficult and expensive to access – you need to allow a minimum of 5 days and normally more like 8 days if you are going to go in and out by road.  Park entry fees are also expensive. If you are on a budget you can visit the cultural zone in about 4 days though it’s generally considered more worthwhile to enter the Reserve Zone.
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Puerto Maldonado  (Madre de Dios)
There are a number of areas that you can visit from Puerto Maldonado – Heath River, Madre de Dios River, or Tambopata River.
The most popular area is the Tambopata-Candamo Reserve. In this amazing biological reserve, three different ecosystems converge together: the Amazonian plain, the eastern slopes of the Andes and the Pampas ecosystem. This environmental diversity had allowed at least 11 different types of forests to co-exist leading to an incredible biodiversity.  One of the highlights of the reserve is the Colpa de Guacamayos which is one of the largest natural clay licks in Peru. These copper-colored cliffs attract thousands of macaws and parrots each day who come to feed on the mineral salts contained in this area. 

Puerto Maldonado offers the visitor the ability to have a jungle experience in a short amount of time – 2 night/ 3 day trips flying in and out of Cusco are popular and if you are looking for a quick jungle experience, these are ideal. However, if you have more time and are still quite short of funds, you can go further afield and have an amazing jungle experience. Puerto Maldonado is most easily accessed by a half hour flight, but also by a 20 hour bus trip from Cusco. 
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Iquitos
Iquitos, the largest city along the Amazon River, is the northern gateway to the Peruvian Amazon basin and is a romantic, quaint city steeped in unique culture and fascinating history of the rubber boom. The city itself warrants a day or two of visit before delving into the deep Amazon.   Iquitos can be only accessed by air or water, by following the rivers. To see wildlife such as caiman, monkeys and macaws, you really need to travel well beyond an 80km radius from Iquitos and preferably off the main waterways. Some animals such as pink dolphins are found only in some of the more remote tributaries of the upper Amazon. Unless you have a week or more to travel overland and by local boat (which is a wonderful experience) then you need to fly from Lima to Iquitos.

Iquitos offers the traveller the option to take a river cruise, which are unique to this area. You may not see loads of animals or even virgin jungle but you will have time to relax, enjoy a good book and watch the world go by. You may also wine and dine in style or take an afternoon siesta in your air conditioned private cabin. Some cruises also include day walks into the jungle and visits to local villages.

There are many options for jungle tours and to stay in lodges around Iquitos – generally the closer you are to Iquitos the more creature comforts you can enjoy – some lodges have internet access, air-conditioning and swimming pools. Further away from Iquitos the accommodations are more rustic but the opportunity for genuine jungle experiences higher.

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Ecuador & Bolivia

We can also offer you jungle tours in Ecuador & Bolivia.

Apus Peru are specialists in creating custom designed, tailor made Peru tours for the discerning, off the beaten track traveller, featuring Machu Picchu, Cusco and the Amazon jungle.