The Tambopata National Reserve is located next to Puerto Maldonado, a small town in southeastern Peru close to the border with Bolivia.
Getting to the Reserve is easy due to its close proximity to Puerto Maldonado. Most people take flights to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco (near Machu Picchu) or Lima, take a bus from Cusco, or come on a bicycle tour.
Getting to your accommodation from Puerto Maldonado
The airport is about 20 minutes by mototaxi, an adapted three-wheeled motorbike rickshaw, to the main square in Puerto Maldonado, the Plaza de Armas, and the bus station is about 10 minutes away.
Most stays at the Amazon jungle lodges will include a pick-up service from the airport or bus station to the centre of Puerto Maldonado and then a boat transfer to your lodge.
Flights to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco and Lima
Flights from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado take under an hour and from Lima it takes just over 1.5 hours.
There are daily flights to and from Puerto Maldonado. They almost always arrive and leave in the morning or early afternoon.
Airlines that fly to Puerto Maldonado, Peru
You can fly to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco or Lima with three airlines:
⦁ Star Peru
Star Peru is a budget Peruvian airline that only operates domestic flights in the country.
⦁ LAN Peru
LAN Peru is the dominant airline for domestic flights within Peru. It is a subsidiary of LAN Airlines, the largest airline in Latin America.
⦁ TACA – Avianca
Avianca is the second largest airline in Latin America.
Buses to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco
For budget travellers, going to Puerto Maldonado from Cusco by bus is popular as it is very economical and the journey crosses through beautiful sceneries – Andean highlands, cloud forest and rainforest.
The trip between Cusco and Puerto Maldonado takes 10 or 11 hours (it used to take 30 hours before the Interoceanic Highway was completed).
There are various bus companies that operate this route.
Other bus routes to Puerto Maldonado
Puerto Maldonado – Rio Branco, Brazil, by bus
There is a route between Puerto Maldonado and Rio Branco, Brazil operated by Trans Acreana.
Puerto Maldonado – Lake Titicaca and Bolivia, by bus
Sometimes there are bus companies operating between Puerto Maldonado and Juliaca, Peru, which is only half an hour from Puno, Peru. This journey takes at least 18 hours.
From Puno you can take a boat to the floating islands on Lake Titicaca and / or take a bus to Copacabana, Bolivia, next to the Isla del Sol on Lake Titicaca.
If your plan is to get to Puerto Maldonado from La Paz, Bolivia, there are also bus routes between Puno and La Paz or you can get there from Copacabana.
By Bicycle from Cusco
Sports lovers may be interested in taking a cycling tour from Cusco, which can be arranged in Cusco and take three or more days to get to Puerto Maldonado.
Tours travel through Andean mountain scenery, picturesque villages, cloud forest and finally the rainforest. Rates will include accommodation, food, guides, bikes and private transportation where the route requires a vehicle.
You will need to be in good shape to be able to do this and have already got accustomed to altitudes of up to 5,000m (16,500 ft.) before you begin.
View from a flight to Puerto Maldonado, Peru