Madre de Dios and Tambopata Packrafting and Hammock Camping Expedition 16 Days

Duration
Difficulty
Adventure
Walking Distance
Rapids Class
Rafting Distance
Rafting Duration
Manu R. Speed
Tambo R. Speed
Water Quality
Bugs?

16D/15N
4 of 5
7 of 10
2km/1.2mi
2+
385km/240mi
6 + 2 hrs
5-9kph/3-6mph
3-5kph/2-3mph
Good/Murky
Yes

Day 1    Cusco - Atalaya
We leave Cusco around 10 am towards the south then climb up and over the mountains passing by the Chulpas of Ninamarca. We'll have lunch in Paucartambo before descending further another 3.5 hrs reaching the jungle town of Atalaya. Dinner at a local restaurant in Atalaya. Night in basic hostal.

Meals LD

Day 2    Atalaya - Lake Machuwasi - Colpa Camp
After a typical Peruvian breakfast at the local restaurant we'll take a short walk down to the Alto Madre de Dios river. We'll inflate our rafts and get to know the gear. We'll have a training session before setting off down into an Amazonian paradise. raft downriver 1 hr until we reach an entrance into the forest which will lead to Lake Machuwasi. We'll hike 20 mins to the lake then use local catamarans (log rafts) to paddle around the lake spotting hoatzin "Shanshos", capybaras, green parrots, turtles, egrets and kingfishers. Afterwards, we'll return to the river and have lunch before a 2 hr float downriver to our campsite near the "Colpa de Loros" (Clay Lick). In the afternoon we can go on a nature walk or swim in the river before dinner. Night walk options. Night hammock camping.

Meals BLD

Day 3    Clay Lick - Shintuya - Shintuya Lodge - Waterfalls - Hot Springs
Early this morning we'll wake up early and walk to the parrot clay lick "Colpa de Loros" located on the river banks where many species of parrots such as the Blue-headed parrot and White-eyed parakeet can be seen licking the clay to get minerals and salt supplements very important for their diet of seeds and fruits. The clay is negatively charged and helps rid them of toxins. We'll have breakfast here after the show then we'll set off again on our packrafts for approx. 3 hours along the Pantiacolla mountain range and its overhanging primary forest canopy until we reach the community of Shintuya. Here, we'll dock our boats and explore this pueblo, try fresh coconut milk, shop at the stores etc. We'll raft again another 20 mins until we reach our lodge where we will have lunch. In the afternoon we'll trek up to the Shinuya waterfalls. Arriving at the waterfalls, we can relax in the pools or jump off the 12-15 ft cliffs! We'll return to the lodge for dinner and to rejuvenate in the natural hot springs at the lodge. Night walk options. Night in lodge.

Meals BLD

Day 4    Shintuya Lodge - Alto Madre de Dios River
This morning we can again take another dip in the hotsprings before setting off again downriver, now leaving our point of no return where the road ends. We'll raft for about 6 hrs reaching a halfway point between Shintuya and Boca Manu. At any point for stopping off for lunch or bathroom breaks we can find tracks left in the mud or sand. Bring a monocular, binoculars or long lens so that you don't miss much from your raft. We'll decide on a spot together which has a clump of trees to accommodate our hammocks. Night hammock camping.

Meals BLD

Day 5    Alto Madre de Dios - Boca Manu
This morning after breakfast we will continue rafting another 5 - 6 hrs looking for wildlife on the way. The river here often splits and rejoins but we have the best opportunities to see wildlife by sticking to the far left or right banks. It's easy to float right by river otters, turtles and caiman and much easier to see overhead Kites, Herons and Swifts. Most animals prefer the calmer waters of small eddy-like turn offs, creeks and pools. We will explore these banks according to our speed and remaining daylight.

Meals BLD

Day 6    Madre de Dios - Puerto Azul
This morning after breakfast we will continue rafting another 5 - 6 hrs east where now the Alto Madre de Dios and Madre de Dios (Reserve Zone river) rivers meet. Shortly after leaving Boca Manu we reach a forgotten port. It's the old airstrip. We can paddle into this calm inlet and explore. There are old forgotten boat parts and if we are feeling adventurous, we can follow the Tapir tracks and hack our way towards the strip to see what still remains. Afterwards, we'll continue downriver where it now begins to wind more. At times we'll be rafting around peninsulas, learning how to spot the faster channels. In this stretch we'll begin to hear the Macaws clattering and find pairs crossing from one side of the river to the other. We have many opportunities for wildlife at the river banks if we look closely. After stopping for lunch we set off again now passing by a community of friendly locals and available (but limited) medical services at Puerto Azul. After another hour or so rafting we'll choose our campsite just before Tambo Blanquillo.

Meals BLD

Day 7    Madre de Dios - Madre de Dios (* Blanquillo Option)
This morning after breakfast we will continue rafting another 1 hr or so to Blanquillo. This marks our home stretch to Boca Colorado and today our goal is to make it to the halfway point to Boca Colorado. Blanquillo is a favorite for Birders and is often included in tours to Manu's reserve zone. During the months of June, July and Aug there is much less activity and the lodge does not promise Macaw sightings during this season. Nevertheless this is a nice lodge where fruit and cold drinks are available including wifi. You have the option to stay a night to see the clay lick in action the following morning. In this case, add a day to your itinerary. Otherwise we can continue on or add a day further down where there are more oxbow lakes to explore and possibly some on our own. We'll raft another 4 - 5 hrs until we find a nice campsite. Options for night walks and exploration are different at every site including monkeys, small non-poisonous tropical snakes and the occasional tarantula.

Meals BLD

Day 8    Madre de Dios - Boca Colorado
After breakfast we will continue rafting another 5 - 6 hrs towards our ending point and the mining town of Boca Colorado. In this area we can find small sidelets and canals with overhanging trees. In these areas we can easily spot hawks, Caracaras, Caiman and other mammals. We will plan an exploration of these canals if time allows and can add a day here to see more. There is also a couple of oxbow lakes with entrances from the main river which could be worthwhile for getting closer to the animals with great photo opportunites. Quietly packrafting a small canal provides the best opportunty for seeing animals with the absence of a loud motor on a tour group boat. Further downriver it gets wider still and begins to slow down as we get closer to Boca Colorado. After stopping for lunch we'll arrive in the afternoon and check into a local basic hostal with showers. We'll have the night to enjoy dinner and cold drinks in this busy town.

Meals BLD

Day 9    Boca Colorado - Cusco
After breakfast we will book a transfer car south 1 hr to the Inambari's river edge where we will catch a ferry to take us to the other side of the river. From there we will transfer again by car south to the Trans-Amazonian highway until we reach a crossroad where we will walk and use a motorcycle taxi to carry our gear. Along the route to our put-in location we can find parrots, macaws, caciques and oropendolas in the trees. It is a nice walk with plenty of shady areas for taking breaks. After 2 hrs and 4 mi later we'll arrive at the Mississippi Creek where we'll have a short hammock setup demonstration then situate our campsite. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 10    Malinowski River - Creek #3 Entrance
We'll inflate and rig our boats before setting down the creek for a short distance until we reach the Malinowski River. During this section of river we can find goldminers, taricaya turtles and small caimans on the riverbanks. We'll see firsthand the effects of Amazon deforestation. We'll raft 17 miles over about 4-5 hrs spotting white-necked herons, great black hawks and pairs of macaws crossing the river overhead. We'll also stop and explore canals #1 and #2 along the way depending on accessibility due to outflow and river level. In the afternoon we'll pull over at either a sandy beach or bushwhack into the forest canopy for setting up hammocks. This can depend on group preference and remaining daylight. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 11    Creek #3
This morning after breakfast by the river we get back on the Malinowski River in our packrafts and float a few minutes to Creek #3's entrance. This creek can go on for 10 mi+. It has both narrower and wider lake-like sections and downed logs we must either go around, under or over in our boats. At least 95% does not require getting out of our boats and can be paddled. There are also some swampier areas and flowing grassy areas. Unlike the river, the creek has clean water. It's unique and unlike areas which have been spoiled by loud motorboats and frequent tourist visits. This creek is unknown, unexplored and only reachable by packraft. As we wind around bends in the creek we have the chance to surprise unsuspecting wildlife. At about 1 hr up the creek we'll pull over and explore an old oxbow lake which has dried up but now makes a great spot for tapirs. Further up it widens and resembles an oxbow lake before narrowing again and becoming more lush for birds like the hoatzin, green parrots and red and green macaws. And even further up at over 2 miles from the river we can find more exotic things like hanging birds nests made from algae and the spotted freshwater stingray with a size up to .5 m! As a group we'll decide when to stop for lunch, how far we want to go and where would be the best place to watch the creek wildlife from resting in our hammocks. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 12    Creek #3 - Malinowski River - Tambopata River
This morning after waking up in the middle of such abundant wildlife we'll have breakfast next to the creek then decide as a group to either continue further up the creek or begin our return to the Malinowski River. After returning to the Malinowski River now going with the flow we'll have lunch before rafting a short distance to the Tambopata River confluence and to our next campsite on the Tambopata River. If time allows in the early afternoon we can take a skinny trail 1.5 mi through dense forest to a small hidden lake and explore it by foot or inflate our boats and paddle it. In the late afternoon we'll decide on a campsite next to the Tambopata River. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 13    Today we raft down the Tambopata Reserve another 20 mi beginning with a fun, quick rapids section then stopping for lunch at Gato Creek. Here, depending on the current we can paddle up to Gato Falls. We'll continue downriver another 2.5 hrs floating by tourist lodges and a few plantations until we reach our next campsite on the Tambopata. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 14    Tambopata River - Clay Lick
Today after breakfast we'll leave early to paddle another 20 mi first stopping at the Collpa La Torre Clay Lick where we can watch red and green macaws congregating from our boats. We'll continue downriver past both Cocococha Lake and Tres Chimbadas Lake entrances before stopping for lunch in a sandy, shady area. We'll continue another 2 hrs noticing more plantations on the left side of the river and none on the right which is the Tambopata Reserve border. We'll find our next campsite on the edge of the reserve where tapirs are plentiful. Night camping.

Meals BLD

Day 15    Tambopata River - Chonta - Puerto Maldonado
Today we have another 25 mi to reach our take out point at Puerto Maldonado. Along the way we'll pass by more plantations now seen on both sides of the river. We'll also pass by the pueblo of Chonta where we can access internet and phone calls from a point on the river from our boat. There is also a store in town for any snacks. The adventure isn't over! Floating into the bustling city of Puerto Maldonado provides its own sense of accomplishment. We'll float by numerous wooden boat builders, carpenters, resorts, and tourist bungalows before we reach our take out point in the late afternoon. From the riverbank we'll walk up some steps a short distance with our packs to the hostal. Night in hostal.

Meals BLD

Day 16    Puerto Maldonado - Cusco
This morning after breakfast we'll enjoy another long private car ride 9 hrs from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. We'll again experience the transition from hot low jungle (183m/600ft) all the way up to the Pirhuayani Pass (4,724m/15,500ft) and down to Cusco (3,400m/11,150ft). Along the way we'll see jungle plantations, Andean highland chacras, waterfalls and geological wonders. We'll see firsthand local Peruvian culture from both tropical and altiplano regions and notice the incredible difference between them. We'll stop for lunch next to Tinki's majestic Ausangate peak before a final 3 hr descent to Cusco and your hotel.

Meals BL