The most beautiful natural sites to discover Amazonie Péruvienne

This lake shaded by high palm trees, 1 hour by boat on the Maldonado river, is a sanctuary for animals such as crocodiles, otters, cranes and turtles. Fishing enthusiasts can indulge their passion. You can get there by a 3 km long path, then explore the site by pirogue (local rowers). It's the best place for birds, small monkeys, caimans and a family of otters if they deign to cross to the part of the lake open to the public (the other is reserved). Sleeping on the shore of the Sandoval allows you to explore it before or after the others.

Family atmosphere and totally local! We bathe in a beautiful place, under the trees, and next to a small river with raging rapids. To get there: the paradero is located Jr. Amazonas 833 (in Chachapoyas); jump in a car and head for Mendoza, 2.5 hours away (S/ 20). Then hail a taxi (S/ 7 per person) to Tocuya. From the tiny village square, retrace your steps a bit to take the wide dirt road on the right: 15 minutes walk.

One of the natural wonders of the region, this 771 meter waterfall that rises from the vegetation. It shares the spotlight with Yumbilla, which is even more impressive, but more difficult to access. Here is how to get there easily:

From Cocachimba: from the village you can see Gocta clearly on the mountain in front of you, but the objective is to reach the foot of the waterfall. Count 2 hours of walking downhill (5 km) rather easy. The hardest part is then to go back up. The locals offer horses for rent and they are welcome (count about S/40). The owners pull the horses with a light step, so you don't need to be an expert in horse riding.

If you are doing it alone, take the opportunity to leave early before the many agency groups that start at 9am.

From San Pablo, wemakes a loop. You walk from San Pablo to the birth of the first waterfall (flat path, about 2 hours), you follow the waterfall downhill (about 2 hours and a half downhill), then you arrive at the foot of the waterfall like everyone else and you go back up to Cocachimba. In the village of San Pablo, there are also local guides available to accompany you. This loop will take you all day. You can also do the last part on horseback since you will be following the same path as those who left Cocachimba.

Agencies sell "full day "packages with transportation to and from Chachapoyas and Cocachimba, a "self-paced" ride and lunch.

Located at an altitude of 945 m, these baths are appreciated for their medicinal properties. The colourless, odourless water, at a temperature of between 32 and 40°C, is said to be ideal for the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, muscular pains and stress. There are also two swimming pools, a restaurant and a children's playground. Quieter during the week. From here continue to Waqanki Orchid Garden or Fundo Alegria for lunch.

Located in the Protección del Alto Mayo forest, at the foot of Cerro Oromina, these sulphur baths (cold, naturally sulphurous water) are known for the many therapeutic properties of their waters. Nearby, you can visit the Cueva del amor (Cave of Love) and the Asnacyacu waterfall, which is characterized by its natural pool of cool, crystalline water. The complex has been renovated and is a great half-day excursion.

Located 4 km from the city on the road to Yurimaguas (direction Las de Ahuashiyacu), it can be the occasion of a pleasant stroll just a few hours away. Restaurant on site. This is the end of weekends for families.

Here, people come to take mud baths. This black mud is composed of 32 different mineral elements and is known for its benefits for the skin. So, you put on your bathing suit and spread it from top to bottom before rinsing off and getting a soft skin. On site, there are also small pebble pools and a pretty little lagoon bordered by green jungle: a place to enjoy a real moment of relaxation.

These two localities, located on the road leading to the airport (respectively 12 km and 16 km from the center) are two centers of production of traditional crafts. They are worth a visit during the dry season (between May and November), when beautiful white sand beaches are formed all along the Rio Nanay. Uni Suni or Santa Rita, from Santa Clara, are the most quiet. A road connects the two villages. You can get there by taxi.

Its 186 hectares are distributed around a lake in the center of which there is an island of monkeys and wide alleys that lead to the different spaces of the animals. In this zoo, many captured animals are now boarders. There is an otorongo, deer, wild boars, crocodiles, otters, turtles and many birds.

The Museo Antropológico y de Historia Natural is in the same place. There are ethnographic pieces, ceramics and animal fossils.

The inhabitants of Puerto Maldonado will bathe in this small lake, 11 km from the city. Full to break on weekends.

One hour from Puerto Maldonado by boat, this private reserve of 10,000 hectares is home to a multitude of wild animals, an intact flora, numerous aquatic species and the Reserva Amazónica lodge. By reservation, it is possible to organize a 2h30 tour on their Canopy Walkway or suspension bridges. However you will not have priority. To be arranged directly with the Puerto Maldonado office at least 24 hours before. Departure 1.45pm and return 5pm.

It is a birdwatcher's paradise in the early morning. Here lives the perlita of Iquitos(Polioptila clementsi), a bird of the passerine family discovered recently, but also herons. 4 circuits have been designed, dedicated to medicinal plants, fruits, areas along the river and aguajales (small lagoons), count between 30 min and 3 hours on foot. Every morning at 8am, guided tours in Spanish. This reserve is the richest of the sites near Iquitos. Unfortunately, you have to look for information yourself, the management is public, consult the Sernanp.

The collpas are clay cliffs where the parrots and multicolored macaws come to feed themselves with the mineral salts necessary for their nutrition. This ritual takes place every morning from 6:30 am until 10 am. Posada Amazonas has its own small parrot collpa. The most famous are those of Chuncho and even further away, of Colorado (near the Tambopata Research Center). The further away it is, the more grandiose the show is. A festival of colors and sounds that delights.

A beautiful lake, somewhat far from the city, 60 km from Puerto Maldonado, on the border with Bolivia. To reach it, count about 4 hours by motorboat. It is an ideal place for birdwatching and for families who fish around the lake or harvest the famous castañas (Brazil nuts). As it is quite far from the rest, it is only included in the longer stays (5 days minimum) in the lodges located along the Madre de Dios river. On the way, you will notice the gold diggers at work.

Small island on the Madre de Dios river, just north of the Sandoval lake in the Tambopata reserve. The only inhabitant of the island takes care of the monkeys that have taken up residence there and that it is possible to see up close. It is very interesting to make this stop before going to a lodge, because once in the selva itself, it is sometimes difficult to see them and even more to recognize them. Many agencies offer it and, as you go by boat, you have to take a tour anyway. A short excursion, but not without interest!

These pampas are large green areas along the Heath River and are almost the last Amazonian savannahs to be so well preserved. Indeed, the other spaces of this kind were altered by agriculture or breeding. However, this biotope is home to rare species such as the maned wolf or the spectacled bear! It is in the Pampas del Heath that the most intensive research has been carried out in order to list the vascular plants of the savannahs (plants with vessels through which water is drawn by the roots).

Embark from the port of Boca del río Huascayacu (about 40 minutes by cab from Moyobamba) for the adventure: 1 hour of navigation then you turn right and enter a much narrower arm, the río Avisado. A few minutes more and you will see appear in the distance, a spectacular tree house: it is the entrance to the universe of Tingana. Here, Juan Isuiza and his troops watch over their reserve with care. They have built two rustic family bungalows (each with 5 beds on 2 floors) and also offer a family kitchen. It's worth spending some time there to enjoy the place more and share a real experience at the hands of the community. As this is a flooded jungle, everything depends on the water, but most of the time the excursions are done by dugout between the roots. We see more fauna during the rainy months (from January to May). Some walks are also possible in dry season. As it is a preserved case, here took refuge many animals and to be able to observe them in silence is a true privilege. The experience is great, we leave with a lot of memories and we support this 100% ecotourism project. An alternative for those who are in a hurry, the neighboring community of Santa Elena is more accessible. It is from now on privileged by the agencies, but we do not hide you that the charm of places is not completely the same. This option remains however nice, for those who miss time.

Gocta had barely achieved fame and recognition when another name was whispered: Yumbilla. At 896 metres, it is one of the top five highest waterfalls in the world according to the World Waterfall Database. And it is located further north, near the village of Cuispes, about 30 minutes by motorcycle taxi from Pedro Ruiz. Which one to see? Both would be ideal. Even though Gocta is not as high and only consists of two waterfalls, the panoramic view from the Cocachimba viewpoint makes for a beautiful and unique picture. But Yumbilla does not lack assets, less known, wilder and more impressive. A muddy but flat path of 4 km (1h30-2h) leads to the bottom of the^first jump and to the beginning of the^second one, not without having seen two smaller waterfalls on the way. Another trek leads to the foot of the beautiful one where a natural cave has formed, amazing. And a^third one at the top of the mountain where it originates, at the bottom of a cave and a stream lined with white sand. And this is without mentioning Pavilion and Chinata, the twin sisters of Yumbilla, other waterfalls that can be seen from the road and that can also be approached... In short, Yumbilla is a series of adventures and explorations, in the heart of the cloud forest, also pleasing for the flora (orchids, bromeliads, trees covered with moss, ferns) and the large number of birds seen on the way. It is not one but several waterfalls, in the heart of what is now known as El valle de las cataratas.