The day after we explored Machu Picchu in the rain we headed to the airport and flew into the Peruvian Amazon jungle. Our tour started in Puerto Maldonado, Peru. This town is at the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios rivers, which is a major tributary of the Amazon. We had booked a 4 day, 3 night jungle lodge stay with Intrepid Travel.

However, as per the course for this trip, I got sick. I’m blaming the food in the tourist town of Agua Calientes (gateway to Machu Picchu) but it could have been anything. So instead of 4 days we shortened our trip to 3 days and 2 nights. (My mom thinks I got sick so much this trip because I knew she’d be along to take care of me. Hard to believe she is soooo much older than me, yet I’m the one who was sick repeatedly on this trip).

Once I felt well enough to leave the hotel, we caught a motorized canoe upriver to the lodge. Sadly, our group tour was again a private one due to the lack of tourists. We were starting to miss having other people to talk to after 3 weeks together.

The lodge had space for 20 guests so it felt very empty with just the two of us. There was the guide, cook, boat captain, and the cook’s children. Upon arriving we ate a large lunch and explored the rooms. The cabin lacked windows and screens but thankfully the beds had mosquito nets. There was electricity a few hours each day and flushing toilets in each cabin.

The tour included lots of activities. One evening we walked to a rickety, old viewing tower (mom thought we would fall to our deaths) in the middle of the jungle, climbed up 160 stairs, and watched the macaws and other parrots fly. Later, our guide insisted on showing us every single tarantula in the forest. We also saw a tapir that had survived a puma attack. The next day included more bird watching, monkeys jumping over our heads, fishing for piranhas and caiman viewing at night.

We loved relaxing in the middle of the jungle and hearing the birds call. The mosquitos ate me alive even with long sleeves and layers of mosquito repellent. But even with the annoyances, the ecosystems of the Amazon jungles are worth exploring and protecting.

p.s. My mom wants me to add that I got over 40 mosquito bites in the jungle while she only got 4. We both applied tons of repellent and wore long sleeves and pants, but I was the lucky one — again. . . . Maybe one day I’ll write a blog on the pros and cons of traveling with one’s mother. (Love ya’ Mom!)