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There's no way around it: getting to
experience the wonders of Peru
takes a long time. After setting o�
from London, some four ights
and over 24 hours later, we nally
arrive in the heart of the Peruvian
rainforest, 200 miles from the Brazilian
border, greeted by a whack of humidity as
the plane doors open at Puerto Maldonado.
Welcome to the jungle.
We're staying at a series of eco-lodges
run by Inkaterra, an organisation that's been
promoting sustainable tourism for nearly four
decades, and one that o�ers a taste of the
'real' Peru. Wondering what's in store as we
pass signs for Anaconda Lodge and Tarantula
Hotel, we board a boat for our rst stop,
Inkaterra's Reserva Amazónica in Tambopata,
by the Madre de Dios River, one of the mighty
Amazon's 1,100 tributaries. Scampering up a
ADVENTUREDigital burnout? Leave your smartphone at home
and switch on your senses with breathtaking Inca
ruins, humid rainforests and dazzling wildlife in Peru
WORDS STUART PESKETT
lose yourself in
steep gangplank, we discover a new world
of vivid colour and boisterous birdsong.
The eco-lodge has 35 thatched-roof
cabañas (private huts), some with a river view,
as well as screened porches and hammocks.
Techies beware though: electricity is switched
o� for the afternoon and at night, which
is in keeping with Inkaterra's ecological
philosophy, but isn't ideal if you've come back
from a steamy jungle trek and want to cool
o� using the electric fan. Plus, power sockets
are in short supply as well - though Reserva
Amazónica is really no place for technology.
Treat a trip like this as a digital detox. Jump
into one of the colourful hammocks, and,
The lost city of the Incas:
Machu Picchu wasn't
discovered until 1911
pisco sour in hand, enjoy the soothing
rainforest soundtrack and river view.
Once you've acclimatised, there are
heaps of excursions available at Amazónica,
including Indiana Jones-style canopy walkway
adventures (the rope bridges sway much
more than you'd think, by the way), twilight
river trips to spot anacondas and caimans, and
canoe rides across Lake Sandoval. Adrenalin
junkies can even swim with piranhas.
The rainforest has its fair share of nasties
- plenty of spiders and scorpions call this
place home, as do a trio of vicious ant species,
with equally tough names: army, re, and the
one-inch-long bullet ant, so named because