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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