Hotels near Puerto Maldonado International Airport - PEM, Puerto Maldonado

The amount of unique life in the Amazon, right outside Puerto Maldonado was stunning and our tour guides’ knowledge of everything was so impressive. Did not get to spend much time in town but the beauty and wonder just up the river where we stayed was astounding.

There is not much to do in the city itself. No reason to visit the city except as a starting point for visits to the Tambopata reserve near by. That is certainly worth a visit of several days, Lago Sandoval, Collpa de Chuncho, adventure day with canopy walks, ziplines, kayaks, etc. The three different guides we experienced during our stay were excellent, knowledgeable, patient and friendly. Lots of nature to see in this luscious jungle area.

The town itself is basic but it's a great base for many nearby places to see wildlife. There are a lot of great day tours in the area, so you can stay in Puerto two or three days and do day tours while you organize an overnight trip. Many tour agencies charge more for online reservations because platforms charge them up to 25% commission. If you go to Puerto Maldonado you can book all your tours in person. There is a small street just off the Plaza de Armas with a dozen agencies. Walk around, compare service and prices before choosing day tours. Do a few day tours and then go to an eco-lodge for a 3 or 4 day trip into Tambopata National Park.

Pretty small town, and only visited the area around centro (Plaza de Armas), but it was well-kept and had plenty of restaurants and a bank. Ate at two nearby restaurants (Burgos's and Carrion32), both of which were quite good and reasonably priced. It's also only 15-20 soles to ride a tuktuk-like taxi to or from the airport, and each fits up to 3x passengers if you are not carrying a ton of luggage. The taxis are fun too!

Puerto Maldonado is a little off the beaten path as far as tourist destinations go, so therefore it doesn’t have the modern comfort amenities that most tourists are accustomed to. However, if you are a nature enthusiast and want a real and authentic Amazon experience and friendly people, Puerto Maldonado is a great place to see the Amazon in the raw.

The staff is by far the greatest asset of Gree Diamond Lodge. They are exceptional. The beds could be improved. In my opinion the single best improvement they could make is finding a way to provide fans in the rooms, possibly powered by solar. The heat and humidity are quite overwhelming.