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It is said that the Amazon forest is the only place that gives
one the sensation of witnessing the dawn of time. Thousands
of visitors are drawn to the diversity of the area's forests
and rivers, arriving in the city of Puerto Maldonado, the
capital of the department of Madre de Dios, ready to set out
on a journey filled with excitement and discovery.
Founded July 10, 1902, the city was named after explorer Faustino
Maldonado, who paddled up the Madre de Dios River to the point
where it comes together with the Tambopata River. Puerto Maldonado
is the gateway to three national parks in the Peruvian Amazon
featuring an extraordinary diversity of wild species of flora
and fauna: the Manu, Bahuaja-Sonene and Tambopata-Candamo.
The Manu National Park is the largest protected natural area
of its kind in Peru. Spreading across the departments of Cuzco
and Madre de Dios, the park covers the entire Manu River watershed.
A boatride down the Tambopata or Madre de Dios Rivers takes
one to the Bahuaja-Sonene (Tambopata-Heath) National Park,
while the Heath River leads to the Pampas del Heath, a unique
savanna area wedged in the heart of Peru's tropical rainforest
and a haven for unique animal species.
The Tambopata River leads to the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved
Zone, which is famous for featuring the greatest diversity
of species of mammals, trees, insects and birds on Earth.
Festivals in Madre de Dios, such as San Juan in June or Tourism
and Ecological Week are good reasons to taste regional dishes
and take a refreshing dip in Lake Sandoval or go fishing on
Lake Valencia, while visitors can spot countless species of
plants, fish and fauna in general.
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