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Tingo Maria, Peru - The National Park Is 15mins From Town

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Map location: Tingo Maria, Peru
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Peru travel blog by Mark Berman - September 2016   » View Photoset (61 Photos)

Mark Berman, South America backpacker for over 12yrs!

Door to the Amazon

On the surface Tingo Maria looks and feels just like another small busy and crazy Peruvian town with a million mototaxis buzzing up and down the streets, but after discovering the area around the city and getting a better sense of its location as a major junction between various other cities, you may find Tingo Maria to be quite a special place. Tingo Maria really is the door to the Amazon, the gateway, and for several reasons. I descended down the mountains to Tingo by road from Huanuco (2hrs 30mins by car). From the edge of the Andes down to the Amazon Basin, from a warm climate with cool nights to hot, humid, sweaty and sticky!

Tour of the National Park

In the afternoon on the day I arrived I found a tour office for a tour on the next day. A good deal for $50 Soles ($15USD), a 6hr+ tour. The day included a trip to the Tingo Maria National Park (Parque Nacional Tingo Maria) where there's flora, fauna, birds, bats, butterflies, insects, the cave of the owls (Cueva de las Lechuzas) and arts and crafts made from feathers, beads and wood.

Santa Carmen Waterfall

Then we went to Santa Carmen waterfall (Catarata Santa Carmen) where after walking through the bush on a path you can swim in natural pools and eat fish barbecued by the locals, it is beautiful here.

Cave of the Pavas

Later we visited Spa 'Cave of the Pavas' (Balneario Cueva de las Pavas) where people bathe and play in a rocky river. Finally we drove up to the mirador lookout point on the hill for views of Tingo Maria and the dense green surroundings. It was a fantastic day with a good guide / driver, good places and not too much driving, the national park is only 15mins from town!

More Waterfalls

There are many more waterfalls and caves around Tingo Maria, waterfalls - San Miguel, Gloria Pata, Sol Naciente, 15 Anera, Velo de la Novia, Ducha del Diablo and caves - las Pavas, las Virgenes, las Lechuzas, la Piramide and Dios Eros. A little way north of Tingo is a lagoon called Laguna de los Milagros - a nice place to relax, look for birds and make photos etc.

In Town

The nicest part of the city center is definitely the long malecon walkway along Av. Alameda Peru - the Plaza de Armas is in the middle of this. This street has many stalls selling all kinds of stuff from clothing to haircuts to food. I bought grapes from the fruit stall, they were washed so I could eat them NOW! Around this nice public area is the cathedral, a few monuments and some colorful exotic flowers. I didn't know it at the time but Tingo Maria would actually be the cheapest place I would visit while in the Peruvian Amazon, everything - hotels, food, tours, mototaxis, you name it!

Amazon Road Traveling

From Tingo Maria I again travelled by shared car, to Pucallpa, 4hrs 20mins drive time, plus we stopped twice at road works 35mins each. The road does have a few problems but they are working on it all the time. More than anything though, it's an amazing tour by road through the jungle! I came back to Tingo Maria after Pucallpa to take the notorious road north to Tarapoto.

     

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My Hostel & Hotel Reviews for Tingo Maria, Peru:

Palacio Hotel, Tingo Maria, Peru - Large Photo
Palacio Hotel, Tingo Maria, Peru (September 2016 - 1 night) - Rooms on several levels surrounding a large outside courtyard, so everyone has outside access. Simple room, ok for a night or 2. The wifi didn't reach to my room though. $30 Soles ($9USD) for a room with bathroom and they also have rooms without a bathroom for $15 Soles ($5USD). Take it or leave it.
Hotel Leon, Tingo Maria, Peru - Large Photo
Hotel Leon, Tingo Maria, Peru (September 2016 - 2 nights) - Simple place on the main street. I took a single bed room for $30 Soles ($9USD). It had bathroom, tv and wifi and the bed was comfortable enough. The staff were friendly and I had no problems for a couple of nights here. There are places to eat out on the street and also the cars that head to other places also leave from outside. Take it or leave it.

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Tingo Maria, Peru - The National Park Is 15mins From Town. Tingo Maria is the door to the Amazon with many waterfalls & caves. There's a great tour to the local National Park. Make the most of Tingo Maria, it's better than what it appears and cheaper than Iquitos by a country mile!