Villa Hermosa, piscina y buena gastronomía

Villa Hermosa es un centro recreacional manejado por la familia Rubio, la cual ha vivido en el lugar desde hace muchos años y creó el centro recreacional hace 15 años. Don Manuel Rubio, su esposa y sus cuatro hijas, se encargan de ofrecer cada fin de semana, cuando abren el centro a los visitantes, un servicio de calidad en general. Cada integrante de la familia tiene una función, con el objetivo de asegurar la calidad y satisfacción a los visitantes durante los días de atención.

Villa Hermosa está ubicada a sólo cinco minutos de Puerto Maldonado. Es decir, ofrece una estadía en medio de la naturaleza, pero cerca de la ciudad. Cuenta con una piscina amplia, limpia y en buen estado. Así mismo, hay áreas deportivas donde se también se organiza campeonatos (una cancha de fútbol y una de vóley), áreas de descanso y un restaurante donde se ofrece platos tanto de la zona como internacionales durante los fines de semana.

Entre las actividades turísticas, está el recorrido por el jardín botánico, donde cuenta con especies como el “shihuahuaco”, el “aguaje”, la “caoba”, etc. Asimismo, cuenta con lagunas donde se cría peces, como, por ejemplo, la carachama, lo cual, a través de un canal unido al río Tambopata, atrajo a un grupo de caimanes que han encontrado un hogar allí. Por ello, la observación de dichos animales se está haciendo frecuente por parte de la visita.

Villa Hermosa se ha convertido en el lugar ideal para pasar un día en familia o entre amigos en un caluroso fin de semana en Puerto Maldonado, donde la tranquilidad, la diversión y la cálida atención de la familia Rubio están garantizadas.

Para más información, visita www.tambopataecotours.com

El Parayso, nature and history near to town

‘El Parayso’ is a place on the outskirts of Puerto Maldonado where the Balarezo family lives. This is one of the oldest families in the area, having settled in Tambopata during the ‘rubber boom’. They allow the traveler to take a look into the past of the region, through the stories and experiences they share. Francisco and Beatriz, parents of 10 children, are more than 80 years old, and still retain an admirable fitness. Sitting with them to share their experiences of decades, tasting the local food that Mrs. Beatriz prepares, is a very nice experience.

The main host is Percy, the youngest son of the family. Before El Parayso was opened to visitors, he was the one who had the idea of sharing its forest and culture. He found an opportunity to protect his heritage by sharing it with travelers from all over the world.

El Parayso has one of the best preserved forests around Puerto Maldonado, excellent for jungle walks and wildlife observation. This is the main activity here, with 3 km long trails along the forest, having both daytime and night walks. On the trails it is possible to find a wide variety of flora and fauna species, such as squirrel monkeys, toucans, armadillos and a variety of insects, arachnids, amphibians and reptiles.

To enjoy this place, the Balarezo Family has built two double cabins near the river. But if the traveler is looking for a closer contact with nature, there are also camping areas on the trails.

For more information about El Paraíso, visit www.tambopataecotours.com.

New Spirits- Kundalini Yoga at Kapievi

Kundalini Yoga at Kapievi

Akalbir Singh  moved to Kapievi to live his dream. He brings spirit and positive energy to Kapievi- join his yoga classes while you are in Puerto Maldonado or spent a few days at Kapievi to completly refill your body energy!

Kundalini Yoya, KAPIEVI Ecovillage and Me

I visited Puerto Maldonado for the first time seven years ago and got to know KAPIEVI and the “cabaninha dos sonhos” (Cabin of dreams, in Portuguese) by then as well. Then KAPIEVI was not what it is now, it was more cleared up, treeless, neither pretty cabins, neither gardens. From that time, however, my dream was to be part of KAPIEVI.

Thanks To KAPIEVI I fell in love with the jungle and Tambopata.

My life with Kundalini Yoga

I began my spiritual quest with three rules five years ago: Breathe, meditate and be vegetarian.

I was a part of (and I believe that I am still) a group of extraterrestrial contact called RAHMA, which looks for the awakening of the conscience in the human being as final objective. Three years back I broke up the relationship with the girl who I is my wife now. On the following day I met with a lady friend who was my boss long time ago and at that time a Kundalini Yoga instructor. We talked about metaphysics and what we expect for the world and for us for the year 2012. We found many coincidences; she invited to meet her Kundalini Yoga classes and I was shocked, delighted. One of the extraterrestrial Teachers of the project RAHMA said: “If you want to be in contact with us, first you should have to be in contact with you and your brothers and sisters, but, rather than everything, what's most important, is to be in contact with yourselves, with your inside”.

With this idea in my head and with the Kundalini Yoga inside my experience of life I accepted the invitation to be a part of the course to form instructors' new group of Kundalini Yoga. I completed my instruction and I could go back to fall in love with my girlfriend, thanks to life.

Working at LAN Airlines in Lima I remembered the dream to go to live in the jungle. My girlfriend finished her studies in Psychology and backed me up to attempt a change within work and be reassigned and move to Puerto Maldonado.

 

My dream comes true

It was the first trimester of the 2012 and we attended to a lunch in Pachacamac in where we met with my master Nam Nidhan Kaur Khalsa. There I got to know Hari Raj Kaur (Pierina Zlatar ), the owner of KAPIEVI and next instructor of Kundalini Yoga. The rest is history- I got to Puerto Maldonado and for three months now, I am working with Pierina, constructing a same dream: Guru Ram Das's house in the Amazon. Since one month, I live in KAPIEVI, in my own “Cabanhinha dos Sonhos” with the woman that I love and the work that I always wanted. Seven years were enough for a dream to become real. Sat Nam.

 

Akalbir Singh 

Tambopata Ecotourism Corridor - Amazon Shelter

 

When you are looking for a nice activity in Puerto Maldonado, rent a motorbike and take a ride on the Tambopata Corridor. During the ride you can enjoy the beautiful nature of the Tambopata National Reserve and visit the Communities of the Tambopata Ecotourism Corridor. The Amazon Shelter is one of the great places to visit and located at km 11.

In 2005 Magali Salinas founded the Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation in the area of the National Reserve of Tambopata and became part of the Tambopata Ecotourism Corridor. Years before she has been engaged in fighting against wildlife trafficking and worked with governmental agencies and the Ecological Police.  With the AMAZON SHELTER she wants to provide animals that have been confiscated by the police, are ill or got involved in an accident with a shelter. They are nursed and released into their natural habitat after going through a feasibility study.

Magali takes care of the well being of the animals that cannot be released, host volunteers that help her with the animals and teaches school classes and visitors about the importance of preserving the forest and the protection of wild animals.The maintenance of the Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation is quite expensive and needs a lot of work. Therefore volunteers are always welcomed and Magali is thankful for financial aid, animal adoption and any other support.

Information for volunteering:

Volunteers are always welcomed at the Amazon Shelter. Magali can need support in the daily duties as the preparation of meals, feeding the animals, cleaning their areas and the construction of sections. The Shelter’s accommodations include 7 bedrooms (with shared bathrooms), a dining room with kitchen and a living room.

Relaxation in Tambopata-La Habana

Tambopata Ecotourism Corridor - LA HABANA RURAL INN (Relaxation, Pool)

->The Habana RURAL INN is the perfect place for a relaxing day. You can enjoy a sunbath in the beautiful garden and take a swim in the pool surrounded by palm trees- the perfect place to be at a hot day! For those who are interested in the extraordinary trees, Professor Lovon is always pleased to share his knowledge and take you for a walk through his botanical garden. Otherwise you can discover the flora and fauna of the property by yourself or just walk down to the river and go for a swim in the Tambopata River. To that the restaurant offers local dishes and a observation tower enables a panoramic view which is particularly beautiful during the sunset.

Herbert Lovon grew up in the natural area of Tambopata and knows every single species. When the Tambopata Ecotourism Corridor was set up he joined and established his LA HABANA RURAL INN. Since then he is constantly improving and adapting the place to the visitor’s expectations and interests. Professor Lovon, as he is known in the region, s engaged in the conservation and protection of the environment and his mission is to prevent deforestation of the Peruvian Amazon.

Besides a nice pool which is surrounded by a nice garden enabling a relaxing day the Habana has more to offer. Guests who are interested in trees and plants can take a 2 km walk through the forest to the find trees as the rubber tree, mahogany, coca, carambola, or even ayahuasca. Further is Prof Lovon always pleased to take guests on a walk through his botanical garden that offers an impressive variety of plants, trees and fruits ideal for those who have always wondered what some of the local species are alike and for what medical purposes they are used.

El Parayso, naturaleza y tradición amazónica

El Parayso es un lugar en las afueras de Puerto Maldonado donde viven los Balarezo. Esta es una de las familias más antiguas de la zona, habiéndose asentado en Tambopata  durante el auge del caucho. Por eso, ellos permiten al viajero dar una mirada al pasado de la región, a través de las historias y experiencias que comparten amablemente. Don Francisco y doña Beatriz, padres de 10 hijos, ya han pasado los 80 años, y aún conservan un admirable estado físico. Sentarse con ellos a compartir sus vivencias de hace décadas, probando la comida típica que la señora Beatriz prepara con mucho gusto, es una experiencia cultural muy interesante que se es cada vez menos posible encontrar en la región.

El principal anfitrión es Percy, el hijo menor de la familia. Fue él quien tuvo la iniciativa de convertir El Parayso en un lugar abierto para los visitantes, aprovechando el potencial de sus recursos naturales, históricos y culturales, que comparten con entusiasmo y calidez humana.

El Parayso posee uno de los bosques mejor conservados e ideales para la observación de flora y fauna de los alrededores de Puerto Maldonado. Para poder disfrutar de este lugar, los Balarezo han construido dos cabañas dobles cerca del río. Allí, el viajero puede pasar la noche en contacto con la naturaleza y con mucha tranquilidad.

La principal actividad en El Parayso son los recorridos por los senderos de más de 3 km de recorrido a lo largo del área de bosques, habiendo caminatas tanto diurnas y nocturnas. En dicho sendero se puede apreciar, aun estando solo a 4.5 km de la ciudad, una gran variedad de especies de flora y fauna. Allí se puede observar varias especies de monos, como el “pichico” o el “musmuqui”, aves como el “paucar”, mamíferos como el “sajino” o el “armadillo”, y una gran variedad de insectos, arácnidos, anfibios y reptiles. Estos últimos se pueden apreciar con mayor frecuencia en un humedal que existe dentro del bosque, donde de noche es posible observar caimanes con la ayuda de una linterna.

Para más información, visite www.tambopataecotours.com

A diverse ecosystem

There is much talk about the great biodiversity of Tambopata and its numbers, which continue to be very difficult to calculate. So while many are encouraged to give approximations, few know for sure the exact numbers of the wildlife that inhabits this part of the Amazon.

Let's start with the basics. What seem to be just trunks, branches and leaves, is actually a variety of habitats where completely different species can be found. There are 4 main types of forest in which an amazing number of 20,000 plant species, approximately, grows. There are dry forests with the tallest trees as the chestnut that can grow more than thirty meters high. During the rainy season it is easy to find flooded forests, which are filled with rainwater or by overflowing rivers and creeks. There are also bamboo forests near the banks of the rivers and palm swamps, mainly found near to oxbow lakes.

More than 1000 identified bird species (more than in the whole U.S.A.) make Tambopata a paradise for birdwatchers. Most prominent are the harpy eagle, the second largest in the world, the hoatzin, 8 macaw species, 17 parrot and parakeet species and the king vulture, just to name a few.

174 species of mammals have been counted. In the forest of Tambopata live 8 monkey species, including the howler monkey, considered the loudest land animal on the planet, whose calls are heard from miles away. Oxbow lakes are the best place to find the giant otter, a really threatened species of the Amazon. In the dry forest lives the tapir, the largest land mammal in Latin America and probably the only one not afraid of the jaguar; locally known as ‘otorongo’. This predator has the strongest bite of all the big cats in the world.

Due to the great difficulty of being found, either by size or camouflage mechanism, approximately 100 species of reptiles and amphibians have been identified so far, although it is known that there are many more. In Tambopata live three species of caiman: the white caiman, the most common one, the dwarf caiman, inhabitant of streams, and the black caiman, which can reach 6 meters long. The largest reptile living in these forests is the green anaconda, slow on land but very fast in the water, where it feels more comfortable. Some say that anacondas over 9 meters have been seen, which makes them the largest predator in the jungle.

If finding reptiles and amphibians is difficult, it is more complicated to determine the number of fish species in the dark and turbid waters of rivers and lakes. They say there are over 200 fish species in Tambopata.

All these figures are updated constantly, as more species are being discovered. Protecting the Amazon is a great responsibility that has to be more intensively promoted among its inhabitants and visitors. You really have to be there, in the middle of the jungle, to start thinking about the importance of its natural resources for all humanity and its own future as a species.

One of the ways in which you can support the sustainable use of Tambopata’s natural resources, is traveling responsibly and being selective at the moment of choosing your trip to the jungle. On www.tambopataecotours.com, for example, you can find local families with small tourism initiatives that support their private conservation areas. More expensive options are the numerous jungle lodges along the Tambopata River that offer excellent service and comfort amidst this natural paradise.