Inkaterra Amazonica Lodge

Gazing down on the Peruvian Amazon region with the aid of satellite image, the town ofPuerto Maldonado appears as a series of rough gray smudges in unending green, and a tawny river winds away through thick rain forest. Unlikely as it seems, an hour down a river and a short scramble up a rough clay riverbank is one of Peru‘s most enchanting and exciting hotels.

Inkaterra’s Reserva Amazonica Lodge is part of a private 12,140 ha nature reserve. It is a heaven of peace and quiet luxury in a wild natural setting: from screeching macaws in vivid primary colors to delicate pygmy marmosets; from single-minded columns of leafcutter ants to spectacular in crimson. All of this is before you have even made it to your room.

Traditional constructions updated by the addition of tight-fitting mesh screens, the thirty chic cabanas are open to the elements so that on the hottest of nights, a faint breeze might float up from the river. A heavenly lack of phones , Internet and even electricity is complemented by thoughtful, luxurious touches and by discreet staff who know when to offer a cocktail, hand you and ice-cold washcloth, or light you to bed with glowing kerosene lamps.

If you are lucky enough to be in one of the two ‘suites Tambopata‘, their private plunge pools and terraces are the ideal spot relax and cool down after an excursion into the jungle. Activities include trekking through the trees in thrall to one of the Reserva’s knowledgeable guides; spotting the sentinel, flash-lit eyes of caimans on the riverbanks on a nighttime boat trip; or an electrifying canopy walk 30 m above the ground through whispering treetops.