Tomorrow, I fly from Lima to Puerto Maldonado in Southeastern Peru for my first foray into the Amazon.
While the Amazon is a new jungle for me, I have spent some time in the rainforests of Costa Rica and Belize.
In the latter, I stayed at an adventure lodge with no electricity.
I am expecting this experience will be similar, especially if the Howler Monkeys have anything to say about it.
This packing list for the Amazon jungle takes into account advice from Rainforest Expeditions, as well as the following:
- I'll be in a boat 7 hours (each way) to get to and from the lodges
- It'll be hot and humid, with unpredictable rain showers
- No electric lights at night (only kerosene lamps)
Table of Contents
Backpacks
According to the trip notes, luggage* will be hand-carried at various stages en route to/from the lodges, and it's recommended that the weight per piece not exceed 15 kg (32 lbs).
My regular pack weighs in at just 10 kg, and I plan to reduce this weight even further by leaving behind some non-essentials at the company's Puerto Maldonado HQ before we board our first boat.
- Large Gregory Chaos backpack
- Regular size daypack
*It should go without saying that it's easier to carry a backpack than a wheeled suitcase for a trip like this.
Clothing
- GoLite rain jacket
- GoLite hoody (in case the nights are cold, also suitable for mosquito protection at night)
- Mountain Hardwear short sleeve base layer
- ExOfficio short sleeve t-shirt
- 3 cotton t-shirts
- REI long sleeve base layer
- 1 pair of lightweight, REI convertible pants/shorts
- Volcom board shorts (on the off-chance we go swimming with alligators)
- 5 pairs of ExOfficio boxers
- 2 pairs of SmartWool socks, 2 pairs of low-cut cotton socks
- Merrell hiking sneakers
- Baseball cap (sun protection)
- Bandanna
Electronics
- iPhone 4S
- Canon S100 camera w/soft case and battery charger
- 13? MacBook Air w/AC cord (for transferring photos each night to an external hard drive)
- 1 TB external hard drive (photo storage)
- 16 GB SanDisk SD card
- 2 GB SD card (back up)
- Petzl Zipka LED headlamp w/3 new AAA batteries
- Casio Pathfinder watch
- Creative Style 8 GB mp3 player
Miscellaneous
- Binoculars (unfortunately I don't have a pair, but they make a huge difference for wildlife and bird spotting)
- Oakley sunglasses
- 2 Sea to Summit dry sacks
- MSR Packtowl
- Toiletries
- Sunscreen
- Insect repellent (30% DEET)
- Optional: Your preferred pills for Malaria prevention (it's present in Tambopata, but "extremely rare")
Documents and Money
- Money Belt
- Passport and any required entry visas
- Immunization yellow book (Yellow Fever shot is required)
- Proof of travel/health insurance
- Cash - small denomination bills for incidentals, alcohol, souvenirs, and tips
- Debit card
- Credit card (back-up)
___________
Disclosure: This tour is in partnership with Rainforest Expeditions. As always, any opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Dave's 160-page, all-original Lima Travel Guide is now available for Kindle.
