For travelers wishing to travel to Manu National Park, but don’t have the time or money, the Tambopata-Candamo National Reserve is a very good alternative. It is much easier to visit this area for short trips and it can be much cheaper. There are almost 600 species of birds and over 1,200 species of butterflies in the reserve. There are many caiman, tapirs and other large animals, as well. The macaw clay lick located in this reserve is the largest in the world, and is the highlight of this area. Macaws gather early each morning to eat the clay. This provides a truly incredible sight as hundreds of green, blue, yellow and red macaws, along with thousands of smaller green parrots, cover the cliff face.
Lago Valencia is another ox-bow lake located about seven hours from Puerto Maldonado. The lake is visited by few people and is a good opportunity for viewing wildlife. There are river otters, caimans, monkeys and a variety of bird life by the shores of the lake.
Located down the Madre de Dios River is Monkey Island. This is a small man made island located in the middle of the river, which has many different varieties of monkeys.