Tingo Maria, the second best place to visit in Perú, after Machu Picchu.
With lush green trees taller than any I’ve ever seen before. Coconut vendors on every corner, and moto-taxis as your only transportation. Tingo Maria is home to hundreds of waterfalls and all the adventures you can dream of. With the weather being warm year-round, though it will be rainy during some of it, this is the ideal jungle adventure for anyone looking to explore the gorgeous sites that Perú has to offer.
If you’re looking to have a fun, packed day of adventures in the jungle of Perú, this is it, look no further. Here is your ultimate travel guide for your first full day of adventures in Tingo Maria.
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Flights To Tingo Maria
While the flight from, Lima, the capital of Perú, to Huanuco (which is the closest by plane that you can get to Tingo Maria) is a short 40-minute flight, I would recommend you budget an extra day of travel into your schedule. Because there isn’t a direct flight to Tingo Maria you’ll need to take a two-hour car ride to the jungle.
It’s a beautiful drive, but you may find yourself a little car-sick, that’s just how Peruvians drive here. All in all, three hours to get from the city to the gorgeous jungle is totally worth it in my opinion. I stress having that extra day of travel though because airline reservations are sometimes all over the place. Even though you have a ticket, that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be flying at that time. Read more about our airline issues in this post.
Travel day aside, here is our exact schedule from our first full day of adventures. We did so much and were exhausted by the end of the day, but also fulfilled and loved every minute of it.
Let’s jump into it!
Things To Consider
In Tingo Maria your main mode of transportation is going to be moto-taxis. They’re a great way to get around quickly and get a good view of the surrounding jungle. Moto-taxis are cheap, but don’t offer much space. Remember to have small change on hand as they don’t take big bills.
I recommend you wear something light that you don’t mind getting wet or sweating in, maybe even have your swimsuit on underneath your clothes. Wear walking shoes. Pack water, a windbreaker, bug spray, sunscreen, and bring a backpack.
Fabrica de Chocolates Kimpito
We started our trip bright and early, heading first to the chocolate factory, Fabrica de Chocolates Kimpito, and planning to get some breakfast while we were out there before we headed out to sightsee.
You know it’s going to be a good travel guide when I suggest you start your trip out with chocolate.
When we arrived at the chocolate factory it wasn’t actually open, I guess we just started our day of adventures a little too early. So we stopped to take some pictures of the scenery and tallllllll trees. At the time we thought these trees were incredible (which they are…), but the one tree here didn’t even compare to the trees we saw later.
While we were taking pictures one of the ladies who works at the chocolate factory showed up and she agreed to give us a quick tour even though they weren’t technically open yet.
The factory itself is not a big place, but it has a nice story and history. And afterward, you get to sample 15 different chocolates. Some of the machines on display behind the glass are actual equipment that is in use while you’re touring the place. They run in the background to make the incredible chocolate that you get to buy.
Heads up, this chocolate makes a great souvenir to bring home to your friends and family. It’s light and flat, so it travels well, and best of all, it’s delicious, of course.
You can be sure we came home with a lot of chocolate. No seriously…a lot.
Breakfast
After the tour, breakfast is right next door. There’s only one restaurant option and a little juice shack that’s connected.
The lady who owned the restaurant was super sweet and offered to make us hot chocolate or coffee. Knowing that the chocolate we had just sampled was amazing, we definitely wanted to try her hot chocolate recipe. And we were not disappointed.
She purchased a bar of chocolate just for us to try her recipe, so I do get the impression that they don’t always serve this drink. We did experience that when we went back a few days later and a different lady was working that day. The hot chocolate was not on the menu.
If you find yourself in Tingo Maria and you go to the restaurant–be sure to ask if they’re serving hot chocolate that day, because even if the weather outside is as hot as the drink in your cup, you will not be disappointed. It was the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.
Along with the hot chocolate we had Menú. The boys got Cecina (which is a slice of smoked pork, heated) and I got chorizo (this one was a special jungle sausage). On the side, we had yuka fries (one of my favorite Peruvian foods) and platano frito (fried banana).
Not to be dramatic about this entire meal…but, from hot chocolate to platano frito, this meal was so simple and so amazing. It might have honestly been our favorite meal this whole trip. It was so good and surprisingly filling. 10/10 would recommend you stop in and check this place out.
Parque Nacional Tingo Maria
After breakfast, you’ll head to Parque Nacional Tingo Maria Cueva de las Lechuzas. Before you can access the trail you will have to pay an entrance fee. The ticket actually allows you total access to this park and another park, Parque Nacional Tingo Maria Sector Tres de Mayo, but you will only have access to the parks for a limited amount of time. So keep the tickets in a safe (and dry) pocket!
There are two different prices for the tickets to the park. One price is for residents of Perú and the other for foreigners. You will have to show your ID when purchasing your ticket.
Head Out On The Trail
We grabbed our map of the available parks and surrounding areas and then headed out on the pathway. The surroundings were breathtaking!
Luscious green trees the height of skyscrapers surrounded us on all sides. The rain misted our faces. And there was coconut water on the horizon.
We must have stopped every two seconds to take approximately 257 photos with the trees and the leaves, but you do you.
Coconut water was the number one thing we had to stop for (almost) every time we spotted a vendor. I realize now that buying coconut water was our substitute for carrying a water bottle around. Almost every time we were thirsty and wanted to buy water, we pulled over to the side of the road instead and bought some coconut water.
Remember to apply your bug spray over and over again! Because the bugs in Tingo Maria are huge!
Cueva de las Lechuzas
Shortly after the coconut water stand is a staircase to the main attraction, the Cueva de las Lechuzas. The technical translation of that is Cave of the Owls, but I don’t remember seeing owls, my understanding was that it’s the cave of bats.
We were lucky enough to find a man giving another family a tour from the stairway to the cave on our way up, and we joined them.
If I’m honest though, I don’t think we were listening much, as we were too busy taking pictures of every gorgeous green leaf. You’d think we’d never see the jungle before…and you’d be right, half of us hadn’t.
The Cueva de las Lechuzas was loud, with all the bugs, bats, and birds constantly chatting. Perhaps now is a good time to warn you that there are A LOT of big bugs here…so if you’re not a fan…maybe don’t go into the cave.
Cockroaches of all shapes, sizes, and colors covered the floor and railings, some dropping from the ceiling.
Okay, too much. Too much. I get it.
Our tour guide made a point to point out every little bug and remind us not to step on them. So believe me, we were keenly aware of just how many bugs there were.
After you enter the cave you follow the little walkway all the way to the center of the cave.
There you’ll find a lookout that allows you to gaze at the bats and listen to the noises echo off the walls.
I will say, if bugs don’t bother you so much, this is a really cool experience and you should definitely check it out! The Cueva de las Lechuzas is a monumental attraction in Tingo Maria and absolutely worth exploring.
Souvenir Shopping
After the cave, we decided to get some more coconut water and head back toward the chocolate factory for some souvenir shopping.
The shops they have here are the best we found in all of Tingo Maria for getting “jungle souvenirs.” They have purses in all shapes and colors, jewelry, coconut monkeys, and all types of clothes made out of special jungle fabric.
If this is the type of stuff you’re going to want to take home with you, this is going to be your best selection during your whole trip. There isn’t an Indian Market type of place here, this will be your best selection of souvenirs.
Boat Tour
Next, head out for the 20-minute boat tour.
These boats will only go out if they have a certain number of people on the boat because they drive really fast and need the weight. If you’re thinking at all about going on the boat tour, make sure you go when there is a crowd, or else you might be waiting a while for enough people to show up so you can take off.
The boat tour was wild.
You’ll be greeted with a long, skinny boat. 15 people pile onto it with life jackets, all hoping to capture some cool pictures.
I’d advise you to get a strap for your phone – something like this – or put it in a secure pocket. These boats take fast turns and dips in the water. During the tour, the guide sits nonchalantly on the railing and takes videos of the experience to send you later. But because of the fast turns, it’s really risky to keep your phone out.
I say that as I show you a dozen pictures I took while doing the very thing I’m telling you not to do…
The tour altogether is literally about 20 minutes long, but I don’t think you would want it to be any longer. The boat goes around the river, stops to let everyone shuffle through and take a picture on the deck, and then circles back to base.
During that 20-minute boat ride, we went from dry to drenched. Not because the boat had splashed us or anything, but because we were visiting Tingo Maria during the rainy season, so the rain would start and stop as fast as you could flick on a light switch.
Catarata Gloriapata
Because of the limited amount of time you have to access both parks, you’ll want to head to Parque Nacional Tingo Maria Sector Tres de Mayo next.
Grabbing a moto taxi back to town is the fastest way to get to the second park. You’ll need to get to town first before you can grab a different, larger moto-taxi that will take you out of the city and over to Catarata Gloriapata.
For us personally, on our way back to town we spotted some more coconut water and we forced the driver to stop on the side of the road to get some. Because at this point, honestly, we were obsessed. And hey, coconut water was more convenient to buy than carrying a water bottle was!
At Catarata Gloriapata you will first cross the most beautiful wooden bridge overlooking the river. With the rain coming down it really brings out the beauty in the green of the trees and the wooden bridge takes on a picturesque beauty.
Before you can start hiking to the waterfall you’ll need to check in and show your tickets at the cabin. Here they’ll let you know how long of a walk it is to the top and when the park closes so that you know when you need to be back by.
On the way out you might notice a butterfly garden. Unfortunately, you aren’t allowed to go in and there aren’t any butterflies there anymore. During Covid, since there was no one around to take care of the park, they released all of the butterflies. However, because of this, you will get to see so many kinds of butterflies in the area as you make your way to the top.
It’s about 40 minutes to an hour to the top. At least, that is if you stop every two seconds to take pictures.
Despite the rain and the slightly cold water, swimming in the lower streams of the waterfall, Gloriapata is great fun and totally adds to the experience. Just be wary of the bugs, they like to hang around the water. I think we applied bug spray before getting into the water, when we got out and were quickly getting dressed, and an extra spray after we were dressed for good measure.
Lunch
A short, moto-taxi ride away from the park are many restaurants on the side of the road.
We ate at Comidas Tipicas de la Selva “Judith” and got Juanes. Or in English, John the Baptist’s head. It has rice, chicken, and banana, wrapped in bijao leaves to (kind of) form the shape of a head. We drank Camu-camu juice, ate yuka fries, and chicharrón de pescado (breaded and fried strips of river fish).
The End Of Your First Day In Tingo Maria
After you make it back to town it’s a great time to take a nap, explore downtown, get ice cream, fried bananas, or more coconut water. If you stroll through downtown you’ll find lots of little vendors selling clothes, shoes, and food.
For dinner, we recommend you check out Sabor Perú. Their cheeseburgers, yuka fries and juices are really good!
I recommend their tuna and pineapple juice! Oh…I should specify that tuna is a fruit here.
I hope you will get the opportunity to explore Tingo Maria one day! To think this was only one day of adventures, we have lots more we could talk about.
What else would you like to know about traveling to Tingo Maria? Let me know in the comments how I can best help you with all your travel questions.
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P.S. Looking for a fun activity to play while traveling to your next adventure? We put together a great freebie that you can play with your seatmate on a plane, train, or long bus ride, download your free trivia here.
Playing trivia is a great way to participate in fun activities with your friends and family, even when you’re 4,591 miles apart or constantly on the go. It helps you keep your long-distance relationships growing and is sure to provide lots of fun!
