FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
The development is only 20 miles from the Puerto Maldonado International Airport so the easiest way to get there is by commercial flight. From the airport you can take a taxi the 20 miles to the developement (normal cost is around $15).
The first 10 miles are via the new Interoceanic Highway which is a modern paved two lane road and the last 10 miles are on a well maintained gravel road. Alternatively you can take a private car or bus from Lima on a beautiful and exciting 1000 mile trip on the Interoceanic Highway where you would cross over the Andes mountains and pass through Cuzco, Peru.
It is the Amazon Jungle so the weather is generally hot and humid. However, the weather is not as extreme as one may think. It never gets cold so it could be compared to much of the southeastern United States but with an eternal summer. The rainy season has many sunny days and the dry season has rain at times. The temperature on average is less than summers in Florida or Georgia.
On average, the temperatures are always high.
On average, the warmest month is October.
On average, the coolest month is July.
The average annual maximum temperature is: 86° Fahrenheit (30.0° Celsius)
The average annual minimum temperature is: 66.2° Fahrenheit (19.0° Celsius)
No, Peru generally has very liberal immigration policies and enforcement. People from most nationalities can enter the country and stay for 6 months without a visa. People who overstay can leave and return by paying a fee ($1.25 a day). There are various routes to obtain legal residency including "Retired" (with minimum $1000 monthly pension, dividend, or interest income), "Investor", "Business Owner" , "Worker" (can be employed by any type of business here) "Religious" (missionary), and "Family" (married to Peruvian or have Peruvian children). Peru has a history of welcoming immigrants from all over the world for hundreds of years. There have been waves of immigration from Japonese, Chinese, English, Germans, Italians, Cubans and others. Recently there have been problems with large numbers of Venezuelans moving to Peru but all other nationalities are still well received and especially Americans.
That being said, the bureaucratic process to obtain your legal residency can be frustrating mostly due to unfamiliarity with the process. We recommend service providers who we have used before who handle the paperwork for a nominal fee. Additionally, if your best path to residency is opening a formal business we can arrange for that even before you arrive.
See helpful information here:
https://internationalliving.com/countries/peru/peru-visa-and-residence/
The development is uniquely situated to have an advantage regarding security because it is at the "end of the road" with no other access. There is only one way in and one way out and even at this preliminary stage we are installing security camera systems. Upon completion we will have a total of 16 security cameras just monitoring the intrance access points. The entrance gate will be manned and monitored so there is practically no way a potential criminal could enter the area undetected unless they hiked through dense jungle for hours. So far there have been no problems with security issues.
Currently building 20-foot steel tower to place near the entrance for mounting security cameras.
Yes, while until recently unheard of here, homeschooling is now legally recognized in Peru and there are homeschool support groups here. Now due to the Covid school shutdowns homeschooling is widespread and completely socially acceptable. Additionally, there is provision in the schooling law for "out of school" students to take placement exams which will allow them to enter a formal school or recieve their school completion certificate (diploma). Furthermore, the authorities do not monitor or bother children who are foreigners. There are not enough spaces in the public schools for all of the Peruvian children so how you educated your own foreigner child is not a concern to them.
Yes, ...While Peru does not have 2nd amendment type protections foreigners with a valid residence card can purchase and own guns. High caliber handguns (larger than .380 are reserved to the police and military but you can purchase most any type of rifle (even AR 15s) or shotgun. The best gun for the jungle is undoubtedly a 12 gauge shotgun.
Links with guns available to purchase in Peru and related information below:
Puerto Maldonado has expanded a lot in the last few years and there are many good restaurants in the area with everything from Brazilian food to Arab food, Pizza, Gormet, and of course the native jungle food.
The gardens will be recently planted from nursery stock and therefore most of the plants will take a couple of years to start producing food however some types of plants only take a few months to start producing.
Pictures of plants in nursery ready for planting:
Not only could a home here function as a bug-out location but it is also suitible for those wanting to retire or live "off-grid" in a private and secluded area. It is close enough to town so that if desired one could make daily trips for shopping, school, going to the bank, eating at restaurants, etc. Additionally, the home could be rented out as a short term or long term rental.
Yes, dependable Internet is currently available at the location using a tower and modem that recieves a signal from the 4G cellular system. Monthly cost for unlimited internet is currently around $30. The 4G cellular towers are 6.5 miles away so the signal at ground level is not very strong. It is not expected that 5G systems would ever be installed there because there are no power lines to power such systems and it is 7 miles to the highway and powerlines. Cost for internet installation (12 meter tower, modem, cable to house) is $1550.
The availability and quality of food in town is quite good. All types of food is sold by venders in the streets, formal markets, and modern grocery stores.
All beef, pork, and chicken is produced locally. There are no feed lots and all cattle are free-range grass fed exclusively. All beef and pork is slaughtered daily at the regional slaughterhouse and sold daily. Chickens are also raised locally and processed daily and sold.
Whole raw milk is also commonly sold and there is even home delivery. The milk also comes from local free-range cows that eat only live grass. There are no industrial milk factories in this region. Cheese and yogurt is also made from this milk and sold daily. Whole raw milk is generally sold in 1 liter plastic bags for $.70 a liter.
While some lamb is raised here most lamb meat at the market comes from Cuzco which is just an overnight truck ride away. Trout is also brought from Cuzco as it grows in the cool mountain water and not in warm jungle water.
The local lakes and rivers provide an abundance of fresh fish daily and ocean seafood is brought by truck from the coast. While tecnically illegal, all sorts of wild game can be purchased at certain markets including deer and picuro and wild pig species.
Much fruit is grown locally including pineapple, watermelon, papaya, citrus, bananas and many exotic jungle fruits. Fruits that do not grow in this area such as apples, peaches, blueberries, and strawberries are trucked here and always available.
Brazil nuts are native to this area and we actually have a number of trees on the development property. Cashews also grow here but there is no processor to separate the nut from the fruit part so here only the fruit part is used for making a fruit juice and the cashew nuts are thrown away.
All types of fresh vegetables are available at the markets.
Puerto Maldonado is a town founded on high ground where three rivers meet. It was named after Faustino Maldonado, an early explorer of the region. The legal name of the area is Tambopata but the common name is Puerto Maldonado.
The two main economic activities today are gold mining and tourism. Gold is found in all the sand and gravel bearing material which is generally covered by between 6 to 60 feet of dirt, mud, and clay. Both formal and informal gold mining is carried out 24 hours a day in areas far from town but close enough that the city is the major financial benefactor of these activities. It is here where equipment is purchased, gold is sold, and workers are paid and support their families.
Starting in 2008, the government, under pressure from foriegn influences, declared much of the formally legal activities illegal. This has done nothing to help the enviromental damage that is done because now there is less reason for formal operators to work and thus there is less control and influence for better mining practices.
The tourism business was touted as a replacement for gold mining and it did create many jobs and income for the many jungle lodges that were built along the rivers. People come from all of the world to experience the jungle first hand and to see the wildlife and plantlife.
Due to this city being the capital of the department (like a state) all the government offices are here and this also provides an economic benefit to the city. Formerly there were four flights a day arriving here from Cuzco and Lima but due to the decrease in tourists arriving now there are only two flights. Also there is bus service from Cuzco and Puno and private taxi cars make those same trips continually. The Bolivian border is ony about two hours away by car and one hour by river boat. The Brazilian border is three hours away by car.
In 2009 the Interoceanic Highway was completed which connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and it runs right through the city and area. Thus, we have a good well maintained highway connecting us both to the East and the West.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
View some youtube videos from third parties which show their perspective of the area.
Yes, we will provide a service to allow you to purchase all that you need so that your home is as completely equiped as you want it including vehicles, 4-wheelers, electrical appliances, furniture, bedding and linens, kitchenwares, gardening and agricultural equipment, tools, and even farm animals such as chickens, sheep, goats, pigs, cows, ducks, rabbits, etc.
In order to provide a way for someone on a very tight budget to be able to afford this security for their family we are offering a basic bare bones unit for a price of $58,700. For this amount you will get:
2 acre lot
24 foot diameter geodesic dome with simple floorplan
Water well with hand pump
Individual septic system (lower capacity than for larger homes)
Full food forest garden as specified
Small solar system with 500 watt panel, 1,000 watt inverter, 100ah battery
Small pressurized water system for bathroom and kitchen plumbing
To calculate cost to upgrade to a larger house or with other amenities add the upgrade costs to this initial $58,700.
If do not come soon after the completion of your property to live at it or if you are purchasing it only as an insurance policy for potential future troubled times or as an investment property, you will need to hire a gardener to take care of your garden, otherwise the jungle will grow up around it and very little of your food producing plants will survive or produce any food. It is important to keep the area cleared of other growth and for some plants to do pruning, especially the citrus. An average cost for a gardener to come every two weeks to keep your garden in good shape is $100 a month. In a couple of years when the garden is producing that amount could be lowered by the value of the food that was produced by arranging for it to be harvested and sold so that theoretically it could be self-sustaining financially. Our office can arrange for a gardener and to monitor the success of the food forest.
The gate at the entrance to the community will have a store and a concession will be given to the keeper of the store to be able to sell to the residents at standard prices. The storekeeper will be required to live on the premises and monitor the entrance and the security cameras and sound an alarm in case of problems. Additionally, through a local area network, alerts can be recieved by each resident.
The community pool will be a natural pool that has a separate regeneration zone. Pumps and water conditioning systems will be driven by solar power. The advantage of this type of system for this installation is that it will require much less chemicals and therefore the maintanence fees paid can be greatly reduced. The size of the pool will be approximately 20ft X 40 ft and with an attached baby pool.
Yes, in fact, recently Amazon and Aliexpress started offering free shipping on many items. It takes longer to get here but many things can be purchased with low cost or free shipping and taxes are only charged on items over $200. The capital city Lima is a city of 11 million people and it is usually quicker to find what you need there and it can also be shipped easily to Puerto Maldonado.
There is a Ebay owned company for Latin American called Mercado Libre and you can order many things from Lima through them and they usually get here in about three days.
There are branches of four large Peruvian banks here:
All four of these have good service for international wire transfers and online banking. Additionally there are about 8 other Peruvian credit unions which the locals use.
Common animals that are eaten by the locals and natives are:
Additionally, the lakes and rivers are full of fish and aquatic animals and provide most of the meat for the local native diet. Fishing with nets brings in commercial quantities of fish for many fishermen.
Yes, if you are motivated to leave your current location for the relative security that this area offers we can help you find a house or apartment to rent while your homestead is being constructed. Homes and apartments which are similar to western standards are in very limited supply here. However, if we can not find something that will suit you there are nice hotels and the monthly expense would be less than the average western mortgage cost. Also, being here would help you get acclimated to the climate and culture and you could start tending your garden/food forest or animals right away.
There is a hospital system run by the government which covers all formal workers (ESSALUD). Formal workers are people who work for a formal company and thus pay taxes and have health insurance and retirement benefits. This would be available to you if you started your own company for the purpose of having a worker´s residency. ESSALUD is considered the better of the two state run systems. There is an ESSALUD hospital in Puerto Maldonado.
Additionally there is another state run hospital in Puerto Maldonado which is open to anyone (Santa Rosa Hospital). If you have an emergency and need immediate care you can go there and they will help you and the cost is very low. Usually $10 plus the cost of medicine and bandages.
There are also private medical clinics with surgery rooms that can take care of complicated matters. However, if you have cronic or a very serious illness your best option is to go to the capital city of Lima where you can find every sort of medical treatment. In Lima you can find upscale hospitals and clinics with American trained doctors and the latest modern equipment. There is insurance available for emergency care for expats or if you prefer a more tradicional comprehensive plan that is available either through the private insurance companies or directly with the private clinics in Lima.
Dental care is also very good here and much cheaper than in the US.
Yes, it is standard practice in Peru for the developer to set the initual rules of the development and then hand off control to a HOA which consists of and is controled by the homeowners themselves. It should be noted that HOAs in Peru do not have such tight control or powers as in the US to fine or sue the members. While this allows for more individual freedom it is also the reason that most neighborhoods are not as clean or elegant as in Western countries. This being a rural development the main function of the HOA will be to administer the maintanence fees for the road and pool maintanence and security issues.