Tambopata Tour: Peruvian Amazon Experience (4 Days)

Tambopata Tour: Explore, Discover, and Protect the Amazon on this 4-Day National Reserve Tour

On this Tambopata Tour you will encounter the outstanding biodiversity and natural wonders of the Amazon Basin in Tambopata National Reserve. Visit a parrot clay lick to see thousands of birds gather, boat along wildlife-rich rivers, take a night hike in the jungle, and explore a local Brazil nut harvesters’ cooperative to learn how local communities are committing themselves to sustainable forest use and eco-agriculture.

The Tambopata Research Center (TRC) is one of the most remote rainforest lodges in Peru. Its off-the-grid location and dedicated staff of researchers and naturalist guides offer an unparalleled opportunity to engage with the natural world.  The eighteen-bedroom lodge provides accommodation for travelers and researchers alike, and its infrastructure is designed for high research capability and low environmental impact.

Highlights

• Authentically and sustainably explore the Amazon in Tambopata National Reserve
• Discover outstanding wildlife including the endangered Giant River Otter and the Caiman alligator
• Enjoy a spectacular and frenzied natural event –the parrot clay lick at sunrise
• Help support sustainable tourism and eco-agriculture

Important Notes

Availability: Year round, daily departures

Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights

Start/End Location: Puerto Maldonado

Difficulty Level: Easy. Light hiking over even trails.

Itinerary

Day 1: Arrive at the Amazon Refuge
Upon your arrival in Puerto Maldonado, your guides will pick you up and transfer you to the Tambopata River Port, where your Tambopata National Reserve tour begins!

You’ll take a 2.5-hour boat ride past the Tambopata National Reserve checkpoint, and enter the buffer zone of the 5,000 square miles (1.3 million hectares) protected natural area. Upon arrival at your lodge, you’ll be welcomed by the manager and provided with a brief presentation and safety information.

Enjoy a welcome dinner at the lodge before returning to the =river to scan the banks with headlamps in search of the notorious “red-eye shine” of massive caimans.

Day 2: Explore the Refuge and Visit and Eco-farm
After an early breakfast, set out for oxbow lake and explore by canoe or catamaran. Keep a lookout for fresh water wildlife and animals coming to eat or drink by the water — including caimans, horned screamers, and giant river otters! You will almost certainly spot groups of macaws flying overhead.

From the lake, head to the Canopy Tower,  just a thirty-minute walk from your lodge. A secure staircase will lead you over 80 feet (25 meters) onto canopy platforms where you’ll encounter breathtaking panoramic views of the Tambopata National Reserve old-growth forest, as well as an abundance of toucans, macaws, and other canopy dwellers.

Return to the lodge for lunch, then take a short boat ride in the afternoon to a local eco-farm in the nearby community of Condenado. Here, you’ll explore an ethno-botanical trail filled with native Amazon plants, trees, and crops. Your expert guide, Don Manuel, will teach you about the medical uses and identifying features of native species.

You’ll return to the lodge in time for dinner, then take the evening to relax.

Day 3: Visit a Salt Lick and Take a Night Hike
After an early breakfast, you’ll begin your day with a short boat ride and hike to a riverside clay lick. Each morning, thousands of parrots and parakeets descend on the clay riverbank walls to wake up the jungle and like the mineral-rich clay for its health properties. Species like the cobalt-winged and dusty-headed parakeets are frequent visitors. With luck, you’ll see a vast variety of species in the noisy morning hullabaloo.

After this dazzling spectacle, you’ll head back to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon, you’ll take a short walk to an old-growth patch of Brazil nuts — quite possibly harvested for centuries by native residents.

Two months each year, local Brazil nut gatherers occupy the camp for harvest. With luck, you may have the opportunity to meet some of the local people and observe the outstanding collection, drying, and transportation processes.

Later in the afternoon, you’ll hike to a nearby peccary pig clay lick — where herds of five to 20 wild pigs will gather to ingest the clay. Other wildlife also visits the clay lick, including deer, guans, and parakeets.

You’ll return to the lodge for dinner, then set out for an optional night hike into the rainforest. You may spot large mammals, and will certainly hear countless species of frogs filling the night air with their musical calls.

Day 4: Say Goodbye to your Tambopata National Reserve Tour
After an early breakfast, you’ll pack and return to Puerto Maldonado by boat. From there, you’ll be transferred to the airport for your onward travel.

What’s Included

Your Tambopata National Reserve Tour includes…

• Accommodation (3 nights; twin rooms)
• Full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
• Excursions as mentioned in the itinerary,
• Bilingual guide (1 guide for every 10 participants)
• Transportation
• Reserve entrance fees

What’s Not Included

• International/domestic flights
• Travel insurance
• Additional nights at the lodge due to bad weather or flight cancellations
• Personal expenses (e.g., additional food and beverages)
• Gratuities (optional)

Map

Puerto Maldonado Madre de Dios, Peru

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Puerto Maldonado Madre de Dios, Peru -12.593900, -69.186700