Our Refugio Amazonas lodge lies deep within the rainforest — a luxurious oasis in the wilderness. With its wide variety of a la carte activities, the lodge is ideal for nature-lovers. And as the headquarters of our Citizen Science program, Wired Amazon, you even can contribute to science!
This fabulous tour takes you into the Tambopata National Reserve, created to protect the biological diversity of the entire watersheds of the Tavara and the Candamo river and most of the watershed of the Tambopata river.
A 4 day Amazon adventure that includes a walk amongst the treetops of the Rainforest from a Canopy tower with wonderful views, a marvelous visit to an ethnobotanical garden, witnessing the colorful spectacle of macaws and parrots on a clay lick and Peccary clay lick, hiking the Brazil Nut trail, searching for Caimans and an exciting night walk, while you stay at Refugio Amazonas.
Day 1
Departing Lima at 08:05 and arriving Puerto Maldonado at 10:45. You will be welcomed by your tour guides and transferred to our headquarters, where you will be asked to pack only the necessary gear for the next few days, the rest of your luggage will be kept safe in our storage room.
From Puerto Maldonado you’ll go to Tambopata River Port, 20 kilometers, into the Native Community of Infierno. The River Port is a community business. We’ll get on a boat and travel for 2 1/2hrs to Refugio Amazonas, past, Infierno and the Reserve checkpoint, into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit.
Refugio Amazonas is a private reserve intended to be integrated into the communities of Brazil on an attempt to extend the benefits of ecotourism to the families that committ to the sustainable use of the forest within this area.
We will quietly walk on the edge of the Tambopata River, by the shores, attentive with our headlamps on, to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes.
Overnight in Refugio Amazonas Lodge.
Day 2
After breakfast, we’ll get on a canoe or catamaran, and paddle around the lake to meet the alluring nine giant river otters, the quiet caimans and the wondering hoatzins and horned screamers on the bushes surrounding the lake, don’t forget to look up, you will be delighted by the macaws flying over your head.
We will walk from Refugio Amazonas for 30 minutes, arriving at the Canopy Tower scaffold with a banister staircase running through the middle providing safe access to the platforms above. All set to experience the Amazon Rainforest from the top of its vast trees (30 meters /100 ft.), incredible views of the splendid primary forest extending along the Tambopata National Reserve. Look up! And you’ll see a flock of toucans or macaws flying into the horizon or resting on the top of the trees close to you.
Later in the day, 5 minutes downriver from Refugio Amazonas, in the neighboring community “Condenado” we’ll visit a Farm with an impressive variety of popular and unknown plants and trees with medicinal and nourishing purposes.
We will continue with our Ethnobotanical Tour designed by the Centro Ñape, a community organization. They created a nature trail explaining the different medicinal (and other) uses of selected Amazon plants such as Ajo-Sacha, Yuca de Venado, Uña de Gato, Charcot-Sacha, Para-Para, etc.
After dinner, the Refugio Amazonas staff give lectures about conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve you may join.
Overnight in Refugio Amazonas Lodge.
Day 3
After breakfast, we’ll watch the fascinating ritual of the Macaw & Parrots Clay Lick at a 15 minute boat ride and 60 minute walk from Refugio Amazonas. We’ll witness this natural spectacle from a blind located about 20 meters away, from the river bank where parrots, macaws and parakeets flock around, ingesting the clay as part of a detox ritual. With luck we’ll see the Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons, Blue-headed Pionus, Severe macaw and Orange-cheeled (Barraband`s) Parrot.
Only a few minutes from the lodge, we’ll hike our way to a beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest harvested for decades with remains of a small camp used twice a year by Brazil Nut gatherers. You guides will show you the ardous process of collection, transportation and elaboration of this valuable product.
Overnight in Refugio Amazonas Lodge.
This wondrous event takes place at a 20 minute walk from Refugio Amazonas. A herd of five to twenty wild pigs show up at a river bank to eat clay in the late morning. Chances of spotting them are around 15%, but to watch the event is well worth the short hike. We may see other wild animals as well such as deers, guan and parakeets!
After dinner, you can go for a night walk, an exciting option to spot mammals rarely seen during the day, also frogs with bizarre shapes and sounds.
Day 4
You will take a boat from Refugio Amazonas back to Tambopata River Port and then to Puerto Maldonado headquarters. You will be transferred to the airport to take your flight to Lima (departing at 11:25hrs. and arriving at 14:15hrs.) or other destination.
1. Rainy season is from mid-October to mid-March and the heaviest months of rain are January and February.
2. Since 2017, Refugio Amazonas offers “a-la-carte” excursions, at an additional price of US$ 125 per person. You can have 4-6 jungle excursions during your stay.
