Tambopata Research Center
The Tambopata Research Center (TRC) is a spartan yet comfortable 18 bedroom lodge built fifteen years ago with the object of lodging tourists and researchers alike and protecting the adjacent macaw clay lick. Because of its remote location in uninhabited wilderness, home to numerous species of endangered wildlife, the small scale of its infrastructure, and the presence of researchers and naturalist guides, Tambopata Research Center is an excellent lodge for in depth explorations of Amazonian nature and wildlife.TRC is located in a half hectare clearing in the middle of the uninhabited portion of the Tambopata National Reserve, adjacent to the Bahuaja National Park and 500 meters from the world's largest macaw clay lick.
Day 1
This morning you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to the airport in time for your morning flight to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival in Puerto Maldonado, you will be met by staff from Refugio Amazonas and transfer to the Refugio’s headquarters in Puerto Maldonado, a 10-minute drive. Here there will be a safe place to leave any gear that you do not want to take into the jungle. Continue on to the Tambopata River Port located approximately 20 kilometers from Refugio Amazonas headquarters near the native community of Infierno. You will load up in 20-foot long roofed canoes with outboard motors and ride 2.5 hours to Refugio Amazonas, your cozy rainforest accommodations built on a 200-hectare private reserve of primary forest on the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve. This evening explore along the river’s edge with your with headlamps and flashlights in search of black Caiman, which can grow up to 20-feet in length.
All meals included. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.
Day 2
A 2-hour hike takes you to Sachavacayoc Lake where you will paddle around the lake in a catamaran searching for the resident family of five giant river otters (seen by about 30% of lake visitors), and other lakeside wildlife such as caiman, hoatzin and horned screamers. You’ll hike out at dawn - when otters are active. Don't forget the 2-hour return hike! For those who do not want to take the long hike, you may opt to visit Condenado Lake, which is a 30-minute hike from the lodge. After lunch, travel 5-minutes downriver to visit a local Farm and Ethnobotanical Garden. The farm is owned and managed Don Manuel, a charismatic man from the neighboring community of Condenado. He grows a variety of popular and unknown Amazon crops - just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose. He has also identified and cultivated many of the medicinal plants used in the region in a little backyard garden. Later this afternoon explore the Brazil nut trail and camp located a few minutes hike from the lodge. This beautiful old growth patch of Brazil Nut forest has been harvested for decades (if not centuries) and as proof you will find the precarious remains of a camp used two months a year by Brazil Nut gatherers. There will be a demonstration of the whole process of the rain forest's only sustainable harvested product, from collection through transportation to drying. Dinner at the lodge. Nightly lectures prepared by the staff of Refugio Amazonas cover conservation threats, opportunities and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.
All meals included. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas
(or Tambopata Research Center for 5-day itinerary)
Day 3
After breakfast, you will take a 15-minute boat ride and 1-hour walk to visit the Parakeet Clay Lick. From a blind, you will see parakeets descend (on most clear days) to ingest the clay on a bank. Species such as Dusky headed and Cobalt winged Parakeet descend at this clay lick. You will visit the lick at dawn, when parrots are most active or midmorning or early afternoon, when they are also active. Later this morning, proceed on a 20-minute walk from Refugio Amazonas to a peccary clay lick. These wild rain forest pigs show up in herds of 5 to 20 individuals to eat clay in the late morning. The chances of spotting them are around 15%, but well worth the short hike. Other wildlife also shows up including deer, guan and parakeets. After lunch, a 30-minute walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25-meter scaffolding canopy tower. A banister staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your view of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. The tower allows you access to the rare plant and animal species of the delicate treetop ecosystem. From here it is possible to observe toucans, macaws, and raptors among other species. Dinner at the lodge. Tambopata National Reserve Lecture.
All meals included. Overnight in Refugio Amazonas.
(or Tambopata Research Center on 5-day itinerary)
Day 4
Early this morning, retrace your river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, the Refugio Amazonas office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures. Midday flight to Cusco. Upon arrival into Cusco, you will be met by Andean Discovery staff and transferred to your hotel where you can take in breathtaking panoramic views of the city and begin acclimating to the city’s altitude, 11,151 feet above sea level.
Please contact us to check availability and prices, or to inquire about customizing an itinerary for you.
Sample Itineraries
- Tambopata National Reserve
- Manu Biosphere Reserve
- Mountain Biking from Cusco to Manu Biosphere Reserve
About the Amazon Rainforest
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