Wildlife & Nature
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CREATING AUTHENTIC TOURS IN PERU
The Tambopata Jungle is located in the department of Madre de Dios, a 30-minute boat ride from the city of Puerto Maldonado. It can be reached from Lima or Cusco by flying to the Puerto Maldonado Airport. For a more economical option, traveling by car from Cusco takes more than 8 hours. Therefore, we recommend traveling by plane. This allows you to enjoy more time in the Tambopata National Reserve, which covers 274,690 hectares (1,061 square miles) of preserved land in southeastern Peru. The reserve has many diverse habitats, including lowland Amazon rainforest, riparian forests, and horseshoe lakes. It is crossed by three rivers: the Malinowski, Tambopata, and Madre de Dios rivers.
The Tambopata National Reserve is home to 1,200 species of butterflies, 169 species of mammals, approximately 632 species of birds, and hundreds of species of trees and plants. In fact, this reserve and the surrounding region are some of the most biodiverse places on the planet. The Tambopata Jungle is also home to diverse ethnic groups such as the Matsiguenka, Shipiba, and Ese-Eja. Many indigenous families still make their homes in the Tambopata Rainforest buffer zone.
The Tambopata Rainforest is one of the last remaining and most extensive areas of pristine rainforest. Tambopata is one of the few areas that contains lowland and pre-Andean rainforests, but it also connects with cloud forests at higher elevations and humid savannas. Furthermore, very few people lived in the more remote areas of Tambopata. Conservationists realized that the region could act as an important corridor between Manu National Park and the rainforests of Bolivia. The area also supported healthy populations of tapirs, jaguars and other cats, giant otters, harpy eagles, many types of macaws, and other animals that had disappeared from other parts of the Amazon.
The Tambopata Rainforest is located 180 meters above sea level. Temperatures range from 30°C (86°F) year-round, with a humidity level of up to 90%. The best time to visit is from April to November, when rainfall is low. Before visiting the Tambopata Rainforest, you should be vaccinated against yellow fever and dengue fever and carry a good mosquito repellent. During hikes, all visitors must wear rubber boots and avoid touching plants or walking on unauthorized trails. It is recommended to wear cotton clothing and hats that blend in with the environment. Always wear long sleeves to avoid mosquito bites.
Tambopata Amazon Lodge:
The Lodge is located 2 hours south from Puerto Maldonado in the limit of the Tambopata National Reserve next to the Bahuaja Sonene National Park “1.5 hour by road and 30minutes by river. We are the CLOSEST lodge to the great Macaw clay lick Chuncho, we own the tallest Canopy tower in the region and the only one with a swimming pool along the Tambopata River.
The lodge has 19 private rooms all with private bathroom and shower, 5 bungalows designed with local architecture and built with materials from the area, all of them have jungle views otherwise. Around the lodge there is a network of trails of over 42 km that passes through our protected primary forest, which provides an excellent opportunity for wildlife observation. The menu is and specific plates are assigned for each day served on a buffet table, vegetarians and vegan are very welcome in our lodge with a specific diet, main dish, dessert and beverage. The menu is healthy, balanced and made with local products (some from our own plantations).
The energy at the lodge is supplied by a generator from 5:00 pm to 10:00pm and also in the main areas by solar panels. They provide enough energy to have lights the 24 hours in our lobby and common areas. Electronic devices charging however are limited to two periods of time per day: From 11am to 2pm and from 5pm to 10pm.
The best time to visit Peru is during the dry season, between May and November, when the weather is dry and bright, with more frequent rainfall occurring between November and April.
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To book this tour, a minimum of $ 380 USD per person is required, the remaining balance will be paid upon arrival in Peru, at the Cusco office.
Any other additional information, please coordinate with your travel agent.
Feel the restorative power of nature, relax your mind in a place full of energy and life, disconnect from the fast-paced frenzy of everyday life.
Vaccines recommended for travelers to the Amazon often include hepatitis A and B, typhoid, and yellow fever. Visit your doctor four to six weeks before your trip for the latest recommendations and requirements for your destination. You may be advised to start taking malaria pills around this time.
The US Center for Disease Control is an excellent resource for detailed information on preventing travel related illnesses.
To stay safe in the Amazon, travelers should eat sensibly, dress appropriately and apply repellent to minimize the chance of getting bitten by mosquitos, and take the necessary vaccinations, medication and precautions as recommended by your doctor.
When hiking, canoeing, and enjoying other jungle activities you should always stay with your group and follow your guide’s advice. We also recommend that you leave valuable jewelry, watches and electronics at home, and where possible use a money belt and any room safes at your disposal to store passports and important documents.
Bring comfortable walking shoes, light-weight long pants, and long-sleeved tops, a wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen, extra socks, mosquito repellent with DEET, bathing suits and of course, waterproof ponchos with hoods to protect against rain your camera, with charger and extra batteries on excursions. Binoculars are very important to enjoy the wildlife. Do not forget to include some items that you can give away to the locals (t-shirts, pens, and paper are especially prized, and perhaps some chocolates or candies for little kids). During meals in the dining room, we ask our guests to wear casual clothing and shoes. We provide rubber boots for wetland excursions and wet landings, and recommend taking comfortable walking shoes.
Travelers are strongly advised to purchase trip cancellation insurance which will reimburse the cost of air tickets and other non-refundable trip payments. International medical, baggage loss, and delay insurance are also recommended. Unfortunately, if you miss the Amazon tour because of a weather-related flight cancellation, we will not reimburse the cost of the reservation since flight cancellations are beyond our control and we have to comply with our schedules.
To enter the countries in the Amazon Rainforest, you will need a valid passport. However, visitors from most countries do not need a visa, provided their visit will be shorter than 90 days. If you plan to stay longer, you will need to request a visa in your home country.
Yes. The food is simply world class. Our guests enjoy a menu of fresh, delicious Peruvian fare (with a bit of continental influence). Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner each day promises to be a culinary feast for the senses, paired with select South American wines or perhaps a freshly pressed juice. If you have special dietary requests, please inform Andean Great Treks at the time of booking, or at least by 30 days prior to start the Amazon Tours, because some items may have to be ordered from local markets in advance. Every effort will be made to cater to special dietary needs and to accommodate special requests, subject to a given products’ availability in Peru.
Amazon wildlife is abundant, but you have to know where to look. Many creatures are weary of humans and often camouflaged. Our expert naturalist guides will help you spot and identify animals with their local knowledge, tracking experience, and remarkable eagle-eyesight and trained ears.
Many can even mimic bird and monkey calls to attract them! In general, the longer you spend in the region and deeper you can travel into the rainforest, the more chance of spotting wildlife you see. A decent set of binoculars will also go a long way to help.
Taking vitamin B12 is a more natural way to gain some resistance to mosquitoes. It can be ingested as vitamin pills or found in some foods with high levels of B12 such as shellfish (clams, oysters, mussels), fish, crustaceans (crabs), soy products (milk, tofu), bran cereals, red meat (lamb, beef), low fat milk, select cheeses, and eggs. We suggest taking B12 supplements around 2-3 weeks before arriving in Amazon Rainforest.
Yes. We warmly welcome families with children aged 7 or older. Our lodges are comfortable to receive families with their children. Additional accommodation for one child is available in some Lodges. Our naturalist guides are very friendly with kids and all of our staff will provide the necessary care for your family. We also have survivor jungle trails, piranha catch-and-release fishing experiences in Iquitos, and meal menus for kids.
Every Andean Great Treks holiday has been thoughtfully planned and crafted by our specialists. They draw on their own extensive travel experience and the guidance and expertise of our local partners to create superb holidays. Our specialists are committed to making every aspect smooth and enjoyable; they genuinely want to ensure that the holidays they create leave you with wonderful lasting memories.
Every Andean Great Treks traveller is accompanied by an experienced tour guide, you will be immersed in Historic cities, ancient ruins and unfamiliar landscapes are all brought to life by our carefully selected local guides. They want to share their expertise and help you make your own discoveries too; their sole mission is to ensure you enjoy every moment.
Giving you the freedom to make your holiday even more memorable. We know how much our customers look forward to their holiday and we pride ourselves on the choice and flexibility that we offer to enhance every aspect of your experience. Whether it’s getting to the airport, upgrading your room or booking an additional excursion, we can help.
Our guides are the stars of the show; it is their unrivalled knowledge, passion and expertise that will transform your tour experience from good to truly extraordinary!
Because the have grown up in the area and know it like the back of their hand, so they can help you experience whichever aspects most interest you. They’re passionate about sharing their corner of the world with you, and as you explore together, they’ll open your eyes to the intricate details, provide background to enhance your understanding of what you’re seeing, and share stories that will bring everything to life.
“Your inspiration for a trip can be a single word or a highly evolved outline, but it’s the conversations we have that help us understand the experience you’re looking for. Meanwhile, I’m looking back on the time I spent at the destination.
‘The great thing about working with a specialist at Andean Great Treks is how they take your complete jumble of ideas and turn them into something absolutely spectacular.’
As you begin to share your ideas with your specialist, it will connect them immediately back to a time in their own travels. Conjuring a picture of the rest time they made that same discovery, reminding them how it felt.
Your specialist understands that, when the journey is right, it has the power to excite your emotions in the most profound ways after all, that was the effect on them.
They carry a treasure box of moments, captured over many journeys, into every suggestion they’ll share with you, as they ask you how you want to feel on your trip.
EXPERIENCES THAT CALL TO YOU
It’s what you do in a destination that helps bring it to life. It’s why we strive to choose experiences that help you connect to a place, absorbing a little of its complex character. Wherever your passions lie, we’ll recommend experiences that speak to you, and we’ll recommend the guide or local expert who’s most qualified to help you explore. Packing your holiday full of special experiences means some early starts and long days, but you can be sure that you’ll return home with many incredible memories! Read our Tours and check the Physical Ratings to see if the pace and activity levels are right for you.
STAYS WITH DIFFERENCE
We know that where you stay is a cherished part of your travels. So, we go to great lengths to find places to stay that exceed expectations, or go above and beyond the ordinary, whether in their character, hospitality, or location. Over the years, we’ve discovered the very best properties, trying and testing them, so we can choose the right one for you. We’ve nourished long-standing relationships with these establishments and the people who founded them, and we’ve stayed there many times often, we’ll even know which rooms have the best views (and reserve them for you).
Our style of travel — authentic, thoughtful, and focused on building meaningful connections to the people and places you visit — is inherently respectful and considerate of the destinations we love. We design each aspect of your trip exactly as you want it, which includes its sustainability. That might mean choosing a train journey instead of a flight, staying at eco-friendly wildlife lodges, or opting for experiences that give back to the communities you’re visiting. The choice is yours.
Responsible travel has always been at the heart of what we do. First and foremost, because it gives you the best experience, but, also because it helps to preserve the communities and landscapes you visit. This isn’t new for us we collaborated with local communities and outside experts so we can grow to be better ambassadors.
The most authentic and interesting experiences often directly benefit the local people. We prefer to buy local products that are produced in the organic farms, we also have alliances with local artisan organizations who provide us with souvenir items for our clients, your money directly benefits the local economy.
Our style of travel — authentic, thoughtful, and focused on building meaningful connections to the people and places you visit — is inherently respectful and considerate of the destinations we love. We design each aspect of your trip exactly as you want it, which includes its sustainability. That might mean choosing a train journey instead of a flight, staying at eco-friendly wildlife lodges, or opting for experiences that give back to the communities you’re visiting. The choice is yours.
Responsible travel has always been at the heart of what we do. First and foremost, because it gives you the best experience, but, also because it helps to preserve the communities and landscapes you visit. This isn’t new for us we collaborated with local communities and outside experts so we can grow to be better ambassadors.
The most authentic and interesting experiences often directly benefit the local people. We prefer to buy local products that are produced in the organic farms, we also have alliances with local artisan organizations who provide us with souvenir items for our clients, your money directly benefits the local economy.
‘There’s a saying: we don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. When we show you our country, this philosophy guides everything we do. It’s our responsibility to preserve the environment and wildlife, and support communities. That means using slower modes of transport, like cycling, employing local people, and working with communities who’ll benefit directly from your visit. This also gives you the best, most authentic impression of the places we want to share with you.
We prefer to buy local products in ecological bags, to avoid the use of plastic bags, likewise we teach the use of soaps and ecological products in each tour that we organize. We also work on reforestation projects with local communities who take care of landscape resources such as communal reserves, national parks.
‘There’s a saying: we don’t inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. When we show you our country, this philosophy guides everything we do. It’s our responsibility to preserve the environment and wildlife, and support communities. That means using slower modes of transport, like cycling, employing local people, and working with communities who’ll benefit directly from your visit. This also gives you the best, most authentic impression of the places we want to share with you.
We prefer to buy local products in ecological bags, to avoid the use of plastic bags, likewise we teach the use of soaps and ecological products in each tour that we organize. We also work on reforestation projects with local communities who take care of landscape resources such as communal reserves, national parks.
The Tambopata National Reserve is home to some of the most amazing wildlife on the planet. It's home to rivers teeming with monkeys, harpy eagles, anacondas, jaguars, ocelots, monkeys, and macaws, as well as lakes teeming with giant otters and macaw clay licks. A unique Amazonian experience!
Discover the majestic Amazon rainforest of the Manu National Park. This protected area is in Peru, it is one of the largest ecosystems on the planet, due to its great diversity of birds, insects, plants and mammals.
Your journey to the Tambopata National Reserve offers a great opportunity to discover a lively biodiversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and trees. Record-setting numbers of animal species are concentrated within small areas, and the variety of plant life is greater than almost anywhere in the world.
