Tambopata Research Center (5 days / 4 nights)

Tambopata Research Center

The Most Remote Ecolodge in South America

It is small scale of infrastructure and operations and the presence of researchers and naturalist, this is the ideal intense tour of Amazonian.

Travel by boat several hours up the Tambopata River to reach the remote Tambopata Research Center (TRC) jungle lodge, leaving the final traces of human habitation behind.

If you are looking for a more intense experience in the Amazon, the Tambopata Research Center is the best choice. After a night at Refugio Amazonas, visit the second day of the biggest trip known macaw clay lick and explore the trails around this hostel in the heart of the Tambopata National Reserve.

 

Tambopata Vacation Package - The tour package includes:

Peru Vacation Packages

Transfers airport / lodge / airport in Puerto Maldonado - land and boat transfers.

Peru Vacation Packages

1 Night accommodation in Refugio Amazonas and 3 nights accommodation in Tambopata Research Center.

Peru Vacation Packages

All meals

Peru Vacation Packages

Excursions mentioned in the program (Shared services - In group).

Peru Vacation Packages

English speaking guide.

Peru Vacation Packages

Basic equipment necessary for each activity.

Domestic Flights in Peru

Optional flight tickets from Lima or from Cusco

Itinerary

Day 1: ... (Lima or Cusco) / Puerto Maldonado / Refugio Amazonas (L-D)

  • Arrival and reception by our guides are biologists, tourism professionals, or community members.

  • The guides are biologists, tourism professionals, or community members. Unless noted otherwise, our guides speak English. We assign guides at 6:1 ratio in Tambopata Research Center. This means groups smaller than 6 people will be merged with other groups under one guide. If you would like a private guide or a guide in a language other than English please let us know.

  • Transfer airport to Puerto Maldonado Headquarters upon arrival from Lima or Cusco, we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes (about) to our Puerto Maldonado headquarters. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light.

  • Transfer Puerto Maldonado Headquarters to Tambopata River Port Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometers to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.

  • Transfer by boat: Tambopata River Port to Refugio Amazonas The two and a half hour (about) boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit.

  • Box lunch

  • Reception in Refugio Amazonas.

  • Orientation: Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.

  • Dinner.

  • Caiman Search: We will be out at the river's edge at night, scanning the shores with head lamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes.

  • Overnight.

 

Day 2: Refugio Amazonas / Tambopata Research Center (B-L-D)

  • Breakfast.

  • Canopy Tower: A few minutes walk from Refugio Amazonas leads to the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. A bannistered staircase running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely.

  • Transfer by boat from Refugio Amazonas to Tambopata Research Center: Four and half hours (approximately) by boat from Refugio Amazonas, in the pristine heart of the reserve, lies the Tambopata Research Center. One and half hours (about) into our boat journey, as we cross the confluence with the Malinowski River, we will leave the final traces of human habitation behind. Within the 700,000 hectare uninhabited nucleus of the reserve, sightings of capybara, caiman, geese, macaws and other large species will become more frequent.

  • Chuncho Clay Lick: Approximately three hours from Refugio Amazonas, deep in the Tambopata National Reserve we will stop at the Chuncho clay lick. After a brief walk (~5 minutes) we will have the chance to see dozens of large macaws feeding on the special sodium rich clays of the riverbank. The Chuncho clay lick probably attracts more large macaws than any other clay lick in the world and the sight of dozens of macaws taking flight is truly unforgettable. The details of our stopover will depend on the weather and the amount of macaw activity, as the birds don't visit the clay lick when it is raining.

  • Boxed lunch.

  • Reception at Tambopata Research Center.

  • Orientation upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips.

  • Overlook Trail: A three to five kilometer hike will lead us to overlooks commanding magnificent views of the Tambopata winding its way into the lowlands. The forest on this trail, regenerating on old bamboo forest, is good for Howler monkey and Dusky Titi monkey.

  • Dinner.

  • Macaw Project Lectures: After dinner scientists will provide an in depth look at the biology of macaws, their feeding habits, the theories for clay lick use, their breeding and feeding ecology, population fluctuations and the threats to their conservation.

  • Overnight at Tambopata Research Center.

 

Day 3: Tambopata Research Center (B-L-D)

  • Macaw Clay Lick: On most clear mornings of the year dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle which inspired a National Geographic cover story. Discretely located fifty meters from the cliff, we will observe green-winged, scarlet and blue-and-gold macaws and several species of smaller parrots descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active.

  • Breakfast.

  • Floodplain Trail: This five kilometer trail covers the prototypical rain forest with immense trees crisscrossed by creeks and ponds. Amongst the figs, ceibas and shihuahuacos we will look for squirrel, brown capuchin, and spider monkeys as well as peccaries. Tambopata Research Center is located within this habitat.

  • Lunch.

  • Pond Platform: A few minutes upriver from the lodge is a tiny pond with a platform in the middle. It is a great place to spot waterfowl such as Muscovy duck, sunbittern and hoatzin along with the woodpeckers, oropendolas, flycatchers and parakeets that call this pond their home.

  • Dinner.

  • Night walk: You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but rarely seen. Much easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.

  • Overnight at Tambopata Research Center.

 

Day 4: Tambopata Research Center (B-L-D)

  • Macaw Clay Lick: On most clear mornings of the year dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle which inspired a National Geographic cover story. Discretely located fifty meters from the cliff, we will observe Green-winged, Scarlet and Blue-and-gold Macaws and several species of smaller parrots descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active.

  • Breakfast.

  • Terra Firme Trail: An entirely different habitat characterized by smaller, thinner trees atop hills and slopes is covered by this five kilometer trail. Saddleback tamarins are frequently found here. As we walk near the limits of the swamp we will also keep our eyes open for rare tapir tracks.

  • Lunch.

  • Palm Swamp Trail: Growing on the remains of an oxbow lake and providing both arboreal as well as terrestrial mammals with fruits throughout the year, the aguaje palms are one of the most important food sources in the rainforest. Demand for these fruits and great conditions for planting rice, makes the palm swamp also one of the most threatened habitats.

  • Dinner.

  • Overnight at Tambopata Research Center.

 

Day 5: Tambopata Research Center / Puerto Maldonado / .... (Lima or Cusco) (B)

We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, our office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures.

 

Bring:

  • Insect repellent

  • Good walking shoes that cover the heals (to avoid twisting your ankle)

  • Large sun hat

  • Sunglasses

  • Sun cream

  • Camera with plenty of film and batteries

  • Flashlight / torch to use at nighttime (plus spare batteries)

  • Lightweight raincoat with rainproof hat

  • Umbrella in case of rain

  • A good book to read, plenty of magazines (to ready while you relax)

  • Pair of binoculars

  • Water flask (fresh drinking water for jungle treks)

  • Swimming costume (for swimming in our large pool or in the river)

  • The native Indian tribes in the area are very poor and love to receive gifts of used clothing, old toys or anything at all that the tourist does not need and wishes to donate. Also, any items for children such as paper, pencils and pens are very gratefully received

  • (For couples) Bring protection (there are no drugstore nearby!!)

 

Indications

  • Transfer-in (From Puerto Maldonado to Lodge): we have two departures daily at 13:00 and 14:30

  • Transfer-out (Tambopata Research Center to Puerto Maldonado): Early transfer out about 5:00 am in order to be on time for your flight out that should depart after 13:00 hr. please be sure do not buy early fly out.

The program does not include:

  • Flight ticket Lima / Puerto Maldonado / Lima ask for our promotional airfares.

  • Alcoholic beverages or bottled water.

  • Personal expenses.

  • Tips for guides and staff members.

  • Entrance to Tambopata National Reserve US $75

  • Any other service not mentioned in the program.

Tambopata Research Center Rates 2017

Room Type

Max. Passengers

Rate Per Person

Single

1

US $ 1,215

Double

2

US $ 945

 

Terms and Conditions:

  • Rates apply to foreign tourists, not residents in Peru and there are expressed in U.S. Dollars. Our fares include all taxes.

  • The system must only process reserves received at least 7 days before the date of trip.

  • Unused services are not refundable

  • Rates subject to change and / or availability

  • Does not apply to dates of Easter, Independence Day (25 to 31 July), National Holidays, Christmas, New Year and Special Events

 

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  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions

  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions

  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions

  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions

  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions

  • Amazon Jungle Lodge in Tambopata

    Tambopata Research Center Lodge

    © Rainforest Expeditions