From: £856
From: $1,140
One of our regular naturalist with a feel for kids will be assigned to your groups. If solicited, a separate guide will be assigned to the rest of the family for regular activities.
Upon arrival from Lima or Cusco, we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes 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.
Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometres to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.
Next, it’s a two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit.
We have lunch on board the boat.
Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips, and then you settle in, listening to the forest and readying for dinner.
After dinner, it’s a caiman search. We will be out at the river’s edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes.
Overnight in the lodge.
Below are some of the options for your tour.
Take a look at the options available – and ask us for a full description for each activity.
Each day you can choose several activities and we can help advise on how best to schedule all your favourite excursions.
Night Walk: Experience the sounds of frogs, insects, and other nocturnal animals.
Canopy Tower: An opportunity to view the rainforest from the heights of the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower.
Discover New Species: Become a scientist and get the chance to discover a new species, led by our team of researchers.
Oxbow Lake Visit: We will visit an oxbow lake, observing wildlife from a traditional canoe.
Birdwatching: More than 600 bird species await on this birdwatching-specific tour.
Chuncho Macaw Claylick Expeditions: A two hour boat trip brings us to this fascinating clay lick, attracting large macaws, parrots and parakeets.
Ethnobotanical Tour: On a rainforest trail we will learn about the traditional and medicinal use of local plants.
Children’s Trail: Expert guides bring the forest to life with scavenger hunts and gripping stories.
Jungle farm Visit: We visit a family owned farm growing popular and little known Amazonian crops.
Sunset Cruise: Enjoy the river and its surroundings at sunset.
Circle of Fire: Fireside stories to connect children with nature and the environment.
AmazonCam: Explore the world of camera traps and the amazing wildlife they capture.
Brazil Trail Nut Trail: A chance to learn about the harvesting of Brazil nuts.
Rainforest tattoo: A beautiful, artistic, and temporary reminder of your time in the Amazon.
Aerobotany: We will learn about the use of drones to aid research, and get to try our hand at it.
Mammal Clay Lick: A feeding spot for wildlife such as wild pigs and deer, as well as a chance to spot the rare Harpy Eagle.
Tambopata National Reserve Lecture: Nightly lectures on conservation, threats, opportunities, and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.
Parrot clay lick: A dawn visit to a clay lick attracting both parrots and parakeets.
Mountain biking: Ten kilometres of bike trails await.
Kids Activities: A range of activities focussing on younger travellers is available and you can find out more if you take a look at our Kids Amazon Adventure Holiday
Rise before dawn for an early breakfast and depart to journey downriver, connecting by car and boat again in order to catch the flight from Puerto Maldonado to Lima or Cusco.
All rooms have an authentic Ese-Eja décor which has been crafted by artists from the local community of Infierno.
All rooms feature private bathrooms with access to hot water showers.
The rooms also feature an open verandha so you can feel part of the rainforest. Don’t fret! The few (if any) animals that may come in can be swiftly removed by the locals.
There are three room types:
Quaint, comfortable rooms in the middle of the tropical rainforest allow guests to experience this global biodiversity hotspot even during their down time.
Monkeys, many species of birds, frogs, and other rainforest wildlife are often visible from our signature windowless verandahs. Those same verandahs also add comfort with excellent ventilation. Classic rooms are built with local materials such as tropical hardwoods, palms, bamboo, and adobe.
They are available as doubles or triples and come equipped with mosquito nets for the beds and have spacious private bathrooms with hot water. Numerous kerosene lamps and candles provide soft lighting. Electricity and internet are just a short walk to the common areas of the lodge.
Experience the Peruvian jungle in one of our classic rooms and enjoy:
The superior rooms have lovely, varnished tropical hardwood floors, are 45 square metres, and have an open verandah that looks out into a roadless, wild tropical rainforest preserve.
Superior rooms are available as singles, doubles or twins, and each is equipped with a mosquito net over large, comfortable beds, two hypoallergenic pillows per person, a hammock, and a reading table.
Stay in one of our superior rooms and enjoy:
These are the same as the superiors with these additions:
These trips are designed to be open to people of all ages and abilities, and we can make them more or less active, depending on your wishes.
You need to be able to step into and out of a boat and the fitter you are the more you will enjoy the trip.
Walks are short in length but you may be on your feet for 2-3 hours as you stop to look at wildlife. There are shorter walks for those who don’t want to walk so far – your guide will talk to you about preferred activity levels.
There are also rides in boats/canoes that can last up to 1.5 hours, depending on the tour.
Massages and reflexology are available, at extra cost.
Almost all dietary requirements can be catered for – please ask for more information.
The lodge’s dedicated kitchen staff serve up a mix of local dishes and international plates using food from the rainforest wherever possible.
This means a delight for the tastebuds as there are so many tasty treats growing around the lodge.
Breakfasts are usually early and there are fruit juices made from local plants – some of which you may have never heard of – along with teas and locally-grown coffee. There are usually cakes, jams and a choice of eggs, toasts and cereals.
Lunch and dinner are usually three courses – a soup to start followed by a hearty main and then pudding.
Fish, chicken and beef all feature, and there is always a vegetarian option, too (almost all dietary requirements can be catered for). Side dishes include yams and potatoes and rice, plus more rainforest delicacies.
Pudding is often fruit or a cake made in the local style.
Local native guides come from the community and/or the area surrounding the lodge. Some specialist guides do come from other parts of Peru.
We select those who are good with children, families and parents, so you all get the most from your trip.
They speak English and will bring the rainforest alive for you. Each has a speciality/interest as well as a broad overview of the forest.
The lodge itself is staffed by community members, so you visit really means giving back to the locals.
An extraordinary Peru and Ecuador journey blending Machu Picchu’s majesty with the wildlife wonders of the Galapagos.
A wonderfully organized Peruvian adventure combining hiking, culture, wildlife, and the unforgettable magic of Machu Picchu.
Designed with adventurous teens in mind, the days and nights in the Amazon bring families up close to wildlife on exciting forest tours.
Thanks to the lodge’s accessibility and excellent wildlife, it is ideal for a Peru jungle holiday for parents and children.
You can kayak, hike and search for new species as well as learn about the forest’s animals on walks in the canopy.
From: $3372 per person
Duration
13 days
Peru is made up of 3 distinct geographical areas: the coast, the mountains and the jungle.
The costa or coastal region is a narrow ribbon of desert 2,250 km long, crossed by fertile river valleys flowing from the Andes. It takes up 11% of the country and holds more than 40% of the population.
The cold Humboldt current gives rise to a blanket of mist – the garua – which hangs above coastal cities like the capital Lima from May to November.
Heading east, you’re soon climbing above the garua and into the Andes. The sierra, or mountainous region, covers some 25% of Peru’s territory and contains 50% of the population. The sierra inhabitants are mainly Indigenous or Mestizo, and many still speak Quechua or Aymara.
The sierra contains dozens of 6,000-metre snow peaks and volcanoes, including Huascaran (6,768m) the highest mountain in the tropics. The deep valley basins contain most of the towns and arable land; the terracing and canal systems of the Incas and pre-Incas are often still used today.
The eastern Andes are heavily forested up to 3,350m and sweep down into the Amazon Basin.
Peru’s selva or jungle makes up almost two thirds of the country’s area, but holds only about 6% of the population: the only towns with significant populations are Iquitos and Pucallpa.
Peru is the perfect holiday destination for adventure travellers that want an amazing variety of activity, geography and cultural travel experiences.
The breadth of travel experiences in Peru is breathtaking – from trekking in the Andes to Machu Picchu to the tropical jungle of the Amazon, and plenty in between.
The people of Peru make it a special destination too, with its colourful and traditional street life and friendly locals.
Good kit is vital for every trip.
Book with Andean Trails and get 15% off Páramo’s fantastic ethical and high-performance outdoor gear.
You can also read our blog about a day in the Amazon rainforest of Peru.
Please note: Guests should arrive in clothes which they do not mind getting slightly dirty or wet, and should wear footwear that is suitable to walk on a rainforest trail. Sun cream, insect repellent, hat and waterproof clothing should be carried in hand luggage and kept accessible for the journey to the lodge.
You may want to keep your binoculars and camera handy, too.
All bedding, toilet paper etc. is provided at the lodge (or camp, if camping).
Year-round, weather conditions are hot and humid and there is always the risk of rain
There is a ‘dry season’ in Tambopata and Manu between May and October. The average daytime high temperature is between 25°C and 34°C and the average nighttime low is between 16°C and 22°C. Heavy downpours typically occur every few days.
Around 80% of annual average rainfall – approx 2,000 mm in Manu and Tambopata and 1,400 mm in Iquitos – occurs in the wet season Nov-April.
On rare occasions, between May and September, cold fronts from Argentina – ‘friajes’ – can sweep into southwest Amazonia and push temperatures down to 9° C. (Friajes usually last between 1 and 3 days).
An extraordinary Peru and Ecuador journey blending Machu Picchu’s majesty with the wildlife wonders of the Galapagos.
A wonderfully organized Peruvian adventure combining hiking, culture, wildlife, and the unforgettable magic of Machu Picchu.
