WHY CHOOSE Tambopata over other destinations

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Travel to Tambopata or Manu or Iquitos?

It’s worth asking: is it the right question? When do you ask yourself if you have to travel to Tambopata or Manu or Iquitos? Are we leaving important Amazonian destinations out? And the answer is YES, it is the right question, and NO we are not leaving any important Amazonian destinations out. You may have heard of Tarapoto, Huanuco, or the Selva Central (San Ramon, Oxapampa).

These are all fine and dandy if you’re a birdwatcher. Otherwise, the access vs nature/wildlife cost-benefit analysis just doesn’t cut it. At each of these places, you have to travel further for lesser quality wildlife/nature than at Tambopata. So, we will stick with our original question. And we will answer this question with our two-dimensional lens: access vs nature.

Before getting started, let me say each destination has a mature service offering. What this means is you will find tour and lodging services ranging from homestays with a warm welcome but no running water to some of the world’s most exclusive nature experiences.

Here we go!

 

Tambopata and the Puerto Maldonado area

There are three main reasons to travel to Tambopata

  1. You want a good to great nature and wildlife experience
  2. You want to see the world-famous Macaw Clay Licks that showed up in National Geographic, BBC, etc
  3. You don’t have much time.  The good to great gradient for nature and wildlife depends on your time. If you’ve got four days (or more) you will get a great experience. If not, you will get a good one.

Here is why.

  • Access to Tambopata

We are bunching up two Trip Advisor (and Lonely Planet, and Rough Guide, etc) destinations in this section: Tambopata and Puerto Maldonado. They really are the same from the perspective of access. To get to both, you fly to the Puerto Aldamiz airport from Cusco or Lima. There are daily flights (LATAM, Sky Airline) only 30 minutes from Cusco o 1.5 horas de Lima. Once in Puerto Maldonado, all lodges are accessible by river. The closest (Reserva Amazonica) is 30 minutes away.

 

The furthest (Tambopata Research Center) is 7 hours away (accessible now for a 3.5 hrs journey). Your principal concern here should be: am I staying close to the Tambopata National Reserve? And close means INSIDE or ADJACENT to the Tambopata National Reserve. If so, you will get plenty of wildlife. If not – mmmeeeehhh, you are going to have a dropoff in the quality of nature/wildlife experience.  Dr. Varun Swamy actually put it in numbers. He measured monkey density in four locations around Madre de Dios. We placed two of them on a map of Tambopata and surrounding areas to help you visualize the difference.

So, in terms of access – first, check if you are adjacent (i.e. on the same side of the river) to the Tambopata National Reserve. Second try to wrangle four (or more) vacation days for Tambopata. More days = more wildlife observation opportunities and more time to push further into the Reserve

chuncho clay lick by paul bertner

Macaw Claylick by Paul Bertner in Tambopata Peru

  • Nature and Wildlife of Tambopata

Nature and wildlife in Tambopata are in good shape. The reserve has been protected since 1990. Before then it was too difficult to get to, so suffered little hunting, fishing, or logging. A three-day trip into the Tambopata National Reserve should produce 3 to 5 species of monkeys (howler monkey, brown capuchin monkey, dusky titi monkey, saddleback tamarin, and squirrel monkeys), agouti and capybara (world largest rodent), white caiman, and giant river otters (if you visit an oxbow lake) and dozens of species of birds.

 

Don’t forget the treehoppers, scorpion wasps, dung beetles, army ants, tiger moths, and millions (literally) of species of insects. You may even discover a new one. A four-day trip (or more) will take you into the heart of the reserve and add the world-famous macaw clay licks, a 40% chance of seeing jaguar (depending on the season), spider monkeys, and herds of one hundred white-lipped peccary. It’s hard to believe one day makes all the difference. The reason is the “defaunation shadow” we talk about below. In Tambopata / Puerto Maldonado the shadow reaches the reserve boundary– and stops. In that extra day: you cross it.

Check out the wildlife here!

Book with us here!

Manu National Park and the Cloud Forest Road

There are two main reasons to go to Manu:

  1. You are a birdwatcher
  2. You have plenty of time (a week or more).

BTW, cancel if you hate bumpy roads or small aircraft (bi-motors, and such). Bonus reason: meet the Machiguenga.

Here is why. And yes, we touch upon Nature / Wildlife first for a reason.

  • Nature and Wildlife in Manu

Manu is one of the two gold standards in Amazonian protected areas open to tourism. The other is Tambopata (see above). There are no equivalent nature tourism experiences in the Amazon (until Colombia opens up!). Like Tambopata, Manu has declared a National Park in 1974, before any kind of serious farming, logging, hunting ate it up. Steep mountain ranges with impenetrable cloud forests protect them from squatters and loggers.

It is the only one (including Tambopata) that has vast swaths of an accessible cloud forest. Unlike Tambopata, the Manu Cloud Forest is accessible by road. Thus, in Manu, you get Tambopata plus the cloud forest. That means you get woolly monkeys and cock-of-the-rock. And you add one hundred plus species of flycatchers, antbirds, tanagers, and hummers to your bird list. That is why, if you are a birdwatcher, Manu is your first choice. However, if you are not…

cock of the rock peru

  • Access to Manu

Getting to Manu is tough! The Manu Road begins in Cusco and climbs and descends two ridges. It is long (8-10 hours in the dry season) and super bumpy. Not recommended in the rainy season (November through March) as you might get stuck waiting for a mudslide to be cleared. Once you are in the lowlands you still have 4 to 10-hour boat rides, depending on where you are headed. And don’t forget your way back. Chartered small aircraft can get you to the lowlands in no time at all so ask your operator about them. One year they are there, the next one they aren’t. Keep your eyes peeled.

In summary, to repeat what we started out with – if you have the time for a one-week expedition to the Manu area and don’t mind roughing the transport bit, go for it!

And not to forget our bonus reason: Meet the Machiguenga. Machiguenga communities have opened up to tourism with lodge operations in the past 15 years. Check out Casa Machiguenga and Pankotsi Manu Lodge. If you don’t mind modest lodging and food services you will learn a lot from the super friendly and fun-loving Machiguenga. As I tell my kids – in the most exclusive places in Peru, you sleep on the ground.

And worth repeating one final time: if you want to figure out how to choose your Manu jungle lodge operator, we recommend you download our very own (and free) ebook: How to Choose a Jungle Lodge. If you can afford the time, go to Machiguenga for a week!

Iquitos and the Amazon River

There are three main reasons to go to Iquitos.

  1. You want to see the Amazon river.
  2. You want to take a cruise boat
  3. You want to experience present-day Amazonian present-day ribereño culture.

If nature and wildlife are what you’re looking for, stick to Tambopata or Manu.

Here is why.

  • Access to Iquitos and the Amazon River

Iquitos and the Amazon river are fairly accessible from Lima. As of this writing, there are daily flights (from Latam, Star Peru, Sky Airlines, and Viva Air). Flights are direct and two hours long. Once you arrive at Iquitos, head to the “Malecon” (as we know piers and breakwater esplanades in Spanish). There you are, that is the Amazon River, the world’s largest river. Not great huh? Looks pretty much like any dirty dock in the world. To really enjoy the Amazon river, you have to go a bit further. Do this by booking a trip with any of the lodges or operators mentioned below.

  • Nature and Wildlife in Iquitos and the Amazon River

Iquitos is a bustling city with no road connection to the rest of the world. Thus its 450,000 people consume what arrives by boat or plane or what they can wrangle out of the forest by farming, collecting, fishing, and hunting. And there lies the problem. Four hundred thousand people in the middle of the jungle using chainsaws, fertilizer, shotguns, and fishnets cast a long shadow. A recent study in Manaus, Brazil (pop 2 million) discovered it had a “defaunation shadow” of 1000 kilometers!

In other words, for 1000 kilometers around Manaus, wildlife is affected by human activity such as hunting, fishing, logging, etc. BTW, the fact Iquitos has 400 thousand people means it is the best place to experience present-day Amazonian ribereño culture. As you step off the plane you will get a whiff of street vendors selling macambo and aguaje. Visit the market and you will see fresh carachama fish and bush meat.

Pacaya Samiria National Reserve and Alpahuayo Mishana Nature Reserve

This doesn’t mean Iquitos is hopeless. Here is what it means. It means that if you want to see Amazonian wildlife and nature in good health you will have to take a week to visit El Dorado in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Or you may find a watered-down nature experience is enough: visit Alpahuayo Mishana Nature Reserve 20 kilometers from Iquitos to spot small endemic ant wrens and small monkeys. Or you may want to splurge on one of the 5 most luxurious experiences in Peru on the Aqua or El Delfin cruise ships. You will experience some of Peru’s finest dining and pink river dolphins!

If you want to figure out how to choose your Iquitos jungle lodge or cruise, we recommend you download our very own (and free) ebook: How to Choose a Jungle Lodge. If you can afford it though –  CRUISE the Amazon to Pacaya Samiria!

By Kurt Holle

Ok, but what about the cost?

How much will cost a trip to the Amazon? 

 

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

AMJNZ November 2025

Real CBakes November 2025

C M November 2025

giovannaBorneo November 2025

Alyssa Zhen November 2025

citlalli October 2025

Pat October 2025

John W October 2025

Talitha Nizama October 2025

Ronit B October 2025

Rick8469 October 2025

Ronit Bhat October 2025

Fantastic to be deep in the forest surrounded by incredible wildlife with our amazing guide Juan Carlos Yatto, who really knew his stuff! Also his photography skills meant that we could share our experience even better through his telescope using our phone cameras! We learned so much!! He went to extra lengths to find butterflies and moths for us along with so many different birds and monkeys. This was a travel highlight for us as experienced wildlife travellers. We loved our spacious room with no windows and open to more wildlife visitors but after 5 nights the bed could have been a little more comfortable. Luckily we had a second bed to use. Otherwise it was fantastic with hot water showers and fresh drinking water all the time. We were amazed at the variety of food on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner and couldn’t believe they could have such a wonderful food offering in such a remote location. Even the wine and cocktails were great. I highly recommend spending the extra money and time getting to this location. We stayed at another lodge later which was closer to Puerto Maldonado and there was far less wildlife. Read all

Ederson made the stay at the lodge amazing. I have had many guides around the world and Ederson may be the best I have had across 50 countries. The lodge itself is nice, and has electricity. Food is good, and you really feel immersed in the amazon staying there. Its great that a portion of the money goes back to conservation and research. Noteworthy details: Ederson, the "commander" is the best guide! Read all

Through a travel agency in Lima we booked a 4day/3-night stay at Refugio Amazonas. We were looking for a lodge that was far away from Puerto Maldonado but didn't require almost a day to get there (like TRC), with extensive walking trails and with the principal jungle highlights nearby. We were not disappointed. As we later learned, this is probably the best lodge in the region! Well run, quiet, excellent food, beautifully located in the middle of the forest, everything was "right". Surprisingly there were few mosquitos or bugs. Emperatriz (MP as some call her), our guide, has a keen eye and took us on some unforgettable walks and boat rides, both day and night. The birds at the clay lick were fantastic. The lodge also had evening lectures by young researchers as well as special activities such as collecting night moths and setting a trap camera. We later received videos and photo's of what was found (including a puma!). I can recommend this lodge without reservation. Read all

Abbiamo scelto il Tambopata Research Center perché il nostro obbiettivo era di poter vedere le are da vicino. Ci siamo stati ad inizio dicembre scorso, l'inizio della stagione delle piogge, perciò abbiamo scelto di restare 5 notti/6 giorni, abbiamo messo in conto di perdere delle giornate a causa della pioggia e per la lontananza da Puerto Maldonado, per nostra fortuna durante il nostro soggiorno ha piovuto solo il giorno di partenza proprio quando arrivavamo in aeroporto. Non c'é stato un giorno che non ne abbiamo visto: are di diverse specie e colori e molti altri uccelli e primati, spettacolare l'incontro a pochi centimetri con un formichiere bianco, ma non il giaguaro. Consigliamo di pernottatre almeno 3 notti, il viaggio é molto lungo. Noi eravamo all'aeroporto di Lima già alle 8:00 di mattina e tra un volo in ritardo, uno spostamento in bus di ca. 45 minuti per arrivare al fiume, ed un trasferimento in barca veloce, siamo arrivati al lodge verso le 16:30. All'aeroporto ci ha accolto la nostra guida privata Alfred, che ci ha seguito per tutto il soggiorno, di giorno in giorno abbiamo deciso le escursioni da fare, ed Alfred si é rivelato essere una super guida, un occhio di falco per scoprire anche il più piccolo uccellino, con pazienza é riuscito a farci camminare chilometri nella giungla, ci ha spiegato molto sulla flora e fauna. Bravissimo a far video e foto con i nostri telefoni col suo binocolo e cavalletto che si portava sempre appresso, queste foto sono dei magnifici ricordi. TRC non é un hotel, é un centro di ricerca per le are, in mezzo ad una foresta ed a ore dal primo centro abitato, perciò non avevamo delle grandi aspettative ne sul cibo ne sull'alloggio Read all

This place is a treat!! Incredible flora & fauna, food and service - the staff is quite attentive. Interesting research, with lots of potential. Visiting the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest is a must do! Read all

We had the most amazing time EVER at Refugio Amazonas, and I am so very glad I booked our stay here. Honestly, this is to date probably the best travel experience we have ever had and I will never forget our time in the Amazon here. First of all, the lodge is beautiful. Our room was lovely. The beds were comfy. The bathrooms are large. It is incredible waking up to the sounds of the jungle and falling asleep to the insects at night. We did have some insects in our room, and a rodent, and even a tarantula (non poisonous)! But it was part of the experience. The food was great and they prioritize native and local ingredients. My partner and I are both vegan and they took SUCH good care of us. The food was delicious, and we had ample vegan options every meal. Everything from the first email contacts with Katia to the transfers to the first night info session to the activities-- which I will get to in a second-- was incredible. It is a bit pricey, but everything is included and there is nothing you need to worry about, and it was so worth it. OK now for the best part-- the activities. Holy wow. First of all, we had the best guide EVER-- Juan Carlos. He was amazing. He is a bird expert, knows so much about the animals who live in the rainforest, the insects, the trees, the plant life, it was incredible. He also so clearly cared that everyone in our group had an amazing time. He took so many pictures for us, pointed out so many animals for us, and made sure we all enjoyed every moment. I can’t thank him enough because it made our time here so very special. We went on many activities that were amazing, and we saw so many animals— capybaras, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, so many incredible insects, frogs, tarantulas, so many many birds and butterflies. Every activity was amazing but the highlights were the macaw clay lick and the canopy tower. And we were super impressed and happy to hear about their commitment to conservation, protecting the animals, and supporting the native community nearby. There is so much I could say about our stay here but I would recommend a 3 night stay over 2 nights (so you can do more activities), and make sure you read the guides they send via email before you come so you pack correctly and know what to expect and bring--the guide includes everything so that there are no surprises, and we knew exactly what to expect, although our stay exceeded our expectations! I highly, highly recommend staying here, it was magical, it was a once in a life time adventure, and I will never forget it. I also want to shout out the manager of the lodge, I forgot her name, but she was incredible, as well as the service staff at meal times, who were so kind and helpful to point out what was vegan all of the time. I truly hope we can come back some day!! Read all

The lodge was kept very clean, and the staff paid close att to people's needs. It was very easy find activities and the guides were excellent with a genuine intended approach towards sustainability and environment longevity. Read all

A superb stay in a top class Lodge which gave a wonderful insight into the Amazon wildlife. Our guide was Juan Carlos who has incredible knowledge and a lovely sense of humour. The staff in the lodge were so friendly and the meals provided were something to look forward to. A wonderful experience! Read all

I traveled with my mom, who is elderly, and we were a little scared but decided to go for it. Upon arrival, our guide, Christian Herrera, was waiting for us. He was very friendly and had extensive knowledge of the area. The lodge is wonderful, 100% connected to nature. The food is delicious, and everything there is to do near the lodge is incredible. I highly recommend going to the tower at sunset and the macaw clay lick at dawn. Thank you guys for everything, the stay was a dream. Read all

This place totally stole the show! We came to Peru for Machu Picchu, but I think it’s safe to say Refugio Amazonas became the absolute highlight of our trip.​It manages to be as luxurious as a stay in the Amazon can be without feeling like too much hand-holding. The rooms don't have windows, which lets you be super close to nature. Sure, that means moths, but it also means drifting off to the peaceful sound of cicadas and waking up to howler monkeys. I honestly can't remember the last time I had such deep, peaceful sleep.​The food is another major plus; it's exceptionally fresh, especially considering it’s a buffet. You should absolutely check out their menu, too—it’s one of the most thoughtful and best-designed ones I’ve ever seen. Kevin hosted us at dinner most nights, and he was such great company and so mindful of my wife's dietary restrictions. It really adds to the experience when you feel that people genuinely care.​We also took advantage of the exceptional massage here. After a long trip, a massage by Kelly was exactly what the doctor ordered.​But the real star of the show is the activities and the guides. We got incredibly lucky with the very best: Juan Carlos. He was funny, great company, and extraordinarily knowledgeable. All the guides at Refugio Amazonas understand that it's not about just ticking a box but about living the experience. That’s why you might take 30 minutes longer to complete a hike—because you decided to spend some time watching Tamarins playing with each other. Jonathan was another guide we had a wonderful, very knowledgeable, and fun time with. We honestly just didn't want to leave and wish we could have stayed longer. Read all

We just finished three weeks in Peru and without a doubt Refugio Amazonas lodge was a real highlight of the trip. You need to know there is NO AC but honestly you don't need it at night in October, There's a ceiling fan and the bed was super comfortable with netting and additional fan within the bed area. The sounds of the jungle at night and Howler monkeys in the morning was great experience. The staff was excellent with a special mention for Paul our guide. He is an excellent Birder as well and can't thank him enough for over 110 new bird species during our four days there. The early morning Macaw clay lick experience with the boat ride in the dark was very cool. The buffet style meals were ok, make sure you bring shoes for mud and extra to walk around with in the lodge. Refugio provides boots for water on trails. See photos Read all

This place totally stole the show! We came to Peru for Machu Picchu, but I think it’s safe to say Refugio Amazonas became the absolute highlight of our trip.​It manages to be as luxurious as a stay in the Amazon can be without feeling like too much hand-holding. The rooms don't have windows, which lets you be super close to nature. Sure, that means moths, but it also means drifting off to the peaceful sound of cicadas and waking up to howler monkeys. I honestly can't remember the last time I had such deep, peaceful sleep.​The food is another major plus; it's exceptionally fresh, especially considering it’s a buffet. You should absolutely check out their menu, too—it’s one of the most thoughtful and best-designed ones I’ve ever seen. Kevin hosted us at dinner most nights, and he was such great company and so mindful of my wife's dietary restrictions. It really adds to the experience when you feel that people genuinely care.​We also took advantage of the exceptional massage here. After a long trip, a massage by Kelly was exactly what the doctor ordered.​But the real star of the show is the activities and the guides. We got incredibly lucky with the very best: Juan Carlos. He was funny, great company, and extraordinarily knowledgeable. All the guides at Refugio Amazonas understand that it's not about just ticking a box but about living the experience. That’s why you might take 30 minutes longer to complete a hike—because you decided to spend some time watching Tamarins playing with each other. Jonathan was another guide we had a wonderful, very knowledgeable, and fun time with. We honestly just didn't want to leave and wish we could have stayed longer. Nearby activities: We did the macaw clay lick, mammal clay lick, night walk, medicinal trail, canopy walk twice, and the oxbow lake. Safety: As safe as you can be in the Amazon rainforest Food & drinks: Excellent varied buffet lunches and dinners every day. Read all

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