Peru - The Tambopata Reserve

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Trip Description: The Tambopata Reserve, Perú

The lodge at Tambopata is situated in a remote and very lovely rainforest in the foothills of the Peruvian Andes. At its front is a rushing river with a sandy beach and to the back is pristine rainforest of over two million acres of uninhabited, trackless forest. Though the accommodations are simple, the lodge is fairly comfortable and offers guests the opportunity to observe one of the most diverse collections of plant and animal life in all of the Amazon. There is a good trail system and a stay at the lodge includes many walks in the forest with skilled naturalist guides. Due to the remoteness of the lodge, guests have a good opportunity of seeing many large animals and the certainty of seeing one of the world's most remarkable of natural history spectacles: the Tambopata parrot lick. At this spectacular site thousands upon thousands of parrots gather daily to cavort and display their brilliant plumage.

The Tambopata-Candamo Reserve

The lodge is located on the Tambopata-Candamo Reserve which is one of the most extraordinary natural areas in all of South America. Its remoteness, great size, and extremely varied terrain have given it one of the highest diversity of plants and animals in all of the Amazon. The reserve is enormous, covering over 2.2 million acres of undisturbed and almost completely uninhabited rainforest. The reserve covers the entire watersheds of two rivers that rush down from the Andean highlands: the Rio Tavara and the Rio Candamo. In addition, within its boundaries lies the watershed of a third large and very wildlife rich river: the Rio Tambopata.

The Tambopata-Candamo Reserve Zone begins in the precipitous cloud forests of the eastern slopes of the Andes. Water from melted snow and rainfall rushes in torrents down roaring streams and tumbles over high waterfalls. The steep inclines have a carpet of trees with their limbs completely covered with bromeliads and orchids. The small streams rush from the steepest mountains gorges into larger rivers and pass through green rolling hills where there are still no roads, no settlements and no people. For millions and millions of square miles there is only forest and the creatures that have lived here before the coming of humans. Finally the terrain begins to flatten a bit and the noisy mountain rivers merge into one another and become lazy meandering rivers heavily forested on their banks. All of these terrains lie within the Tambopata Reserve and have given the reserve an entire spectrum of tropical habitats. With a warm climate, rich soils, and abundant moisture this fantastic landscape has created a terrific collection of flora and fauna...a veritable paradise of wildlife.

Creatures to be Seen

At Tambopata guests have a very good chance of seeing several large animals including some of the six species of monkeys native to this region. There is a good chance also of seeing giant river otter, capybara, anteater and guests will certainly see the Amazon's version of crocodiles: caiman. The most singular feature of the Tambopata Reserve is that it offers the guests the once in a lifetime chance to see one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife phenomena: a place where thousands of parrots daily congregate to lick mineral rich clay. In the Quechua Indian language, this is known as a collapa.

The collapa at Tambopata has an enormous deposit of this mineral clay and large groups of parrots fly from vast distances to consume the minerals. It is the is the world's largest. The lodge itself lies only 1000 feet from the clay bank. On any given day thousands upon thousands of parrots congregate to lick minerals from the rich red soil. From the largest of all parrots, macaws, to the smallest parrots, parakeets, the grand assembly of birds chatters, sings, and screeches in all the trees nearby. Precariously clinging to the bank itself a host of birds boisterously ingests tiny bits of the mineral rich clay and vocalize in their glee.

Tours Included

During the stay at the lodge guests can choose among several different areas to explore both on foot and by small boat. Every evening guests get together with the main guide and plan the activities for the following day. There are several researchers/guides resident at the lodge each specializing in different aspects of the rainforest such as birds, mammals or botany. On different days guests have the option of exploring with different guides whose research interests will give us the chance to see different aspects of the forest.

When walking in the forest we keep the size of our groups to 5-7 people in order to increase the likelihood of seeing wildlife. Another advantage is that everyone has a chance to talk with the guide and share in his enthusiasm for the rainforest. There are several trails radiating out from the lodge, all of them loops so that each can be walked in 3-4 hours without covering the same territory. There is also a 130 foot platform which guests can optionally climb to experience the rainforest canopy. Most guests will visit the parrot lick several times during their stay at the Tambopata Reserve.

Facilities

The lodge is situated in a small clearing that lies only 55 yards off the Tambopata River. It is not luxurious but provides the creature comforts necessary for enhancing our wilderness experience without compromising the surrounding forest. The complex consists of four interconnected, thatch-roofed buildings joined by wooden walkways. The main building has over 3,300 square feet and is divided into 11 double rooms. The maximum number of guests is small which enhances the natural history experience. The maximum capacity is 26, but normally we will have 16-20 guests at a time.

Each bedroom is furnished with two single beds, a chair, a night table and a table for luggage and clothing. All of the rooms have been designed to maximize the possibility of observing wildlife in the clearing surrounding the lodge. There are waist-high windows from which every morning we can see birds and mammals gamboling about in the trees that surround the clearing. There are several showers and bathrooms shared by all of the guests. There is electricity during the day but lighting by night is via kerosene lanterns.

The Perfect Trip Combining Nature and Culture:
Tambopata and Machu Picchu

A trip to Machu Picchu before or after your visit to Tambopata makes for a fantastic experience. The splendid ruins high in mountains at Machu Picchu and a visit to the ancient Inca capital of Cusco are a perfect counterpoint to the splendid natural history experience. The airline connections are inexpensive when purchased together with a trip to Tambopata. The train ride from Cuzco to Machu Picchu will be a highlight of your trip talked about for many years. Follow this link to Machu Picchu.

Itinerary: The Tambopata Reserve

Day 1

(At Lima) Upon arrival from your international flights you will be met at the airport and transferred to a four star hotel in Lima. Depending on your arrival time, you may be able to take in a museum or a city tour of this ancient colonial capital. These can normally be made through the hotel reception desk. Overnight in hotel.

Day 2

Early this morning we will take a commercial flight from Lima to the Amazon town called Puerto Maldonado. We will transfer from the airport to the port which lies near the confluence of the two mighty rivers of the Peruvian Amazon: the Madre de Dios and Tambopata. After a short stroll through this Amazon frontier town we will board our motorized canoes and embark on a journey on the Bajo Tambopata River. If the flight from Lima has arrived early enough, we will continue on our boat excursion until we arrive at the Tambopata Reserve lodge, a 6-8 hour journey, but typically we will travel 3-4 hours on this first day and spend the first night at a lodge on the Bajo Tambopata River. (Meals: CB,L,D)

Day 3

This morning we will rise very early and continue our excursion. This journey is not simply a way of getting to the lodge, but a very interesting and exciting part of the program. We will pass through extraordinary rainforest and have a good chance of observing many of the Amazon's most beautiful creatures. Our trip to the Tambopata Reserve will take an additional 3-4 hours. We will go beyond the final traces of human habitation as we cross the boundary into the reserve. We will certainly see concentrations of macaws, herons, kingfishers, and cormorants. Chances are good that we will also encounter some of the legendary larger fauna of the Amazon like capybaras, caiman (Amazonian crocodilians), and the giant 6 foot Jabiru storks.

We will arrive at the lodge in Tambopata reserve in the late morning and will be greeted by the Chicos, our flock of semi-wild rescued Macaws. Over lunch we will have a short orientation session and make our plans for exploration for the following days.

In the afternoon we will walk along another of our trails, the Bamboo Trail. This trail is cut on the ridge directly above the clay lick and presents a great panoramic vista of the Tambopata River and the Andes on the horizon. The trail winds its way through an unusual habitat type: bamboo forest. This habitat is famous for rare species of antbirds and ovenbirds that live exclusively in bamboo. It is also the home of easily found howler and dusky-headed titi monkeys. We will end our hike at spots that give us an overlook above the canopy where brightly colored birds glide from one fruit laden tree to another and brilliant flowering trees repose before us with their limbs laden with giant seed pods. In the late afternoon we will return to the lodge for relaxation. After dinner we will have a slide presentation on the current research at Tambopata. Afterwards we may have a short walk around the lodge in search of horned owls, olingos and night monkeys or along the beach for caiman. (Meals: B,L,D)

Day 4

At dawn we will cross the river and enjoy the world’s largest macaw lick where great numbers of parrots (up to 15 species) congregate daily. This location was featured in the January 1994 issue of National Geographic Magazine. The bank is about 130 feet high and extends for 1,500 feet along the west bank of the Tambopata River. We will walk to a hidden shelter where we can observe this magnificent multitude without disturbing them. We estimate that at any given time there are over a thousand parrots on the bank itself or in the trees nearby waiting their turn at the lick.

Usually we will observe over a dozen species of large parrots including red-and-green, blue-and-gold, and scarlet macaws. We will certainly also observe the small, noisy and very colorful parrots common to this region such as mealy and yellow-crowned amazons, blue-headed, orange-cheeked and white-bellied. Some of smaller but no less spectacular parrots we will see at the lick are parakeets, with the most common being dusky-headed, white-eyed, cobalt-winged and tui parakeets.

At mid-morning when the most intense activity is over for the day, we will return to the lodge for breakfast and some relaxation. After breakfast we will walk the 1.5 mile Ocelot Trail to become acquainted with the lowland flood plain forest. We will concentrate on the forest itself, which hosts a great variety of giant trees including truly huge kapok trees and strangler figs. This trail crosses several small ponds where we will see several species of fishing birds including kingfishers with their massive beaks and lightening fast plunges into the water to snatch fish.

The focus of this walk will be general rainforest ecology and botany. We will take a look at the dominant plant families and their natural histories. We will also learn about the native medicinal uses for particular rainforest plants. We may come upon some mammals which frequent this area such as saddleback tamarin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and collared peccaries. On this trail we often will find tracks of wild cats like ocelot, puma, and jaguar. Although all three of these large cats is extremely difficult to spot it is great fun to see their markings. This trail also crosses some old ponds inhabited by the strange prehistoric bird that eats leaves and constantly grumbles as if he has indigestion: the hoatzin. Around here there are also many very interesting water birds.

After a late lunch we will take a short boat ride to a small oxbow lake where we will learn about rain forest fish and the ecology of seasonal bodies of water in the Amazon. The fish that we will probably observe are superbly well adapted to life in seasonal ponds. Many can survive without water for hours at a time and some of them actually crawl out of the water and pushing their fins against the earth move over land for short distances. After observing the lake's wildlife, which includes a tremendous collection of birds, we will return to the lodge for a bit of relaxation and dinner.

Following dinner and a presentation about the conservation of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, we will go on perhaps the most fascinating night walks: a search for amphibians. We will learn about the fascinating natural histories of the most interesting frog species as well as a great deal more about their tremendous diversity. (Meals: B,L,D)

Day 5

At dawn we will return to the clay lick but from a different direction and vantage point. We will use the Bamboo Trail to access the observation blinds which overlook the clay lick. We will spend the early morning at different areas of the clay lick, and with luck, should get some wonderful views and photographs. At mid-morning or so we will return to the lodge for breakfast.

After breakfast we will walk the 1.5 mile Toucan Trail to experience the terra firme forest and palm swamps around the lodge as well as a variety of transitional habitats. We will concentrate on mammals during this walk and discuss increased mammal diversity in the tropics and the natural histories of the most important mammal families. We will identify tracks and mammal vocalizations (if any). With luck we may encounter primates or other mammals occasionally found on this trail such as spider monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys, and white-lipped peccaries.

Of course there will be many interesting birds to be found on the hills of the Toucan Trail and we will add them to our running list of birds observed. Finally we will visit the palm swamp and certainly observe some additional birds that we haven't seen.

Upon return to the lodge we will eat lunch and prepare for our afternoon outing. This will be a trip to the scaffolding tower in the palm swamp in order to explore a colony of nesting macaws. Although macaws nest from October to April, there are different degrees of macaw activity at the swamp year round. As we relax atop the platform a mixed species canopy flock may stream into the crowns vicinity, allowing excellent close-ups of colorful little tanagers, dacnises, honeycreepers and euphonias.

After a lazy afternoon in the tree tops we will return to the lodge for dinner and relaxation. Following dinner we will have a slide presentation on the Tambopata Macaw Project before embarking on another night walk. Tonight's theme will be mammals and their adaptations for nocturnal activity. (Meals: B,L,D)

Day 6

At dawn, guests have a choice of three options for an early morning excursion. They may visit the clay lick by way of the beach, visit the hidden blinds overlooking the canopy, or simply a hike along any of the trails around the lodge. Each and all of these choices will be very interesting and equally rewarding.

After an early breakfast and the loading of our luggage into the launches, we will depart downstream to visit the oxbow lake at the Eséeja native community. We will hike a short trail to the lake and take a long, easy canoe ride around the shore. We will look for giant river otter, turtles, hoatzin, rufescent tiger heron, purple gallinule, sunbittern, sungrebe, osprey and black-collared hawk. After thoroughly exploring the lake we will continue to travel down the Tambopata River for some hours observing wildlife along the way. We should arrive at Puerto Maldonado by dusk where we will overnight at a simple but clean hotel. There will be a farewell dinner for us all. (Meals: B,L,D)

Day 7

(To Lima) This morning we will rise early, have a continental breakfast at the hotel, and transfer to the airport to catch our flight to Lima. Once in Lima we will transfer to the our hotel and check in. There should be enough time for guests to explore Lima on their own or to perhaps organize a tour through the reception desk of the hotel. (Meals: CB)

Day 8

Guests will be picked up at the hotel and transferred to the Jorge Chávez Airport for the international return flight to the United States. (Meals: CB)

Meal Codes: CB-Continental Breakfast, B= Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner

Please Note: The 9 Day 8 Night and 7 Day/ 6 Night itineraries are different than the itinerary above in the following ways: the 9 Day /8 Night program has one more night at the lodge and the 7 Day /6 Night program has one day less at the lodge. The itinerary for the Lodge Only Program begins and ends in Puerto Maldonado.

Tambopata Reserve 1998
Departure Schedule Dates and Prices (Prices below refer to the date of arrival in Perú and are Per Person double occupancy)

Single Travelers: At the passengers request, we can usually find a same-sex roommate for the lodge enabling the passenger to travel at the double occupancy rate. However, even if there is a roommate available at the lodge, the single passenger will be given single hotel rooms in Lima and therefore must add $135 to the double occupancy rates above.

Full Package Includes: All accommodations at the lodge plus two nights in a four star hotel in Lima, all scheduled land and river transportation, airline tickets Lima/Puerto Maldonado/Lima, all 6 airport transfers, all scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services, meals as specified in the itinerary. Prices subject to change without notice. Prices do not include international airfare from the USA or return or airport departure taxes. Airfare within Perú is subject to change.

Full Package 8 Day/ 7 Night (Friday-Friday):
Prices: Double Occupancy: $1,495 -----Single Occupancy:$1,860
Departure Dates: Jun 24-July 01, Jul 01-08, Jul 08-15, Jul 15-22, Jul 22-29, Jul 29-Aug 05, Aug 05-12, Aug 12-19, Aug 19-26, Sep 02-09, Sep 09-16, Sep 16-23, Sep 23-30, Sep 30-Oct 07, Oct 07-14, Oct 14-21, Oct 21-28, Nov 04-11, Nov 25-Dec 02, Dec 16-23

Full Package 9 Day/ 8 Night
Prices: Double Occupancy: $1,495-----Single Occupancy: $1,860
Departure Dates: Jan 02-10, Jan 21-29, Feb 04-12, Feb 25-March 05, Mar 18-26

Special Macaw Expedition, 10 Day/ 9 Night Includes two hotel nights in Lima and the round trip flights from Lima to Puerto Maldonado where the program begins and all the meals and services described in the itinerary.
Prices: Double Occupancy: $1,650 Single Occupancy: $2,160
Departure Date: *Dec 25-Jan 03, 1999 Macaw New Years Expedition

Lodge Only Package: 6 Day/ 5 Night: Lodge Only does not include hotel nights or any transfers. Includes: All lodge accommodations, all scheduled land and river transportation, all scheduled excursions with English speaking guides, meals as specified in the lodge itinerary.
Prices: Double Occupancy: $950 Single Occupancy: $1,150
Departure Dates: Schedule begins one day LATER than all of the dates above and ends ONE DAY EARLIER! The Schedule begins in Puerto Maldonado, Peru.Prices subject to change without notice.

How to Sign Up for a Trip to Tambopata:

Give us a call at 504-594-0147 or e~mail to reserve the space. Advise them that you are a Member of the Brazilian Travel Club. We will ask you to send us a non-refundable deposit in the amount of $300 US dollars. These should be sent to Andetur Brazilian Travel Club, P.O. Box 52, Montegut, LA 70377-0052. We will send you a confirmation kit which describes the steps for preparing for the trip as well as addressing all of the practical details involved in traveling in the neo-tropics. But don't worry, it is easy to get ready for our trips. For the nitty gritty details on refunds and other business aspects of the trips, follow this link to request more Administrative Details.

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