Tambopata Research Center Peru
The Experience
Tambopata Research Center Peru
A stay at the Tambopata Research Center Peru is the ultimate experience for those who want to have the best rainforest experience. The lodge is located in a vast, pristine area far from civilization. The lodge is also known as the rainforest lodge that is located deepest in the rainforest, anywhere in the world. Close to the lodge is the largest clay lick in the world, called Chuncho Clay Lick.
Tambopata Ara project
The Tambopata Macaw Project is a long-term study of the ecology and conservation of macaws and other birds in the lowlands of southeastern Peru. The main goal of the project is to gain more knowledge about the great macaw and to gain more clarity about, among other things, the relationships between clay licks, food supply and the breeding season.
The project headquarters are located at the Tambopata Research Center Peru (TRC), in the middle of a large, uninhabited, primary rainforest. The region is home to a unique piece of nature with the largest number of clay licks in the world. It is not uncommon to see hundreds of macaws at the same time at the clay licks near the lodge.
National Geographic
The project, which began in 1989 and is led by Dr. Donald Brightsmith of Texas A&M University, gained instant fame in January 1994 when National Geographic magazine covered it. The photo of the macaw on the cover of the magazine was taken at one of the clay licks near the Tambopata Research Center Peru.
The lodge on the Tambopata River is a 7-hour boat ride from the town of Puerto Maldonado.
How long to stay and what to do in Tambopata Research Center Peru?
It is possible to book a stay of 4 days or more at the Tambopata Research Center Peru. However, this is a bit short for this lodge that is located so deep in the rainforest. Most of our travelers stay 5 or 6 days at this lodge. In the description of ‘day by day’ you can read what a 5-day stay can look like. See also the Activities list of the Tambopata Research Center Peru to get an idea of the activities that are possible.
Highlights of this excursion .
- Visit the Chuncho Clay Lick, the largest clay lick in the world.
- Stay in the most remote jungle lodge in the Amazon rainforest.
- Spot animals such as caimans, giant otters, jaguars and panthers.
What's Included
- Accommodation: Full stay at the world’s most remote primary rainforest lodge.
- Wildlife Tours: Guided visits to the Chuncho Clay Lick and biodiversity hotspots.
- Scientific Access: Field interaction with the Tambopata Macaw Project.
- Transport: Round-trip river transfers from Puerto Maldonado.
What's Not Included
- Airfare: Domestic or international flights to/from Puerto Maldonado.
- Personal Gear: Technical clothing, binoculars, or toiletries.
- Insurance: Medical expenses or travel insurance.
- Extra Services: Gratuities, laundry, and personal purchases.
Day-by-Day Itinerary
You will be picked up from the airport in Puerto Maldonado. You will make a short stop at the lodge office in Puerto Maldonado. Here you can leave your belongings that you do not need for your stay in the rainforest in a safe deposit.
Then you will be taken with the other travelers to the harbor in the Indian village of Infierno, 20 kilometers from Puerto Maldonado. Here you will leave by boat for a beautiful boat trip of about 6 hours. After an hour and a half of sailing, where the Tambopata River meets the Malinowski River, you will no longer encounter any human habitation. In this uninhabited part of the rainforest you have a better chance of seeing caimans, capybaras, geese, macaws and other species of animals.
On the way you will be offered lunch on the boat.
After another three hours of sailing, and a short 5 minute walk, you will arrive at the Chuncho Clay Lick. The clay lick attracts many large macaws that are looking for the sodium-rich clay of the riverbank. With a bit of luck you will see dozens of large macaws at the same time. There is no other clay lick known in the world that attracts so many large macaws. Incidentally, the macaws do not visit the clay lick when it rains, so it has to be dry. At the end of the day you will arrive at the Tambopata Research Center Peru.
Your guide will take you on a 5 km walk today on trails around the lodge. This part of the rainforest is home to the howler monkey and the titi monkey. Together with your guide you will decide which activities you will undertake today.
You start the day with a visit to the clay lick at the riverbank close to the lodge. On clear mornings, dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots gather here. The magazine National Geopraphic made an article about this colorful spectacle and put one of the macaws on the cover. Macaws that you can encounter at the clay lick are the yellow-winged and the blue-and-yellow macaw. The birds are most active at the clay lick early in the morning.
After breakfast, you will take a walk on a 5-kilometer trail along immense large trees in a swampy area with streams and other waters. Trees that you will find here are the ceiba tree and the Shihuahuaco tree. Animals that live in this habitat are the squirrel, the brown capuchin monkey, the spider monkey and the peccary.
After lunch you will take a 10 minute walk upstream of the river to a small lake. From a raised platform you will have a great view to see birds such as the Muscovy duck, the Sunbittern, the Hoatzin, the Psarocolius and several species of woodpeckers, and parakeets.
You will visit the clay lick at the riverbank again.
After breakfast you will take a walk on another trail to a slightly higher area. The vegetation here is different. The trees in this part of the forest are smaller. The brown-backed tamarin is common here. Together with your guide you will look for traces of the tapir.
After lunch you will take a walk to a place in the rainforest where, among other things, the Mauritius palm grows, with its fruits one of the most important food sources in the rainforest.
You get up early. After breakfast you will be taken by boat to the port of Puerto Maldonado. On the way back you can enjoy the break of dawn on the Tambopata River. In Puerto Maldonado you will be taken to the airport.
Please note: The travel description serves as an example of what staying in the rainforest can look like. However, no rights can be derived from this.