Refugio Amazonas Lodge & Tambopata Research Centre Peru

Itinerary

Day 1 Puerto Maldonado - Refugio Amazonas (L,D)

Upon arrival from Lima or Cuzco, reception and transfer to the Tambopata river port in Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers and is a bustling, booming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and ecotourism. After a brief stop at our offices we will depart on a 30 minute drive to the Infierno Community port, followed by a two and a half hour boat journey by motorized canoe to Refugio Amazonas. We will have a boxed lunch aboard the boats. During our voyage we may see bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied Lapwing, Capped Heron, Jabiru Stork, Roadside Hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers. When we arrive at our lodge we will unpack and unwind. A video about the forest of Tambopata will be displayed after dinner.

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

We will be up at dawn for a visit to the oxbow lake. After an early breakfast we depart on a one and a half hour hike to the Sachavacayoc lake shore. From here we take a long, easy canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. Giant river otters can be seen at the lakes on about 65% of the visits. As we approach noon, animal activity decreases, and we will continue travel up the Tambopata River for five hours into the pristine heart of the reserve. We will leave the final traces of human habitation behind as we cross the northern boundary of the 700,000 hectare, completely uninhabited nucleus of the Tambopata National Reserve. Differences in wildlife abundance will be noted immediately: we will begin to sight macaws, herons, and kingfishers frequently and improve our chances of encounters with capybaras, caiman, storks, ducks and other wildlife. We will eat a boxed lunch on the boat. We will arrive at Tambopata Research Center in the afternoon, being greeted by the Chicos, our flock of semi-wild, rescued macaws. On arrival, we will hold an orientation session. After this we will hike the 1.5 mile Bamboo Trail, a trail that passes above the clay cliff and has beautiful views of the Tambopata winding its way down from the Andes. It is also the home of the frequently found Howler and Dusky titi monkeys. These are also good places to observe canopy birds like tanagers, jacamars, elaenias, guans, and oropendolas. We will return to TRC for dinner. After dinner, to cap off a fulfilling day we can have a frog walk through the forest, allowing the photo lovers to take macro shots of american bullfrogs, horned frogs, tree frogs and an incredible variety of colorful insects.

Day 3 Tambopata Research Center (B,L,D)

At dawn we will cross the river and enjoy the world's largest macaw clay lick where hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 15 species congregate daily. The January 1994 issue of National Geographic features an article on Tambopata Research Center and the Tambopata Macaw Project. It begins with a description of the daily spectacle at the clay lick:" When the morning sun clears the Amazon tree line in southeastern Peru and strikes a gray-pink clay bank on the upper Tambopata River, one of the world's most dazzling wildlife gatherings is nearing its riotous peak. The steep bank has become a pulsing, 130-foot-high palette of red, blue, yellow and green as more than a thousand parrots squabble over choice perches to grab a beakful of clay, a vital but mysterious part of their diet. More than a dozen parrot species will visit the clay lick throughout the day, but this midmorning crush belongs to the giants of the parrot world, the macaws." You can expect to see ten to twelve of the following members of the parrot family: Red-and-green, Blue-and-gold, Scarlet, Red-bellied, Chestnut-fronted and Blue-headed Macaws; Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons; Blue-headed, Orange-cheeked and White-bellied Parrots; Dusky-headed, White-eyed, Cobalt-winged and Tui Parakeets and Dusky-billed Parrotlets. This show will continue until the macaws sense danger, usually in the form of an eagle, and depart simultaneously in an explosion of sound and color. Around mid-morning, when the most intense clay lick activity is over for the day, we will return to TRC for breakfast.After breakfast we will hike the 1.5 mile Ocelot Trail, a trail which exemplifies the quintessential rainforest . Although at this time of day mammals and birds are not as active as in the early morning, we will concentrate on the forest itself and discuss general rain forest ecology. This forest, which is estimated to be 200 to 300 years old and includes truly huge Ceiba trees and Strangler figs is home to several mammals that are occasionally encountered: Saddleback tamarins, Squirrel and Brown Capuchin Monkeys and Collared peccary. This trail is the one which most often sports ocelot, puma and jaguar tracks, although any one of these three large cats is extremely difficult to spot. We will return to TRC for lunch and take a short five minute boat ride to a small, drying oxbow lake where we will spend the morning on a platform in the middle of the pond observing some of its birdlife, which may include hoatzin, duck, ibis, woodpeckers, chachalaca, parakeets, oropendolas and numerous flycatcher species. After a lazy afternoon at the pond we will hike back to the lodge for dinner and a presentation on the macaw project.

Day 4 Tambopata Research Center (B,L,D)

After our second visit to the macaw clay lick at dawn we will have breakfast. Then we will embark on a hike of the Toucan Trail that visits terra firme forests. We will visit beautiful pristine creeks that wind their way through forested hills, in some cases following dry stream beds. The community of birds and other wildlife that lives in the hilly terra firme, is very different from that of the bamboo or mature floodplain. After a long, easy hike, we will return to the lodge for lunch. We will return to TRC for lunch and then embark on a 2 mile hike to the palm swamp, a nesting colony and preferred roost for Blue and Gold and Red-bellied Macaws. Although there are different degrees of macaw activity at the swamp year round, the most exciting time to visit it is from October to March, during the nesting season, when macaws will land on the nests and stand there for several minutes, interacting with other individuals at less then 20 feet from our observation tower. The scenes at the swamp, especially with late afternoon sun in our backs, make prized photo opportunities. After a lazy afternoon with the macaws we will hike back to the lodge for dinner.

Day 5 Tambopata Research Center (B,L,D)

We will wake up at dawn once again to visit the macaw clay lick and then return for breakfast. The rest of the morning will be spent walking a trail that passes through seasonally flooded forest, allowing us excellent opportunities to see wading birds and even mammals that look for this precious bodies of water to quench their thirst. This trail also reports excellent opportunities to spot howler monkeys and mixed flocks of birds. After lucnh we will spend the afternoon in a challenging outing: we will travel upriver for 10 minutes, after what a five minute walk takes us to a small stream that feeds the Tambopata river. At this stream we will find two five-person canoes, in which we will be able to paddle silently through the stream, and try our luck at fishing. For the fish lovers, the most common species at this kind of body of water is the piranha. Dinner and overnight at TRC

Day 6 Tambopata Research Center - Refugio Amazonas (B,L,D)

We will wake up at dawn once again to visit the macaw clay lick and then return for breakfast. After breakfast we will take a short hike on one of our trails, before returning to TRC and embark to Refugio Amazonas, arriving at mid-afternoon. We will spend our last night in the rain forest in this wonderfully designed lodge enjoying its happy hour as we ponder over the exciting happenings of the past few days.

Day 7 Refugio Amazonas - Puerto Maldonado (B)

After an early breakfast we will return to Puerto Maldonado for our flight back to Lima.

Trip Details

Accommodation	Twin share accommodation. Refugio Amazonas Lodge (2 nts) Tambopata Research Center (4 nts)
Brochure Notes	1. Internal return flights between Cuzco or Lima and Puerto Maldonado are NOT included in the price and can be booked through G.A.P Adventures.2. Drinks and tips extra while at the jungle lodges
Departure	All tours depart daily from Puerto Maldonado
Group Size	No Minimum
Included Highlights	Various jungle activities and spectacular wildlife viewing by boat and rainforest hiking
Local Payment	N/A
Meals Included	All meals while at the lodges.
Recommendation	Also offered as a 4, 5 or 6 day package, see trip codes TSPJ4R/TSPJ5R/TSPJ6R.
StartFinish	ex Puerto Maldonado
Transport	Boat, Canoes, Walking.
Brochure Intro	Refugio Amazonas Lodge (RA) and Tambopata Research Center (TRC) are located in the lush Tambopata Nature Reserve deep in the Peruvian Rainforest. Soak up the jungle life at the lodge and take advantage of a variety of guided activities including visiting a macaw clay lick, going on wildlife hikes, taking canoe tours, visiting with local communities, and going on night jungle walks. The Research Center is home to the world's largest macaw clay lick, featured on the cover of a 1994 issue of National Geographic Magazine. Choose from a 4 day adventure to the Refugio Amazonas Lodge, or take a longer tour and experience the Tambopata Research Center as well. Each tour, from 4 to 7 days long, starts at Puerto Maldonado airport, where you take a 2 hour motorized canoe ride to reach the remote jungle lodge. Return to Puerto Maldonado on the last day.

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