Refugio Amazonas Lodge
The Experience
Refugio Amazonas Lodge
Refugio Amazonas Lodge is a lodge in the middle of the Peruvian jungle in the somewhat more luxurious segment. The lodge on the Tambopata River is a 3-hour boat ride from the town of Puerto Maldonado. Refugio Amazonas Lodge always works with good (English-speaking) naturalists/guides and the stay there is pleasant.
There are many species of monkeys around the Refugio Amazonas Lodge such as brown back tamarins, squirrel monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys, red howler monkeys and gray titi monkeys. There are also other animals such as caimans, capybaras, parrots and many other species of birds. Furthermore, there are also animals in the area such as pumas, jaguars and giant otters, but for these animals you have to be lucky to see them.
Chuncho Clay Lick
About 3 hours further by boat into the rainforest lies the Chuncho Clay Lick. This largest clay lick in the world 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 in the world known to attract so many large macaws. Incidentally, the macaws do not visit the clay lick when it rains, so it must be dry.
If you choose to stay at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge including a visit to the Chuncho Clay Lick, you will visit the clay lick early in the morning on day 3. The other activities as described on day 3 you will undertake later in the day.
How long to stay and what to do at Refugio Amazonas Lodge?
It is possible to book a stay of 3 days or more at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge. However, this is a bit short for this lodge that is located deep in the rainforest. Most of our travelers stay 4 days at this lodge. In the description of ‘day to day’ you can read what a 4-day stay can look like. See also the Activities list Refugio Amazonas Peru to get an idea of the activities that are possible.
What's Included
- Airport pick-up and drop-off in Puerto Maldonado
- Shared ground transport to the port in Infierno
- Round-trip boat transportation on the Tambopata River
- Box lunch during boat trip to the lodge
- Accommodation at Refugio Amazonas Lodge (private rooms with bathroom)
- All meals at the lodge (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Guided excursions:
- Night caiman-spotting along the riverbank
- Visit to Oxbow Lake (wildlife spotting: hoatzins, caimans, otters, birds)
- Walk to 25-meter canopy observation tower
- Visit to a local farm (indigenous Condenado community)
- Educational presentation on rainforest conservation
- Early morning visit to a parrot clay lick
- Brazil nut harvesting tour
- Optional night walk in the rainforest
- Bilingual naturalist guide (Spanish-English)
- Access to lodge amenities and trails
What's Not Included
- Flights to/from Puerto Maldonado
- Entrance fees to the Tambopata National Reserve (if required)
- Alcoholic beverages and bottled drinks
- Snacks or personal purchases
- Tips for guides or lodge staff
- Travel insurance
- Optional activities not listed in the itinerary
Day-by-Day Itinerary
In the morning, you fly from Lima or Cusco to Puerto Maldonado. You will be picked up from the airport in Puerto Maldonado. Via a meeting point in the city, you and the other travelers will be taken to the small harbor in the indigenous village of Infierno, 20 kilometers from Puerto Maldonado. Here, you will depart by boat for a beautiful journey of approximately 2.5 hours along the Tambopata River to the Refugio Amazonas lodge. You will be offered a packed lunch on the boat. You will arrive at the lodge in the mid-afternoon.
After dinner, you will go out into the dark along the riverbank with flashlights to look for caimans, recognizable by the red reflection of the gleam in their eyes.
After breakfast, you will visit Lake Oxbow. Paddling on the lake, you will look for animals such as the anioema (a member of the galliform family), the hoatzin, caimans, and with a bit of luck, you might spot otters, which also inhabit the area. You will see various species of parrots flying in the sky. Afterwards, you will depart for the 25-meter-high observation tower, a half-hour walk from the lodge. The tower is built on elevated ground, and from the top, you look out over the treetops of the Tambopata rainforest. With a bit of luck, you will see toucans, macaws, and various species of birds of prey flying in the sky.
After lunch, you will visit a local farm a 5-minute boat ride from the lodge. The farm is part of the indigenous Condenado community. You will receive a guided tour of this farm, where a wide variety of well-known and lesser-known crops are grown. The guide will tell you about the (medicinal) uses of various types of crops such as Mansoa Alliacea, Yuca de Venado, Uña de Gato, Charcot-Sacha, and Para-Para.
After dinner, the guide will give you a presentation on threats, opportunities, and projects in the rainforest.
Located a 15-minute boat ride and an hour's walk from the lodge is a clay lick used by various species of parrots, parakeets such as Weddell's Aratinga and the Cobalt-winged Parakeet, and other birds like the Yellow-fronted Amazon and the Black-eared Marguerite. You should visit the clay lick at dawn, when the birds are most active. It is also possible to visit the lick mid-morning or early afternoon, although the birds will be somewhat less active then.
A plot of land with Brazil nut trees lies a few minutes' walk from the lodge. These trees are harvested for two months of the year. Your guide will show you the entire sustainable harvesting process, from gathering to drying the Brazil nuts.
In the evening, you have the opportunity to take a night walk with the guide. It is precisely at night that most mammals are active.
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 breaking of dawn on the Tambopata River. In Puerto Maldonado, you will be taken to the airport for the direct flight to Cusco or Lima.
Please note: The travel description serves as an example of what a stay in the jungle might look like. However, no rights can be derived from this.
