Exploring Peru’s Amazon Rainforest: Our 4 Day Itinerary & Experience
We spent 4 days exploring Peru's Amazon rainforest!
During our two week trip to Peru, we traveled to the remote Amazon jungle to experience one of the most bio-diverse ecosystems on Earth. It was an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Our lodge was located deep within the Tambopata National Reserve so we had the best chances of seeing the rainforest's wildlife. We saw capybara, caiman, monkeys, spiders, bullet ants, macaws, a boa, and much more!
In this blog post we will share all of the details of our 4 day itinerary and experience exploring the Amazon, so you will know exactly what to expect when planning your own trip to Peru’s Amazon rainforest.
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This blog post has a lot of detailed information and tips from our own experience visiting Peru’s Amazon jungle, so save this post to reference back to later when you’re planing for your own trip using the Pinterest image above!
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Exploring Peru’s Amazon Rainforest Video
Along with this blog post, you can watch the video above to see our entire experience exploring the Amazon rainforest in action. Use the timestamps below to follow along with our journey day by day. If you enjoy the video, please give it a “thumbs up” and consider subscribing! We would really appreciate it. Now, onto the blog post!
Timestamps (with the main critters we saw each day)
00:00 Intro: Exploring Peru's Amazon Rainforest
00:08 Day One: Arriving to Tambopata + night walk in the Amazon (Capybara, caiman, tarantula)
02:48 Day Two: Trekking through the jungle (Monkeys, bugs, our first macaw!)
05:24 Day Three: More jungle hikes + sunset river cruise (Bullet ant, macaws, monkeys, a boa!)
08:01 Day Four: Clay lick + river cruise (SO many macaws, a toucan, caiman)
10:23 Departure Day: Leaving the Amazon (Caiman aka Poncho)
10:52 Bloopers! Subscribe for more adventures and bad jokes.
Amazon Rainforest Peru Guide
Planning your own trip to Peru’s Amazon rainforest? Then make sure to stay tuned for our complete guide to visiting the Amazon rainforest.
This blog post mainly focuses on our itinerary and experience, whereas that guide will cover everything you need to know to plan your trip – including the best time to visit, how to get there, what to pack, and more! Coming soon, so many sure to check back!
Where we stayed for our trip to the Amazon Jungle Peru
When planning your trip to the Amazon rainforest, one of your most important decisions you will need to make is where to stay. Unlike a hotel in a city which you will primarily use only to sleep, your choice of stay in the rainforest will impact your entire experience in the rainforest.
Most lodges are all inclusive and will provide your guided jungle treks and excursions, so choosing a lodge with excellent service that includes the activities that are most important to you is crucial.
After hours of research, I finally narrowed it down to one of 3 lodges which were the top rated lodges in all of Peru’s Amazon jungle: Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, and Tambopata Research Center. All of these lodges had amazing reviews and were constantly recommended in blog posts and videos I saw during my research.
With a little more digging, I came to realize that these 3 ecolodges are actually run by the same company, Rainforest Expeditions, so I felt secure in choosing any one of them knowing that they were run by the same respected company. Along with the great reviews on their accommodations and tour experiences, Rainforest Expeditions also has a focus on research and conservation efforts which I greatly appreciate. You can learn more about their research and conservation projects at Wired Amazon.
Tambopata Research Center
Eventually we decided on Tambopata Research Center. It is the only lodge located within the Tambopata National Reserve, which gives you the best chances of seeing wildlife as it is undisturbed by humankind. Apparently, 1 in 3 visitors even sees a jaguar (spoiler: we were not one of the lucky ones). It also has close access to 2 of the most important clay licks in the region: the Colorado and Chuncho Clay licks, which was high on my Amazon bucketlist.
Note: this is not sponsored, I just really did my research and we greatly enjoyed our stay here. We would love to stay at Tambopata Research Center again and at Rainforest Expeditions’ other two lodges someday.
Book Your Stay: Tambopata Research Center on Booking.com
So as you read this blog post of our 4 day experience in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, keep in mind that all activities and treks were led by our guide from Tambopata Research Center. Upon arrival, you will be given a presentation with all of the available activites you can choose from. At the end of each day your guide will brief your group and you will decide together what activities you would like to do in the morning, and at lunch for the afternoon activities.
Day One: Arriving in Tambopata + Night walk in the Amazon
Flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado
We began our trip to Peru’s Amazon rainforest with a 6:30am nonstop flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is one of Peru’s three gateway cities into the Amazon along with Iquitos and Tarapoto. There are daily flights from Lima to these cities, making it easier to access the Amazon than many might think!
Keep in mind when booking your flights: it is suggested to plan your arrival for before 12:30pm to take advantage of the free shuttle service to the lodge, since it is a 3.5 hour journey to reach the Tambopata ecolodge from the airport. This may vary depending on where you stay, but this was the case for Tambopata Research Center specifically. Regardless of where you are staying though, it will probably take some time to reach your ecolodge in the jungle and you will want to give yourself plenty of time in case of delays.
Our flight was a little less than 2 hours long, arriving in Puerto Maldonado at 8:10am. The Puerto Maldonado airport was one of the smallest we have been to yet. We deplaned our LATAM flight directly onto the tarmac, as you can see in the picture above. The airport’s arrivals area was essentially a small warehouse with a luggage carousel and restrooms. After using the restrooms, we found our guide waiting for us outside the airport and boarded the Rainforest Expeditions bus.
1 Hour Bus Ride from Puerto Maldonado to Tambopata River
About 5 minutes from the airport, we made a stop at the Rainforest Expeditions office. Here, we were able to grab a snack, use the restroom, and arrange our baggage – those with both a carry-on bag and checked luggage were able to store their extra luggage here and arrange their carry-on with what they needed for their time in the Amazon, since luggage is restricted to 15kg per person (33 pounds).
Once everyone was ready (there were around 15 people total from our bus), we boarded the bus once again for a 1 hour ride to the Tambopata river port. The bus was very comfortable and most of our group napped during this time.
2.5 Hour Boat Ride on the Tambopata River to Tambopata Research Center
Before we knew it, we had reached the Tambopata River. And just our luck, it was now raining. But we had to remind ourselves we were now in the rainforest, after all. We grabbed our bags from the bus and boarded the river boat.
It was a small, long and narrow boat that could fit about 16-18 people. The seats were surprisingly comfortable, and with the hum of the motor and the rocking of the waves, we were soon lulled to sleep despite our best efforts. I don’t know about you, but travel days make us sleepy. We eventually woke up and tried to keep an eye on the riverbanks for any wildlife. As luck would have it, we ended up spotting a capybara and a caiman!
About halfway into our river cruise, we entered the Tambopata National Reserve. The boat docked to pay the entry fee and we were able to use the restrooms here if we needed to. Peter and I stayed behind and got boat pictures while it was empty.
Once everyone had returned and we continued our journey, the guides handed out a prepackaged lunch and juice. I am not sure what its called, but it was a local Peruvian dish of rice, eggs, and vegetables. It was tasty, and the juice was especially delicious. The lunch was wrapped in a banana leaf and we had metal reusable silverware – no single use plastics here.
After a tranquil 2 and half-hours boating upriver on the Tambopata River, we found ourselves deep in the heart of the Tambopata National Reserve at the dock of the Tambopata Research Center lodge. We disembarked and had a short 5 minute walk through the jungle with our bags to reach the lodge.
Arrival at Tambopata Research Center
Upon arrival at the lodge (probably around 3:30-4pm), our bags were taken to our rooms while we were greeted in the lobby with a welcome drink of juice. While we enjoyed our juice, there was a introduction video about the lodge itself and the activity offerings.
Everyone was divided into small groups each with their own guide (based on your group size and stay duration – we came as a part of a group of 6 with our friends so we were our own group and had our own private guide). Our guide introduced himself (if you see Juan Carlos say hi for us, he was great!) and asked us how we were feeling and if we wanted to do anything that evening. Since we were well rested from our bus and boat naps, we all agreed that we were down for a walk through the jungle later.
At this point we had some free time to explore the lodge and check out our rooms. Peter and I naturally took the opportunity to grab our first Pisco Sour from the lodge’s bar (note: like most places, alcoholic drinks are not a part of the all-inclusive price). The bar is called the “Isula Bar” – Isula means bullet ant, thus the decor and mural.
With drink in hand, we walked around the lodge, checked out our room (shown above), unpacked our things, and readied our daypack for our night jungle trek.
Amazon Night Walk
Once it was time for our "night” walk (it was really late afternoon but was already growing dark in the shade of the towering rainforest surrounding us), we met our guide at the front entrance and donned tall waterproof boots that were provided by the lodge. We set out on one of the many trails connecting to the lodge led by our guide, Juan Carlos.
Many of the Amazon’s creatures are nocturnal or are more likely to be seen after dark, especially many of the jungle’s creepy crawlers. During the 1 hour or so that we walked the trails in the dark (make sure to pack a headlamp!) we saw many strange bugs and a few roosting birds.
The star of our Amazon night walk was the tarantula. Juan Carlos spotted the burrow of a tarantula and used a twig to make some small movements on the ground outside of the entrance. Apparently, the tarantulas sit inside and wait to feel such vibrations to catch unsuspecting prey. Sure enough, moments later a large tarantula emerged and pounced on the end of the twig.
I had never seen such a large spider in nature before! It was incredible and surreal and slightly nerve-wracking. Luckily, neither Peter nor I are inherently afraid of spiders, but the size of this one might make anyone a little nervous. But as Juan Carlos told us information about the tarantula, my respect for this animal grew. Did you know for example that female tarantulas can live to be over 30 years old? This tarantula was a wise old lady just trying to catch some dinner.
Night Lecture
After our night time trek through the jungle, we returned to the lodge just in time to grab a Pisco Sour from the bar and head over to our first research lecture. Every night before dinner at Tambopata Research Center, one of the resident researchers give a lecture about a different topic, ranging from their ongoing research and conservation efforts to education about the local wildlife.
To be honest, I enjoyed these lectures more than I was originally expecting. It was fascinating to hear about the new technologies they are using to help protect the Amazon and how they are still discovering new species to this day! We even learned that the San Diego Zoo helps fund some of these projects, which is pretty neat (we made sure to visit the San Diego Zoo as soon as we returned home to southern California).
Our first night’s lecture was about the 5 different types of monkeys that can be found in this area and how they are able to track them. From tracking the monkeys, they are also able to figure out where jaguars and other predators are based on the monkeys calls and movements. Isn’t that crazy?
Dinner
Since the ecolodge was all-inclusive, that of course meant that dinner was included. This was our first meal at Tambopata Research Center so we weren’t entirely sure what to expect, but it ended up being a buffet style assortment of Peruvian fare.
I had a plate of some yellow curry over rice with a side of potato soup and alfajores cookies for dessert. Everything was fresh and delicious! I’m not the best food photographer, but trust me. It was difficult not to overeat, and I can’t say that we were entirely successful since we wanted to try a little bit of everything.
After dinner, our group grabbed a drink and sat in the lobby chatting about the day’s events for a time before going to bed early to get a good night’s sleep.
Day Two: Trekking through the jungle
Our second day and first full day in the Amazon rainforest began with rain. However, after a buffet-style breakfast of yogurt, pastries, and fresh fruits, the rain began to let up which meant we were on for our next trek through the jungle.
Swamp Trail
Juan Carlos had advised us to wear our rainpants and rain jackets, and after putting on our tall rubber boots we were ready to hit the trails.
Perhaps worsened by the morning rain, the swamp trail was aptly named for its 4-6 inch deep (sometimes deeper) level of water along the path. We felt very adventurous as we made our way through the thick mud and waters of this trail.
During this trek, we saw our first titi monkeys! They were so fluffy and adorable, and probably one of my top favorite animals that we saw during our time in Peru’s Amazon Rainforest. Aren’t they so cute?
Lunch & Afternoon Break
After walking the paths of the swamp trail for a couple of hours, we made our way back to the lodge for lunch and an afternoon break.
This was the structure of all of our days at Tambopata Research Center – a morning activity, then lunch and an hour or two of relaxation time in the early afternoon, and then an afternoon / evening activity. This was perfect because it allowed us time to rest between our miles of walking and maybe even take a nap after getting up early each day. Additionally, this structure makes sense because the wildlife is most active in the morning and in the evening just before and after dark. The middle of the day is generally the hottest in the tropical climate of the rainforest and when the animals are least active.
Like breakfast and dinner, lunch was a buffet-style offering of Peruvian fare similar to the dinner selection but just a bit lighter. We spent our free time napping, looking through photos from our journey thus far, and sending them to family back home in the States.
Overlook Trail
Our afternoon activity took us down some new trails exploring different parts of the nearby jungle, including an overlook of the Tambopata River. Here we saw another titi monkey!
We also caught a glimpse of our first macaw, which was checking out one of the Research Center’s artificial macaw nests (yay!). We learned that macaws don’t build their own nests, rather they roost in the natural holes formed in old trees. As these towering old trees get cut down, more and more macaws are losing their homes, so the researchers have been building artificial nests for the macaws in the surrounding areas. Isn’t that awesome?
As we made our way back to the lodge and the sky grew darker, we happened upon another tarantula burrow. But unlike the one we had seen on night one, this burrow had many young tarantulas rather than one adult. It was very cool to see them all moving slowly as one to check out what was at their doorstep.
Day Three: More jungle hikes + sunset river cruise
Morning Jungle hike
Day three in the Amazon jungle began with another hike through the jungle trails we had already traversed on the previous days – which completely makes sense. The purpose of most people’s trip to the Amazon is in the hopes of glimpsing some of its diverse wildlife. You never know when or where the wildlife might appear, so all you can do is get out there and explore over and over, hoping to get lucky enough to see the elusive animals of the jungle.
So, we spent a couple of hours trekking through the muddy trails of the jungle. Today we actually saw a lot of interesting bugs! Huge spiders, butterflies, and weird looking caterpillars. At one point we noticed spikey caterpillars on the underside of a leaf and showed our guide Juan Carlos. He immediately warned us not to touch them because it would be very painful…
Out of all of the insects that we saw in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, perhaps the most interesting was the Bullet Ant. The Bullet Ant has the most painful insect sting in the world, causing up to 12 hours of excruciating pain. It is quite a large ant and was found throughout the jungle climbing trees and even hand railings!
Juan Carlos warned us often to check EVERYTHING before we touch it. Apparently, tourists to the area have been stung simply by grabbing a hand railing or rope before looking at it, incurring the wrath of an unsuspecting bullet ant.
After some time spent walking through the inner trails of the jungle surrounding Tambopata Research Center, Juan Carlos led us to an elevated overlook viewing the Tambopata River and further forest below.
Lunch & Afternoon Break
Today’s lunch and afternoon break went much the same as the previous day’s. Upon returning from our morning jungle hike, we had another buffet-style lunch and our group went our separate ways for a couple of hours. Some of us took a nap, while some read a book or looked at pictures.
Shortly before heading out to our sunset boat cruise, we grabbed a cocktail from the bar (another Pisco Sour, of course) and requested a cooler of Cusquena beer (a local Peruvian beer) to bring on our boat cruise which was something the guides had let us know we could do ahead of time.
Sunset river boat cruise
During our lunch we had heard from another group that they had found a red-tailed boa on a nearby island. So, during our sunset boat cruise our guide took us to this island to see if the snake was still there. Luckily for us, it was!
It was a young red-tailed boa which meant it was quite small compared to an adult boa. But it was the only snake we were able to see during our time in the Amazon rainforest so I was extremely grateful we were able to see this beauty!
Once everyone from our boat had a chance to see the boa, we all boarded the boat and continued our river cruise. It was a very nice and relaxing cruise down the Tambopata River, and a welcomed reprieve from walking after traversing many miles through the jungle trails over the last few days.
Furthermore, the sunset river cruise was apparently the best opportunity to possibly see a jaguar. While extremely unlikely, it was the best chance at spotting one during these hours of the day along the river. And the same was said about the other wildlife as this was the most popular time to get a drink from the water.
Along the shoreline of the river we spotted many birds, the occasional caiman and even capybara! We were able to get quite close to the shoreline with the long boat which allowed us a close look at these amazing animals.
Day Four: Clay lick + river cruise
Early morning boat ride
Today was perhaps my favorite day from our time in the Amazon rainforest.
We set our alarms at 4am in order to leave the lodge at 5am. Why so early, you might be wondering? Because we had a 2 hour boat ride ahead of us in order to reach the Colorado Clay Lick in time for the morning show.
We had believed the boat ride itself was a necessary means to an end in order to reach the clay lick, but it provided a spectacular morning sunrise viewing.
Colorado Clay Lick
The Colorado Clay Lick is the largest macaw clay lick in the world, and home to one of the most spectacular shows mother nature puts on. Every morning that rain doesn’t fall, hundreds of parakeets and macaws gather here to lick the minerals from the exposed clay.
This was one of the main reasons that we ultimately chose to stay at the Tambopata Researh Center. The Tambopata Research Center has the closest access to the Colorado clay lick as well as the Chuncho clay lick. Our guide told us that other groups from other lodges had to leave at 3am to get there!
Once we arrived at the clay lick, we set up across the river for easy viewing and waiting for the macaws to arrive. It didn’t take long for the parakeets to arrive, and then the macaws slowly started to trickle in.
Soon, the surrounding trees and the face of the clay lick looked like a Jackson Pollock painting, a smattering of colors with green parakeets and macaws of red, yellow, and blue.
One of our favorite moments at the clay lick was watching a blue and yellow macaw that hung awkwardly upside down from a vine to access the clay for about an hour. We decided his name was Gerald. You can see his bright yellow exposed belly hanging upside down in the photo below.
After the macaws had their fill and began to thin out, we were invited to have breakfast which our guides had set up for us on the bank of the river. We drank our coffee, had breakfast, and enjoyed the last of the macaws before we left to return to the lodge.
Pisco Sour Making Class
After 3 days of grabbing Pisco Sours and an after-dinner drink or two from the bar, we had gotten to know the bartender Luis. He was an excellent bartender who had studied at notable bartending schools and even participated in national competitions! And I can tell you, his drinks were perfection. I was not expecting a lodge in the middle of the rainforest to have such an accomplished bartender, but I was certainly not complaining. As he put it, if you could work anywhere, wouldn’t you want to work there? Fair enough.
Anyways, after enjoying his Pisco Sours for days we asked if he could give our group a little Pisco Sour making class. He kindly obliged during our midday break between activities.
Luis walked us through the steps of making a Pisco Sour at home, including the history of the drink, what Pisco we could likely find at home, and different ways of preparing the drink. And afterwards, we all had a classic Pisco Sour to enjoy. Thanks, Luis!
Another Sunset River Cruise
It was our last night in the Amazon, which meant it was our last opportunity to possibly, maybe, if we were very lucky, see a jaguar. Our guide had told us from day 1 that our best shot at spotting a jaguar would be on the boat cruises along the water’s edge. So we took our last activity as our final shot at seeing this reclusive jungle cat.
Spoiler alert: we did not ever see a jaguar during our time in the jungle. We can’t be disappointed because everyone told us from the start that it was extremely rare and unlikely, but we couldn’t help but privately harbor a small glimmer of hope that we would be the lucky ones. Alas.
However, we had a perfect final night in the Amazon.
We stopped on an island where we immediately saw a toucan (very different looking than the ones that we had seen in Costa Rica). Once everyone got their pictures and the toucan flew away, our group raided the cooler we had packed with Cusquena, a Peruvian beer from Cusco, and cheers-ed to our last night. It was the perfect ending to an epic trip.
Departure Day: Leaving the Amazon
We departed Tambopata Research Center around 7am with full but heavy hearts. It had been a remarkable 4 days in the jungle. No, we did not win nature’s lottery and see a jaguar during our stay, but we saw so many awe-inspiring creatures from caiman and macaws to capybara and had so many incredible experiences.
Our journey out of the Amazon was the same as our arrival in reverse – we had a 2.5 hour boat ride down the Tambopata river followed by a 1 hour bus ride back to the Puerto Maldonado airport.
Again, while booking your flights be sure to keep in mind the 3.5 hour travel time from the ecolodge to the airport. It is suggested that you book your flight for any time after 11:30am as you should arrive at the Puerto Maldonado airport around 10:00am.
Our flight departed Puerto Maldonado at 12:30pm to go to Lima and then onwards to Cusco. *There is a direct flight from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco, but it is only available on certain days and unfortunately it did not line up with our Peru trip schedule.
The next leg in our Peru adventure? Hiking the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
Would you visit the Amazon rainforest?
The Amazon rainforest is definitely not for the faint of heart, and might be challenging for those who are afraid of spiders and other such creepy crawlers as the jungle is literally crawling with them! I had bug PTSD for days after leaving the Amazon – thinking every dark spot on the walls or floor was a bug and checking my shoes every time before putting them on. But with that said, I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Visiting the Amazon rainforest was a bucketlist experience and one I will not soon forget, with its untouched beauty and wild heart, bursting with life behind every stone and leaf. For one of the first times in my life I truly felt like a visitor in a land ruled by nature.
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