Trips

Puerto Maldonado/Amazon Lodge

Bienvenidos! Welcome to Peru. Please ensure you arrive in Puerto Maldonado no later than 1 pm. A lodge representative will welcome you at the airport. You will then head to the Amazon lodge's office in town (a maximum of 15 minutes by van) to pack the necessary gear for the next few days. Here you can leave most of your luggage in safe storage and continue travelling with a small pack with just the necessary items for your next two nights in the jungle. Then you'll take a motorised canoe upriver (approximately 30') to your jungle lodge in the Madre de Dios area. Once you arrive, there will be time to unpack and unwind. Rooms at the lodges are simple but comfortable, and there are flushing toilets, showers, mosquito nets and kerosene lamps. However, there is no electricity in the rooms. Electricity will only be available in the common areas, and likely at a designated time, not all day. Lodge staff are primarily local, including the multilingual guides who can teach you all about the area's rich flora and fauna.  Notes: Please provide your arrival flight details at least 15 days prior to the start of the trip. The complimentary transfer can only be used on the start day of this trip. If you are arriving in Puerto Maldonado early you will need to make your own way to your hotel.  Alternative lodge: As we offer daily departures on this trip, we may need to use an alternative lodge on occasion. These alternatives lodges offer equally interesting programs in the same area. In the case that we can only confirm an alternative lodge, you will be advised prior to travel. Alternative lodge details can be found in the accommodation section of these trip notes. If you are staying in Puerto Maldonado prior to the start date, please advise at the time of booking and we can book pre tour accommodation and transport to the start point for the tour for you. 

Amazon Lodge

Start your day with a boat ride (approximately 30 minutes) followed by a short walk (between 25 and 45 minutes). You’ll arrive at an oxbow lake in the middle of the rainforest – the habitat of a family of giant otters. Along the way you’ll see a variety of jungle fauna – perhaps hoatzins, monkeys, macaws, black caimans, flying parrots, and, if you are lucky, a family of endangered giant river otters (pteronoura brasilienses). In the late morning you will head to the parrot clay lick where birds come here to feed on the salt in the clay. The macaws begin by ceremoniously circling the cliff area. Usually the feeding frenzy lasts 20 to 25 minutes. The salt from the clay is thought to detoxify the birds’ fruit diet. After lunch back at the lodge, you’ll head back out to the jungle to take a short walk and learn about the medicinal properties and practical uses of the plants. Return to the lodge once again to freshen up, then enjoy some dinner. After dinner there will be an optional night walk through the jungle.

Amazon Lodge

Visit a mammal feeding area in the morning. The mammals are known to feed at any time of the day or night, and they’re more timid than birds, with less regular routine. As a result, mammals are more difficult to see. This feeding area is visited by white-lipped peccaries, collar peccaries, deer, agouti, squirrels and tapir – see how many of these you can spot. For lunch you will head back to the lodge. In the afternoon, it’s time to visit a Brazil nut farm. Here you’ll be treated to a fascinating demonstration of the entire process of their production, from harvesting to completion. Enjoy a final dinner back at the lodge tonight.

Puerto Maldonado

Depart the lodge this morning after an early breakfast. You will be taken from the port to the airport, at which point your trip comes to an end. Departure flights for today should be booked for after 11:30 am.