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Three Easy Options for Solo Travel in the Peruvian Amazon
When we make plans for a trip, one of the first things we have to figure out is whether we are going to do solo travel, share the adventure with family, or travel with a friend or two.
This decision is the primary one because it will affect where we go and how we do the trip. For example, if we decide to travel with friends, we should plan the trip together to make sure that everyone is on the same page in terms of what we hope to see and do. The same goes for a family trip along with whatever is required for traveling with children or senior citizens. With that in mind, it almost goes without saying that you have a lot more freedom when traveling on your own. In fact, since you don’t have to meet any other expectations than your own, you have all the freedom in the world to hike the Inca Trail, sample the best in Peruvian ceviche, and even explore the Amazon jungle.
For our three options for solo travel, read below! And don’t forget to check out our free guide to Amazon jungle travel here:

Macaw clay lick – Peruvian Amazon jungle excursion for solo adventurers. Image by Paul Bertner
Well, maybe not that last idea because wouldn’t you need an expedition team to explore the Peruvian Amazon? Well, that would be best if you wanted to try and reach little-explored areas but thanks to successful ecotourism projects in certain parts of eastern Peru, you don’t need an expedition to experience the wild heart of the Peruvian rainforest.
Here are three ways that even the least experienced solo travelers can make that happen in the Amazon:
1. Visit Tambopata
This wild corner of the Amazon is much easier to visit than most people realize. It only takes a short flight from Lima – almost 2 hours – or a much quicker flight from Cuzco – just 30 minutes – to land in Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the rainforests of Tambopata. Upon arrival, you are met at the airport by your personal guide and transferred to your jungle lodge.

Tambopata-Landscapes-Lianne-Herbruck
2. Stay at Unique Lodges with a Purpose
Guests (including folks who go their own way) who stay at Posada Amazonas or Refugio Amazonas Lodge can take guided hikes through the wild, mature rainforest, watch for monkeys, and birds from canopy towers, and take part in other activities recommended by their personal guide. But also, these rainforest lodges make your travel unique since each of them is alive for a purpose.
While Posada Amazonas is the only lodge in the region owns by the Native Community of Infierno, part of the Ese Eja tribe. The lodge wants to exchange cultural experiences and share out all over the world thru its visitants their traditions and stories.
Refugio Amazonas, on the other hand, believes that the protection and conservation of the area can be possible thru science. Because of that, they encourage every guest to become a citizen scientist and save the Amazon across the activities they have at the lodge.

Solo travelers have more opportunities to spot wildlife when traveling to the Amazon. Image by Louis Guillot
3. An off-the-beaten-path experience inside the National Reserve of Tambopata
Head further upriver is located at the Tambopata Research Center, the only lodge inside the National Reserve of Tambopata, fronting the Bahuaja Sonene National Park. Here you can access one of the wildest parts of the Amazon, even if you do the trip on your own. As with the other Rainforest Expeditions lodges, a personal guide will take you on trails through the wild Amazonian rainforest in search of wildlife, bring you to an incredible macaw clay lick, and make sure that you have an unforgettable and safe Amazonian experience even if it happens to be your first trip abroad.
Solo travel to Amazon isn’t just possible — as long as you go with an experienced operator like Rainforest Expeditions, it’s downright easy. They have helped thousands of solo travelers experience their jungle lodges in the wild Amazon, contact them to see how they can help you achieve the trip of a lifetime!

Tambopata Research Center inside the National Reserve of Tambopata. Image by Paul Bertner
By Patt ODonnell
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What our guest say
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- Valuation Excellent
- 5/5
Paul H August 2026
FineSpitz August 2026
Jack Looney August 2026
Ching Han Toh August 2026
Maggie Kwok August 2026
Jim July 2026
Kai Liao July 2026
asbraziller July 2026
Tom K July 2026
Maria Carrero June 2026
Lauren Kuenstner June 2026
Adam C June 2026
We had an excellent 5 night stay at TRC with two couples. The remote Lodge and accommodation are unique especially with the open walls to the jungle in the rooms. The guides were first rate with superb knowledge and their ability to spot fauna in the dense jungle was incredible. We saw many species of monkeys; macaws, parrots, tapirs, etc.. even lucky enough to spot a jaguar. Food and service was really good. While not cheap it was I think very good value for money. We really enjoyed all the hikes and citizen science activities as well, he trips on the river and the clay licks. Overall amazing experience! As it’s the jungle not a zoo, you can’t guarantee that you’ll see everything all the time so allow enough days to properly explore. Read all
A once-in-a-lifetime experience in the middle of the rainforest. From airport pickup in Puerto Maldonado to the lodge and back, everything was exceptionally well organised. Communication was clear throughout, with the team always explaining what would happen, where to be and what to take care of. The staff at both HQ and the lodge were incredibly attentive, making the entire stay feel completely carefree. At this price point, this is the level of service you expect, but it is still impressive to experience it in such a remote setting. The food was another highlight: very well curated and balanced, with plenty of options at every buffet and, surprisingly, we never had the same dish twice. Read all
This was an excellent experience!! Highly recommend if you’re interested in visiting the Amazon Rainforest and Tambopata region. Especially happy with our guide Miguel, who was highly professional, informative, and organized. It was an immersive adventure and we got to see so many unique plants and animals. 10/10! Read all
Amazing experience at Refugio Amazonas. Rooms were comfortable and clean. Great buffet spread every day. Staff were friendly and attentive. Our guide Alan was very informative. Overall would definitely recommend a visit! Read all
We stayed 3 nights at Posada Amazonas during our summer trip to Peru, and it was definitely one of the biggest highlights of the whole journey. The staff were incredibly warm and welcoming. Our guide, Joss, was professional, friendly and amazingly knowledgeable. Sometimes it honestly felt like he could communicate with the animals — he could spot black caimans or giant river otters from hundreds of metres away! The excursions were unforgettable. We saw beautiful macaws, giant river otters, capybaras, sloths, tarantulas, an anaconda, different species of monkeys, toucans and so much more. I especially loved the rainforest walks and joined both the daytime and night walks. Every walk felt completely different, and you never knew what you might find. What also made the stay special was the lodge’s involvement in scientific and environmental projects. There was a talk every evening, and we learned a lot about the rainforest and its wildlife. We also joined the “Discover New Species” activity and helped search for possible new species of tiger moths — such a fun and memorable experience. The lodge itself is definitely rustic luxury rather than a city-style 5-star hotel. There is no air conditioning or hair dryer, but the hot shower, fan and hammock in the room were all very comfortable and suited the rainforest setting perfectly. And surprisingly, the internet connection was excellent — even the boats had Starlink! One of the things I appreciated most is that Posada Amazonas is a collaboration between Rainforest Expeditions and the local Indigenous community that owns the land. Many community members are directly involved in running the lodge, and you can really feel how much the staff care about and are connected to this rainforest, which is part of their ancestral home. If you are looking for an authentic, educational and truly memorable Amazon rainforest experience, I highly recommend Posada Amazonas. We absolutely loved our stay. Read all
The Tambopata Research Center (TRC) offers a well-organized immersive rainforest experience within the Tambopata National Reserve. The TRC and its accommodations put a spin on the term creature comforts by keeping guests comfortable while they commune among the creatures within the rainforest. I appreciated, through what I observed and the interactions I had, the attentiveness of the TRC team members. They knew their guests and seamlessly organized a lot for our benefit. The center assigns guests to a small group with a dedicated guide. In my case, Erick Arguedas was a superb ambassador for all things living in the rainforest, in part because it was the environment in which he grew up. His role was to ensure we got the most out of our visit. Being a long-term TRC guide gave him the expertise he needed to easily fulfill this role. Read all
Our stay at Refugio Amazonas was a great experience from beginning to end. The entire trip was very well organized, and having a tour guide with you throughout the experience made everything easy and enjoyable. Our guides, Dennis and Tuto, were excellent. They both spoke English very well and did a fantastic job explaining the different birds, trees, plants, and animals we encountered. Their knowledge really made the excursions much more interesting and helped us appreciate the Amazon on a deeper level. The expeditions were definitely a highlight. I highly recommend the clay lick, sunset cruise, observation tower, river boat tour, and night walk. Each activity offered something different, and we were able to see so much wildlife. The food was also excellent. Everything was fresh and tasted great. I especially enjoyed the protein dishes, fresh fruit, and yuca potatoes. Considering how remote the lodge is, we were very impressed with the quality of the food. The rooms are very open to nature, which is part of what makes the experience so unique. We saw monkeys right from our room, along with many birds and lizards. We even had a frog visit our room at night—which was definitely an interesting Amazon experience! 😂 One thing to be aware of is that the walls between rooms are quite thin, so you can hear your neighbors at times. Overall, the entire experience was absolutely worth the trip. If you’re visiting the Peruvian Amazon, I would strongly recommend Refugio Amazonas. The wildlife, guides, excursions, food, and being completely immersed in nature made this one of the highlights of our Peru trip. 🌿🦜🐒 Read all
Our stay here was one of the favorite parts of our trip to Peru. One of the most memorable parts of the stay is how wonderful the guides were. We had two different guides during our stay: Jos and Jorge. Jos had an amazing connection with the birds, knowing all the bird sounds by ear, he could imitate most of them. His passion for the birds was evident when we went out to see them, and during a visit to look for macaws at the clay lick, he moved locations just so we would have the opportunity to see them. When we viewed them up close through a new blind that had been built, his joy was as much as ours, delighting as if it was his first sighting. Jorge had a beautiful spirit that he shared with us during our time with him. Growing up in the community there, he had so much knowledge about the plants and trees. He introduced us to a medicinal plant, and had stories about some of the different trees. We felt well cared for by both guides. We also enjoyed the nightly science talks, teaching us about some of the ongoing projects which helped us feel more connected to the area. The food was wonderful, and all the staff were extremely helpful throughout our stay. Read all
Amazing location and truly deep jungle. This organisation has three lodges and this is the nearest to Puerto Maldonado but don’t think that the wildlife here is any less than the lodges further along the river. We saw a LOT of different animals, birds and variety of colours. Well worth the stay. Read all
We stayed last february for 4 nights in the TRC lodge. I never could have imagined that I would explore the amazon in such confortable and immersive way. The lodge itself is such a luxurious place, in the middle of nowhere! The food was nicely curated everyday to offer new bits and pieces of the Peruvian cuisine. The absolute highlight of our stay here was for sure the activities and our guide Carmen, who accompanied us everyday! We were able to choose our everydays activities with our very reduced group and our guide. Carmen guided us on very activity, spotting and explaining what animals we saw and interesting facts about our surroundings. Her knowledge and excitement were so infectious that it would even make the sightings even more special! Read all
One of the most unique experiences we’ve had! You are deep in the heart of the Amazon and truly feel immersed in nature. Our guide Dino was awesome and taught us so much about the rainforest-he is like a walking encyclopedia, and his love for the forest really shows. Also very unique to listen to nightly talks from the research team-it really adds to the experience. Food was great and staff very friendly. Bring lots of bug spray and an adventurous spirit! Read all
The lodge was fantastic; they were very attentive to our needs. The dining staff brought special bread for my wife because of her celiac disease and offered to prepare dishes specifically for her to meet her dietary needs. The lodge guides were truly knowledgeable and went out of their way to help us see all the local wildlife. I especially loved the mosquito net service they provided. I was worried we’d be eaten alive, but their setup is fabulous; I had no concerns once I saw how they installed the impenetrable nets and curtains. The meals were as good as—or better than—anywhere else we ate in Peru. We saw the following animals: macaws, parrots, parakeets, pale-winged trumpeters, tamarins, caimans, capybaras, and a ton of insects on our night hike. Read all
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The Roadside Hawk in the river side of Tambopata. Image by Liz Paipay. Walk or drive along virtually any road in the Amazon and you’ll hear that unique screech of a roadside haw...
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There's much more than one type of habitat in the Amazon rainforest. Different types of forest grow in flooded areas compared to upland, hilly situations, and bamboo thickets and o...
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June 13, 2005 In One Afternoon, All Of This Amazon Rainforest W...
I've been working in the Tambopata rainforest for almost a year. I'm still continually impressed by the quantity of wildlife you can see over the course of several hours. Yesterd...
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