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Make Science Happen in the Amazon Rainforest
We’re now offering a fun, interactive activity in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest! The new “Open Lab” is available at our stunning Refugio Amazonas lodge in Tambopata, Peru. The Wired Amazon program.

Refugio Amazonas Lodge has the second floor in the main area with a perfect view of the forest. The beautiful lodge also features nightly presentations on the fascinating creatures of the jungle, and two tranquil massage rooms — still leaving enough space for our Open Lab!
Open Lab is an entomology lab in the middle of the Amazon jungle. We have a great stereoscope that projects the microscopic anatomy of insects in real-time. The lab is equipped with tweezers, pins, Petri dishes, and everything you need to get access to small insect structures.
But before going into more detail about the Open Lab, let me tell you more generally about the incredible science project we’ve started at Refugio Amazonas. The Lab is just one part of this amazing initiative! At the lodge, we’ve begun a Citizen Science program called Wired Amazon. This unique program has three main components that make science exciting and accessible.
The first part of our Citizen Science Program is the AmazonCam Tambopata. We’re using camera traps to figure out how many jaguars live in the Tambopata National Reserve. We have more than 150 cameras in a 200 square kilometer area called “The Big Grid.”

We also started an Aerobotany project, complete with drones, as part of the Citizen Science Program! Guests can help with the project and even learn about drone science in the process. We’re located in the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve, with more than 162 natural Brazil Nut trees growing on the land. So we’re using these drones to see what’s going on in the crowns of the majestic Brazil Nut Trees, known in Spanish as Castañas.

Finally, we have our groundbreaking Discovering New Species project another activity from the Wired Amazon program, conducted with the help of lodge guests. We’re trying to discover new species of insects — and that’s where our new Open Lab comes in!
1,013,000 insect species have already been discovered around the world. While this number may seem gigantic, some scientists believe that there are actually six to eight million insect species globally, meaning most types haven’t been discovered yet! Nowadays, we don’t have enough specialists in different insect types to research all of them. Also, there are lots of inaccessible places with plenty of new species just waiting to be discovered! This means that there’s a huge gap in scientific knowledge and tons of chances to discover new species!

Here at our Refugio Amazonas lodge, we focus on four groups: scorpion wasps, treehoppers, leafhoppers, and tiger moths. We use several different techniques to collect our samples. For tiger moths, we make a very simple light trap: a white sheet with a bright light in front of it, since light easily attracts moths.
For the other three groups, we use Malaise Traps and Yellow Buckets. Malaise Traps are similar to tents, drawing insects into a jar with alcohol inside. Yellow Buckets, on the other hand, are containers filled with water and soap. The yellow color attracts insects’ attention, leading the way to the water. With these two strategies, we collect a huge community of insects, especially the coveted Scorpion Wasps, Tree Hoppers, and Leaf Hoppers.
Private insect class…
This is a perfect opportunity to involve everyone in the scientific process. Our lodge guests help us sort insects and classify the information, and at the same time, they receive a private insect class! We also provide previous samples to show off the anatomy and uniqueness of different groups of insects this is part of the Wired Amazon program.
Finally, there’s the Open Lab. With our high-tech equipment, we can view the exquisite patterns on the wings of Scorpion Wasps, the filaments of Leaf Hopper legs, and even the scales on the wings of tiger moths — all with incredible edible detail. We classify all our samples there and invite everyone to help and learn. We encourage anyone interested to join us in a fun private class.

Would you like to learn more about insects? Come and visit us at our Light Trap and Open Lab!
Get the most out of your trip to the Amazon jungle in Tambopata. Get in contact with our Rainforest Experts and make science happen with the Wired Amazon program!
By Juan Diego
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What our guest say
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- Valuation Excellent
- 5/5
Shropshire Boy October 2026
Nicholas Nguyen October 2026
David Forrest September 2026
Susanne Ratzenberger September 2026
juandiegohurtadom September 2026
Jazmin M September 2026
Paul H August 2026
FineSpitz August 2026
Jack Looney August 2026
Ching Han Toh August 2026
Maggie Kwok August 2026
Jim July 2026
If you want to know what it is like in the jungle, this is the place to come. Amazing scenery, wildlife, and knowledgeable guides. To get the most out of the experience prepare for some early starts and early bedtimes. A fantastic few days which I won't forget in a hurry. Read all
The excursions were the best part of the trip and how the guides were so knowledgeable and welcoming. We were lucky to have seen all different kinds of animals including capybara, giant river otter, spider monkey, red howler monkey, scarlet macaw, hoatzin. Read all
It gives a great insight into the jungle. We had a great visit. I recommend going during the dry season. Our guide Luis M. was excellent! Knowledgeable, enthusiastic, kind and a gentleman. Bear in mind it's going to be hot and humid with some mosquitos. It's a jungle out there! Read all
A spectacular experience—Juan Carlos and Carmen, we’d like to sincerely thank you for our stay at your lodge on the banks of the Tambopata River. This part of our two-month trip through Peru and Bolivia left an indelible impression on us. The transfer itself was a testament to the professionalism of your team: the journey from Puerto Maldonado to the lodge—with a very tight schedule to arrive before dark, a guide waiting for us, and a smooth trip by bus and boat—went off without a hitch despite our tight flight connections. Everything about the lodge won us over: comfortable accommodations in the heart of the jungle, good food, and a comprehensive, well-structured excursion program with morning, afternoon, and evening tours. We were thrilled every time we saw something new. We’d especially like to highlight our guide, Jordi: his knowledge of the flora and fauna, combined with his patience in spotting wildlife, made our stay truly special. Equally impressive was the condition of the jungle: pristine, clean, and home to an intact ecosystem ranging from big cats to macaws. The care and responsibility devoted to maintaining this place are evident. Incredible guides. And the entire staff was very attentive. Highly recommended Read all
A spectacular experience—Juan Carlos and Carmen are incredible guides. And the entire staff is very attentive. Highly recommended Read all
It was a wonderful experience and a pleasant surprise. The staff and guides at the Rainforest Expeditions lodge were fantastic and always went out of their way to ensure we had the best possible experience. Thank you to Juan Carlos and Carmen for their care and dedication to the group. Read all
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
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