5 Days 4 Nights Wildlife Photo Tour

PERUVIAN AMAZON TOURS

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From US$ ON REQUEST

* per person in double room *

Days 5 Dificulty II Lodge Refugio Amazonas, Tambopata Research Center

Type Wildlife Photography Type group size With private guide Best season May - October

DAY 1: Welcome to the Amazon!

Because photography in the rainforest requires a lot of patience and luck, our photography guides help with your equipment, provide subtle tips for improved use of blinds and maximize breaks with the weather and wildlife.

At our lodges, you will find a comprehensive experience including land and river transportation, activities and excursions, all meals, and accommodation.

Night walks are great for photographing insects and frogs. We may be able to find praying mantis, cicadas, leaf-mimicking grasshoppers as well as huge toads, shiny green tree frogs, and bizarre horned frogs.

Please note that this itinerary includes one night at Refugio Amazonas and three nights at Tambopata Research Center, with private transportation between both lodges and the services of a dedicated private guide throughout the expedition.

DAY 2: Let's find the best landscapes at the canopy tower

A thirty-minute walk takes us to this 40-meter tall scaffolding tower, which will add a whole new dimension to our Amazon photography experience: the forest canopy. From this vantage point, it is all about landscapes and mainly birds. We will wait for a canopy mixed flock to appear. The mixed flock is mostly all about tanagers: Paradise Tanager, Green-and-gold Tanager, Flame-crested Tanager, Turquoise Tanager, Opal- rumped Tanager and others. The tower also offers good opportunity for Cream- colored Woodpecker, Gilded Barbet, Plum-throated Cotinga and Striolated Puffbird. Macaws and toucans are seen flying against the horizon, including the Chestnut-eared, Lettered, Emerald, Curl-crested, and Brown-mandibled Aracaries. We might see lonely raptors. This is your best chance for hawk-eagles and even harpy!

Four and half hours by boat from Refugio Amazonas, in the pristine heart of the reserve, lies the Tambopata Research Center. One and half hours into our boat journey, as we cross the confluence with the Malinowski River, we will leave the final traces of human habitation behind. Within the 700,000 hectares uninhabited nucleus of the reserve, sightings of capybara, caiman, geese, macaws and other large species will become more frequent.

Deep in the Tambopata National Reserve, we will stop at the Chuncho clay lick. After a brief walk (~5 minutes) we will have the chance to see dozens of large macaws feeding on the special sodium-rich clays of the riverbank. The Chuncho clay lick probably attracts more large macaws than any other clay lick in the world and the sight of dozens of macaws taking flight is truly unforgettable. The details of our stopover will depend on the weather and the amount of macaw activity, as the birds don’t visit the clay lick when it is raining.

A three to five-kilometer hike will lead us to overlooks commanding magnificent views of the Tambopata winding its way into the lowlands. The forest on this trail, regenerating on the old bamboo forest, is good for Howler Monkey and Dusky Titi Monkey. The overlooks provide excellent panoramic photo opportunities of the Tambopata winding its way down from the highlands. On a clear day, it will even be possible to view and photograph the snow-capped Andean peaks in the distance. At each overlook, we will have good chances of encounters at eye-level at 30-50 yards with large turkey-like birds called guans and chachalacas, or toucans, or macaws roosting on the trees.

DAY 3: Let's go to the floodplain forest and explore the island

On most clear mornings of the year, dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on this large river bank in a raucous and colorful spectacle that inspired a National Geographic cover story. Discretely located fifty meters from the cliff, we will observe Green-winged, Scarlet, and Blue-and-gold Macaws and several species of smaller parrots descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active. If the river is not swollen, thereby reducing the effective beach area, photographers should have plenty of opportunities to shoot the typical clay lick photographs from distances of 50-100 meters.

This five-kilometer trail covers the prototypical rain forest with immense trees crisscrossed by creeks and ponds. Amongst the figs, ceibas, and shihuahuacos we will look for Squirrel, Brown Capuchin, and Spider Monkeys as well as peccaries. TRC is located within this habitat. Photo opportunities for all mammals and birds on this trail will be scant as visibility and lighting are poor and animals timid. Our principal focus will be general rain forest shots as well as portraits of the huge trees that are scattered throughout this forest.

Ten minutes upriver from the lodge is a tiny pond with a platform in the middle. It is a great place for the late afternoon where we whittle away the remains of the day as we spot waterfowl such as Muscovy duck, sunbittern and hoatzin along with the woodpeckers, oropendolas, flycatchers, and parakeets that call this pond their home. Opportunities to photograph these beautiful birds will abound, as the lighting and visibility of the pond are excellent and these birds´ habits are predictable over short periods of time.

Night walks are great for photographing insects and frogs. We may be able to find praying mantis, cicadas, leaf mimicking grasshoppers as well as huge toads, shiny green tree frogs, and bizarre horned frogs.

DAY 4: Gardens and palm swamp

We will photograph herps around the TRC clearing: frogs, snakes, and lizards. TRC specialists will have spent the past few days screening the vicinity for encounters with the most photogenic herp species and will have prepared appropriate scenarios. The chicos, our flock of semi-wild, hand-reared macaws will provide additional photographic opportunities as they fly about around the lodge.

Growing on the remains of an oxbow lake and providing both arboreals as well as terrestrial mammals with fruits throughout the year, the aguaje palms are one of the most important food sources in the rainforest. Demand for these fruits and great conditions for planting rice makes the palm swamp also one of the most threatened habitats.

DAY 5: Thank you!

Your visit has contributed to our ongoing science for conservation projects and directly to the Tambopata National Reserve.

OTHER EXPLORERS HAS ALSO CHECKED

What our guest say
- Valuation Excellent
- 5/5

Sue_szb April 2026

Beam May 2026

David Staro May 2026

Serg Averkin April 2026

Carlotta May 2026

Asha S May 2026

Laurence W April 2026

Isobel Griffith April 2026

Kay T April 2026

Nancy Hodgson March 2026

Lesly Lagos March 2026

Batya K. February 2026

Wow what an experience! If you want to be fully immersed in Amazon life in a wonderful , comfortable eco lodge, and not have expectations of a 5 star city hotel (I'm not sure why you would, but some reviewers seemed disappointed it wasn't!) you will love this. You will be in a group, 6 in ours, but you don't all have to do the same activities, you just join another group. Plenty of spaces to chill and downtime if you need it...its hot and humid! There's a fan in the room and I heard the superior rooms have a fan under the mozzie net. Take a torch! We were never bitten, used deet repellent only. They provide rubber boots if you want them, some of the trails were very muddy, but we managed in our walking boots. We loved the open wall to the jungle, despite some bugs, but not too many surprisingly. Sooooo much wildlife, all sorts of monkeys, otters, turtles, caiman, different birds, capybara etc. Luis M was our guide, a local, and he could spot a spider from 5 metres I'm sure... great sense of humour and a wealth of knowledge, loved him. We spent 3 nights 20th-24th April, it rained on a couple of occasions but not much. Perfect holiday for an immersive wildlife experience! Read all

Beautiful lodge in the rainforest, very well maintained and clean. We had a lot of fun and excellent guides. The rooms and facilities were top-notch! Read all

We stayed at Posada Amazonas Lodge in May 2026, and it was a truly unique experience. It’s important to note that the concept is unlike a traditional hotel: the rooms (the lodge has around 30 in total) are built entirely of wood and open completely to the rainforest, with no windows. The walls are about two meters high, and everything is open-air, meaning you can hear your neighbors as well as the sounds of the forest throughout the night. There is a hot-water shower with drainage flowing through wooden beams beneath the floor, and the beds are protected with mosquito nets. The food is delicious and nutritious, and one pleasant surprise was the excellent Wi-Fi connection (Starlink) available both at the lodge and on the boats. The logistics are flawless from the moment you land in Puerto Maldonado, including a short car ride (accompanied by a security company) followed by a forty-minute cruise along the Tambopata River. The staff is incredibly friendly. Our guide, Luis M. (a member of the local community that manages the lodge), was simply outstanding, with eagle-eyed vision for spotting wildlife and always wearing a smile. Tour highlights: Canopy Tower: a 42-meter tower rising above the treetops with panoramic views. We loved seeing the river, the rainforest, and even the distant Andes Mountains on the horizon. We returned at night during a nocturnal wildlife tour, where we spotted tarantulas, white sloths, and tree frogs. Lake Tres Chimbadas: a peaceful catamaran ride (without a motor) where Luis showed us a group of red-bellied monkeys, giant otters, and caimans. The scenery and tranquility are incredible. Trek to the “Great Tree”: a forest hike where we saw deer, jaguar tracks, a three-toed sloth, and more wildlife. At the end of the trail, we reached the gigantic ceiba tree: around 500 years old, approximately 60 meters tall, and with an impressive 11-meter base diameter. Highly recommended for anyone wanting to experience the true Amazon! Read all

An exceptional experience that truly exceeded all expectations. What impressed me the most is that here they genuinely want to make your stay as comfortable as possible — and that, to me, is what real high-level service is all about. The guide really tries to fill every excursion with emotions and memorable moments, turning simple activities into meaningful experiences. The kitchen team puts great effort into variety and introduces you to Peruvian cuisine — it feels like a small гастрономic journey. Housekeeping works like invisible bees — you don’t notice them, but everything is always perfectly taken care of. Another big highlight is the comfort level: stable electricity and surprisingly good internet both on the way and at the lodge, powered by Starlink. Having this level of connectivity in the middle of the jungle is something truly special. From reception and the bar to the boat driver — everyone is genuinely warm and happy to have you. You can really feel that each person is a small but important part of one big system delivering outstanding eco-tourism service. Bravo — achieving this level of service in the wild is not easy, and it shows. This experience was very valuable for me and my family. I won’t get tired of thanking you for the emotions you gave us. Highly recommended. Dear travelers — don’t hesitate. Go, enjoy the incredible nature and the level of service. This is something you will remember for a lifetime. Read all

We had the most amazing time at Refugio Amazonas for 3 nights, with a huge thanks to our guide Juan Carlos! On the first afternoon we sat down and planned our activities, which we loved! We came face to face with hundreds of birds, tarantulas, leaf carrying ants spanning 10 meter motorways to work and deliver the leaves to the ant house for food, parasites, and even leaves that cause natural dyes on oxidation - we learned so much. Carlos was genuinly interested in showing us everything the jungle had to offer, humorous and caring too. Carlos knew anything and everything about what was around us, pointing out things and creatures that the untrained eye would miss, carrying a telescope at all times for us to see the birds, ensuring we got magical videos on our phones using the telescope! Read all

Many thanks to Refugio Amazonas for an unforgettable experience! Brenda and team were so wonderful and accommodating, and Alan was a great guide. Thank you for a memorable experience! 🙂 Read all

We had an excellent time at Tambopata research center. We are tourists like most who now visit the center, but it’s great to know that you can support research and the local community by visiting a place like this. Our guide for our trip, Esau, was extremely knowledgeable and showed great passion for his job. He described it as a hobby and he would get very excited if you spotted a specific bird or a tree. His specific knowledge about each and every creature in the forest was very impressive and I would recommend asking for Esau to be your guide in the future if you plan to visit. The hotel itself is unique. You are in the middle of the Amazon rainforest - the accessibility to nature is second to none. There are no windows in the hotel rooms. We had bugs in our room, of course, but the mosquito nets keep everything out and, actually, we both slept very well. The bar staff, Harrison, is very knowledgeable with drinks and works very hard. The food isn’t the best you’re ever going to have, but you have to remind yourself you are in the middle of the rainforest and that it takes a 6 hour round trip to get to the nearest town, and so the job that the hotel does in respect of the food is actually intuitive and very good. I would recommend this hotel to my peers and I would love to visit again in a few years time. Read all

We just finished a 4-night stay at Tambopata Research Center and it was the highlight of our entire Peru trip. From the first email with Mariella to being picked up at the airport to the actual stay itself, every step was smooth and every employee was attentive. Having never stayed in a lodge like this (this remote or exclusive), we were a little nervous about what to expect. Our guide, Timo was INCREDIBLE at tailoring all the activities to us. When he found out we liked more adventurous hikes, he took us on walks through swamps, bamboo forests, and little-used trails while always keeping an eye out for monkeys, birds, and insects. His knowledge of the wildlife, plants, and history of the area was beyond what we hoped for and he truly made the experience worth it. Read all

Spent 4 nights in mid April. I had high expectations and was not disappointed. Our guide Carmen picked us up at the airport and we saw monkeys already on our way to the lodge. We had a wonderful stay with exceptional food and activities everyday. Our guide Carmen was great and our itinerary was based on her suggestions however we could decide on what we would like to see. Wildlife is abundant, however, sometimes difficult to spot and photograph due to the low light. It rained a lot despite April being considered a transitioning time to dry season. But come on ... it's the rainforest. The clear highlight are the macaws which you can hear all time and also see from the tower and at the leks. Read all

This trip was the highlight of our travels through peru. The lodge was absolutely 5 stars for everything. The room, food, people. We had a private guide, Allen, who grew up locally and really had deep knowledge of the land, the history, and the variety of plant and animal species in the jungle. His knowledge and passion were invaluable to our experience. There are a variety of tour companies and lodges you can book to visit the Amazon, however, I would only recommend Rainforest Expeditions as they are truly connected to the community and offer high quality first class amazon experience! Read all

We had a truly wonderful stay with Rainforest Expeditions. Everyone was incredibly kind and welcoming, and our guide was fantastic — very knowledgeable and passionate about the rainforest. We saw many animals, even from the boat, which made the experience unforgettable. Read all

I just spent 3 days here with my family. The research center surpassed all our expectations. I want to give a special shout out to Carlos who took such good care of us. He went above and beyond to make sure we werr comfortable. And he was always smiling. He made us feel so welcome. We had Erik as our guide who is so knowledgeable and experienced. We learned so much, saw so much wildlife. It really was a dream vacation. Thank you!! Read all