LEARN Their unique calls

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The Ultimate Guide to Spotting Rainforest Monkeys

Monkeys abound in the trees around our Rainforest Expeditions lodges. But hidden in the dense jungle vegetation, it can be surprisingly hard to find them! So we’ve put together the ultimate guide to spotting monkeys in the rainforest, compiling our favorite tips and tricks to see — and snap amazing photos of — these lively primates.

Step 1: Learn their unique calls

It might seem counterintuitive, but the key to finding monkeys is actually using your ears, not your eyes! Take the time to memorize their calls:

  • The bird-like whistles of Tamarin and Squirrel Monkeys
  • The «whoops» of Dusky Titi Monkeys
  • The grunts of Capuchin and Howler Monkeys
  • The barking «alarm» calls of Spider Monkeys

Once you can pick their unique «voices» out of the rainforest soundtrack, you have a much better chance of spotting a monkey.

Step 2: Visit a Floodplain Forest

Floodplain forests are full of tall trees, close to rainforest rivers. Because they’re so close to rivers, the rainy season floods these forests, depositing valuable nutrients — which foster amazing biodiversity and enormous trees! This means monkeys, lots of them.

Monkeys come to floodplain forests to snack on figs from towering rainforest fig trees, and to find other food and water sources. These forests are some of the best spots to see and photograph monkeys. Lucky for us, our Rainforest Expeditions lodges sits near several floodplain forests, with the most remote, biodiverse one at our Tambopata Research Center lodge.

Step 3: Watch and listen to the canopy

Most monkey life occurs, of course, far above our heads in the tall trees of the rainforest. As you walk through the jungle or ride a quiet boat along the river, keep your eyes and ears on the canopy.

While monkeys are great climbers, they’re not exactly elegant climbers. They jump, swing, and crash through the trees. So listen for that crashing, the rustle of leaves up above, then wait… and usually, a monkey (or a hundred monkeys!) will soon come into view.

 

brown-capuchin-monkey-foraging

Step 4: Tread with caution

Like other rainforest wildlife, monkeys are often easily scared away by loud, bold, or aggressive humans. They’re especially shy in isolated areas of the forest, where they may not be used to humans and their antics. As you walk down jungle paths, keep noise to a minimum and avoid rustling clothing or loud electronic devices.

This goes doubly for snapping good photos. Monkeys tend not to sit still long enough to get a good shot, not to mention the strong back-light of the sky, so getting a decent photograph takes some patience to say the least.

Step 5: Take a guided «monkey walk»

Trained guides are invaluable for spotting rainforest animals, particularly elusive monkeys. A good guide will know the calls of specific monkey species and be familiar with their favorite places, foods, and their typical behaviors. Before booking a trip to a rainforest region — whether it be in Africa, South America, or Asia — check your lodge or tour company’s credentials. Make sure your guides are well-trained, well-compensated, and committed to treating monkeys and other wildlife with respect and discretion. It will make your experience so much more worthwhile!

At Rainforest Expeditions, our highly trained guides lead spectacular monkey walks through the floodplain forests near our lodges in Tambopata, Peru. To find out more about Amazon travel options, feel free to chat with our Amazon experts!

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

Nancy Hodgson March 2026

Lesly Lagos March 2026

Batya K. February 2026

S. K. February 2026

Julian S January 2026

Flora Warfel January 2026

Julian Sack January 2026

Laura Franklin December 2025

Lee Wozencroft December 2025

Suraj Vijayan December 2025

Claudia A. January 2026

AMJNZ November 2025

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

Chose this place to stay at the Amazon, as I heard it benefits the local indigenous community. Life changing experience. Oscar was an excellent guide! We saw so many wildlife! No 4th wall made it such an immersive jungle experience. Since they are eco friendly, there is no AC. It can get pretty hot depending on the season. So better to follow their guidance for clothing choices Read all

If you want to experience the Amazon in all its glory This is the place to come to Staff and guides were excellent Food was just incredible The forest walks were really interesting and informative Read all

If you are a birder, ask for Juan Carlos Yatto. He recognizes an astounding number of bird calls and can duplicate many of them. This place is magical, all I could have imagined. All the staff and scientists are incredible. The experience of a lifetime. Read all

This was the most amazing experience Very well organised The ground staff were so well organised The guides were excellent ( I’m looking at you Carlos!) Food was tasty and very varied Amazed that the chefs managed to get such variety in the middle of the Amazon Do not hesitate Book immediately you will not be disappointed. Highly recommended Read all

I can not say enough good things about my time at the Tambopata Research Center. Between the guides, the boat drivers, the chefs, the staff, the bartenders, the researchers, etc. Everyone was absolutely wonderful! If you are interested in viewing wildlife in the Amazon, this is the place for you! A special thank you to the maître d' Carlos who was so incredibly kind and hospitable and our guide Dino who was like a real life Indiana Jones. I can't wait to come back! Read all

An unforgettable, fully immersive jungle experience. Amazing how Tambopata Lodge delivers luxury touches in such a remote and rugged location. The food is fantastic, the staff incredible, and the wildlife sightings non-stop. The personalised itinerary and one-on-one guiding made the trip truly special—huge thanks to our guide Johan for sharing his passion and knowledge. The Macaw Project is inspiring, and it’s clear the lodge fully supports this important conservation work. Manager Brian was always kind, helpful. Well-done all involved. Read all

The most important fact we are grateful for is the true sense of understanding of the ecology of the Amazon the staff at Rainforest Expeditions (RFE) have shown us. RFE stands out for its stand against the pure, profit-motive initiatives many other tour operators do. We are very grateful to have had Carlos as our guide. Carlos is deeply dedicated, and is able to explain the nuances of the flora and fauna. The world today needs to act as one against the impact of climate change. RFE is one, bright shining light in this regard. Read all

We had a fabulous trip! The people were amazing, kind and very professional. The food was exceptionally good! The facilities are beautiful and well kept. We just loved our second time with Rainforest Expeditions and can't wait to go again!! Read all

Fantastic to be deep in the forest surrounded by incredible wildlife with our amazing guide Juan Carlos Yatto, who really knew his stuff! Also his photography skills meant that we could share our experience even better through his telescope using our phone cameras! We learned so much!! He went to extra lengths to find butterflies and moths for us along with so many different birds and monkeys. This was a travel highlight for us as experienced wildlife travellers. We loved our spacious room with no windows and open to more wildlife visitors but after 5 nights the bed could have been a little more comfortable. Luckily we had a second bed to use. Otherwise it was fantastic with hot water showers and fresh drinking water all the time. We were amazed at the variety of food on offer for breakfast, lunch and dinner and couldn’t believe they could have such a wonderful food offering in such a remote location. Even the wine and cocktails were great. I highly recommend spending the extra money and time getting to this location. We stayed at another lodge later which was closer to Puerto Maldonado and there was far less wildlife. Read all

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