Exploring the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest – What are Your Options?

The Amazon is the world’s largest rainforest. It covers roughly 40% of the South American continent and spans eight countries, including Peru. The Peruvian Amazon Rainforest covers 60% of Peru and boasts some of the most remote locations in the rainforest. This makes it perfect for spotting wildlife, away from the crowds at the more famous locations.

When you’re here there are three main locations available to explore; Tambopata National Reserve, Manu Research Center and Iquitos. The three locations offer different opportunities for seeing wildlife in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. So, it’s worth taking a look at what you value most before picking a location. 

Iquitos

Iquitos is home to ayahuasca and the rare pink river dolphins. It’s situated in the jungle, in the North-Eastern corner of Peru. This city is the largest city not accessible by road in the world. So, to get here you have to fly unless you feel like taking a long boat trip up the river. In Iquitos, the river is wide, so most of your time will be spent on large river cruises, trying to spot the iconic dolphins. Unfortunately, the noise of the city and boats does mean you usually need to venture quite a bit further from Iquitos to have a chance at seeing the rarer wildlife.

Manu Research Center

Manu Research Center probably offers the most premium, but expensive experience. This is located deep in the jungle and probably takes the longest to get to. However, as Manu is the most remote location, you’re more likely to get rare panther sightings among other unique wildlife. The research centre also works closely with indigenous tribes, so here you can meet them and experience their culture and traditions.

Tambopata National Reserve – Our Choice

Finally, Tambopata National Reserve is the other option and the one which we opted for. Tambopata is a short diversion on the way from Cusco to Puno, fitting perfectly into our 2 Month Itinerary of Peru. From our experience, Tambopata was pretty empty of tourists, but we did go when Peru began recovering from COVID. Go to Tambopata if you want to spot caimans, monkeys, birds and capybaras, as well as the famous Macaw Clay Lick.

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Our Itinerary

Itinerary Summary

Day 1: Journey to the Lodge · Exploring Sandoval Lake · Bird and Monkey spotting · Caiman Spotting

Day 2: Giant Otter Spotting · Jungle Walk · Sunset at the Watchtower · Night-Time Jungle Walk

Day 3: Giant Otter Spotting · Parrot Spotting · Lodge and Grounds Tour · Journey to Peurto Maldonado

Day 4: Journey to the Clay Lick · Macaw and Parakeet Watching · Journey to Peurto Maldonado

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Day 1 In-Depth:

From Puerto Maldonado to the Tambopata National Reserve

After taking a twelve-hour night bus from Cusco, we arrived in the sweltering heat of the bus station in Puerto Maldonado. Here, a small woman shouted our names and promptly whisked us away to her house further into the town where our tour guide, Santos, was waiting for us. We were able to leave our belongings and only take exactly what we needed for the four-day trip. 

Having stocked up on water, we followed our guide to the river where a motorboat was waiting for us. The boat took us down the Madre de Dios River, an upstream tributary to the Amazon river. We drove for about 40 minutes, arriving at a small jetty coming off the bank of the jungle.

Climbing up the bank of the river led us to a small, wooden-planked path that stretched into the jungle. This led to a clearing where canoes were docked up in a small alcove of Sandoval Lake. We got into one of the rickety boats and rowed across the mirror-like lake to our lodge. Finally, we could have lunch and relax in hammocks, staying out of the harshest of the afternoon sun.

Exploring Lake Sandoval – Spotting Birds and Monkeys

At around 4 pm we were ready for the first activity, animal spotting on Lake Sandoval. With parakeets flying overhead, we headed closer to the river bank where we saw dragonflies, bugs and turtles basking on the tree branches. A heron was perched on a sunken tree, scanning the water for fish. Cormorants gathered together, drying off their wings in the heat. Hoatzins, known locally as asthma birds, let out heavy, raspy breaths.

As the sun started to sink below the horizon, and the temperature began to drop, a crescendo of noises started to come from the canopy of the jungle. Our guide spotted families of black capuchins waking up and swinging on the branches. A loud, droning roar echoed across the still lake, coming from howler monkeys up in the trees.

Nighttime Caiman Spotting

The sunset quickly whilst we were on the lake, and soon day turned to night; the only light coming from the moon. This was the perfect time for spotting caimans. Staring into the black lake, it was hard to make out any shapes, but Santos, our guide was ready. After scanning his torch over the water’s surface he saw a bright glint shine back.

As we got closer to the glint, we could see a baby caiman with its head resting above the water. At a distance, it would be easy to mistake it for a stick, but Santos had sharp eyes. Rowing back to our dock, we saw larger caimans, ducking their heads into the water as we got closer.

After about 45 minutes of successful caiman spotting, we headed back to the lodge. On the way back to the lodge we saw scorpions and frogs moving around the path. A dinner of chicken, rice salad and beans was promptly served with freshly made juice from home-grown papayas.

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Day 2 In-Depth:

Giant Otter Spotting on Lake Sandoval

Our first full day in the jungle was broken up into four main activities. We started at 5 am by rowing around Lake Sandoval, trying to spot giant otters, but unfortunately, we weren’t successful. Despite this, we still saw black capuchins, squirrel monkeys and red howler monkeys, so not all that bad! Santos explained that the otters liked to change where they ate. Sometimes they eat in the lake, but other times they’re in the nearby rivers. So, we’d try again the next day. 

We headed back to the lodge for breakfast. On the way, Santos spotted a tree with lots of weird black markings on them. As we got closer, these markings started moving. Bats! Twenty or so bats were clinging to the tree trunk, sleeping.

Jungle Walk

Breakfast was a really good meal of fried plantains, a vegetable omelette and fresh mango and papaya juice. And following this, we went back out across the lake for the second activity of the day, a jungle walk. 

We pulled up in our boat at a rickety, overgrown wooden sign saying private property. Santos took out his machete and told us to follow him down the path behind the sign, reclaimed by the jungle.

As we walked through the jungle, Santos pointed out and explained lots of different plants and insects. Huge, strong trees that locals used for building their houses, leaves which were good for roofing, vines that could be drunk from and vines that you should probably steer clear of. Quite a few trees were surrounded by thick vines, known as strangler trees, named such as they slowly envelop trees, killing them.

On the jungle floor, lines of ants marched up and down a tree trunk carrying leaves. Following their trail, we came to a large mound full of holes, where the ants brought their leaves into. A termite mound wasn’t too far away and Santos showed that crushed termite juice acted as a natural insect repellent. I gave it a go, but I think I prefer my trusty Jungle Formula Mosquito Repellant (Affiliate Link).

Santos also demonstrated how fire ants got their name, by telling us to put an ant on our hand. Straight away, it bit down causing a burning pain in my hand which lasted about 10 minutes. Santos said it would only last two minutes.

Towards the end of the jungle walk, some people in the group spotted a red coral snake, slithering across the jungle floor. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a view of it before it disappeared into the undergrowth.

Sunset at the Watchtower

Following the jungle walk, we headed back to the lodge for a tasty lunch of chicken, rice beans and veg. We waited out the harsh midday sun in the hammocks before leaving to catch the sunset from the canopy watchtower. Here, we got a good view over the lake, but the tower wasn’t high enough to see over the upper canopy. There wasn’t much to see with binoculars, but on the way back to the lodge we saw more asthma birds, cormorants and macaws. A peaceful, row before the nighttime adventure.

Night Walk in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest

By 6 pm the sun had completely set, so it was time to head out into the jungle around the lodge to see what weird animals we could find. Starting off strong, we spotted a giant cricket, our only source of light coming from Santos’ torch. It was barely enough to see where we were going, but anything brighter would get swarmed by mosquitoes.

We saw more farmer ants, on the grind, carrying leaves back to their homes to feed their Queen. Our path was then blocked by a mass of fallen trees, the perfect place for snakes to hide. Just to make sure it was safe, Santos bashed it with his machete, listening out for any rustling in response.

By now, we were so far in the jungle, that it would be impossible for me to navigate back to the lodge. We saw a giant ant on the tree, Santos said, it was one of those bad ones that would keep us up the entire night if it bit us. 

At this point, Santos wanted to see what we could find in the jungle if we switched the torch off. Standing together in a small clearing, Santos stuck his machete in the ground and said, “Now we listen to the sounds of the jungle”. He turned his torch off and we stood in the darkness for about two minutes, just listening and letting whatever is out there walk closer to us. Turning the torch back on, we spotted a giant, hairy tarantula by my foot, result! 

As we headed back, fireflies began to light up the path until we reached the safety of our lodge. We ended the day with a dinner of soup, plantain and lomo saltado – a Peruvian beef stir fry.

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Day 3 In-Depth:

Giant Otter and Parrot Spotting

This was our final day at this lodge, because Day 4 was with a separate company, specialising in the Macaw Clay Licks. Being our last day on Lake Sandoval, Santos was adamant to try to find some giant otters for us. Unfortunately, they’re just super rare and again we were unsuccessful. 

After it became apparent that there were no otters again, Santos took us up one of the rivers that flowed into the lake to see if we could spot parrots and parakeets feeding in the trees. On the way up the river, we saw a caiman basking in the day. This was pretty awesome as we’d only seen them at night before so we got some pretty cool photos. Eventually, we arrived at a seemingly random cluster of trees, and looking up we saw parrots perched on the branches, eating the fruits that grew here.

Lodge and Grounds Tour

Following this, we headed back for breakfast and a tour of the lodge. Walking around, we saw all sorts of trees; papaya, pineapple, banana, plantain, cacao, coconut, orange and one which was a fruit they made by mixing orange with lemon, which tasted like a sweeter grapefruit. Santos picked some yuca from the ground which the remaining guests would have for lunch.

Unfortunately, we couldn’t stay much longer as we had to get a boat back to Puerto Maldonado for our Clay Lick tour the day after. At 9:30 am, Santos rowed us back across Lake Sandoval and we walked through the jungle until we were on a jetty on the Madre de Dios river. Here we got a motorboat back to town and spent the rest of the day exploring the town (there isn’t too much to do here).

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Day 4 In-Depth:

Journey to the Clay Lick

The final day. The Macaw Clay Lick. A spot where National Geographic has filmed this unique behaviour of macaws.

At 3:30 am we were driven from our hostel through a thunderstorm to a boat waiting to take us up the Tambopata River. Being a shallow river, there were lots of rapids, making it difficult to navigate but our driver seemed pretty pro at manoeuvring. On the way to the clay lick, we saw a family of five capybaras, the largest rodent in the world.

Arriving at the Macaw Clay Lick

After about 40 minutes up the river, we arrived at the clay lick. There were only maybe 10 people here observing the spectacle. Initially, there wasn’t too much activity but slowly parrots, parakeets and most importantly macaws began to land on the trees above the clay. 

Our guide said the birds have to eat the clay because it’s rich in certain minerals. These minerals help digest the unripe food that they eat, by bringing down the fruits’ toxicity levels. If they don’t do this often then they’ll die. However, once the birds are eating clay, they’re vulnerable to predators as they bury their heads in the clay. Sometimes you can see tree boas hiding near the clay lick ready to strike or eagles patrolling the sky.

First, we saw blue-headed parrots and then some dusty headed parakeets. Then the macaws began to arrive. First scarlet, then red and green and finally blue and yellow macaws. Macaws either fly solo, in a pair or in a three, never more. It was crazy seeing so many macaws in one place or even seeing a single macaw. It’s that iconic bird you always see in pirates films growing up.

None of the birds had begun eating the clay. It usually takes a while before one plucks up the courage to fly down from the trees. So, we headed back onto the boat for a breakfast of avocado, eggs, cheese, bread, olives, granadilla and tangerines. 

Lots of Macaws!

Shortly after, a single parakeet flew down to the clay. Some more parakeets joined in, followed by some parrots. Eventually, one macaw made the leap and descended to the clay to eat. Other macaws followed, resulting in maybe eight or nine macaws, eating the clay and we got some pretty cool photos. We also spotted some toucans hanging up in the trees as well!

Once the birds had finished eating, we waited a bit longer before heading to this company’s lodge for lunch. Rested up, we took a trip by boat and car back to Puerto Maldonado.

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Lodge Facilities

The lodge we stayed in for days one to three seemed to have most of what you needed unless you need to be hooked to electrical devices. They had no wifi, and the electricity only ran for a few hours each day. The site itself has one large lodge in the centre with a bar and eating area. Attached to this, was outside decking with sofas and hammocks to relax in.

Surrounding the main lodge were about fifteen or so huts, each containing rooms that slept up to four people. Maybe back before covid, this place would have been thriving, but since the long Peruvian lockdown, it hasn’t completely recovered. Apart from our group of four, there were only two other tourists staying at the lodge. Inside our bedrooms, it was pretty basic. We had large comfy beds, with mosquito nets and an ensuite bathroom that had cracks in the floor.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food. I wasn’t expecting much, but the chef was really happy to be cooking again after so long without guests. We also got vegetables and salad! – Something which seemed to be quite a rare occurrence when we ate at traditional Peruvian restaurants elsewhere.

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Pricing and Booking Details

Book here: We booked our tour of the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest from a travel agency near the Plaza de Armas in Cusco. We don’t recommend booking any of the tours online unless there’s a particular lodge that catches your eye. This is because the prices are usually a lot more than what you can bargain for in person.

The agency offered a variety of tours around Lake Sandoval from 2D/1N up to 5D/4N. They don’t usually offer the tour of the Macaw Clay Lick unless asked, so make sure you do if it’s on your bucket list! We ended up opting for the 3D/2N tour of Lake Sandoval, and the 1D trip to the clay lick. I think this is probably the best option, but if you stayed an extra day in Lake Sandoval you would have the chance to go swimming in the Amazon and fishing for piranhas.

Price for the 3D/2N tour: $150

Price for the Macaw Clay Lick: $110

These prices included food and accommodation at the lodge as well as our hostel on the third night in Puerto Maldonado and our buses from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado and from Puerto Maldonado to Puno, which the travel agency also organised for us. 

All in all, I think it’s pretty great value and well worth the money, especially for what you’re getting with everything being included, as well as a guide to take you around and explain the jungle. Make sure you check out Tambopata National Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest the next time you’re around Cusco!

Thanks for reading!

Be sure to check out our 2 Month Peru Itinerary if you want to see where else to go!