The Tambopata region of Amazon Rainforest offers you an incredible place to visit. You have a higher chance of seeing iconic Amazon Rainforest animals in this region than most other Amazon areas.
This is because this area of southern Peru, where the Andes pushes up against Amazonia, has more clay licks than anywhere else in the Amazon Rainforest.
Jump to our top Tambopata Lodges summary
These are places where large, colorful macaws and other parrots visit to feed from the salt-rich and medicinal clays. You will have unique opportunities to photograph and watch hundreds of colorful birds, plus many other animals.
Not only visited by parrots, but monkeys, capybara and other forest life also visit this rainforest pharmacy. And because of this, the area is home to predatory cats waiting to ambush their prey. And this means you have a higher chance of spotting jaguar. If you want to make the most of wildlife in the region, we recommend the Tambopata Research Center.
This is one of the deepest lodges in Amazonia. And visitors have an astonishing 20% chance of seeing wild jaguar. This means 1 in 5 guests get to take home this incredible memory.
In addition to the claylicks, there are also many wildlife-filled oxbow lakes. These draw abundant wildlife from deep in the rainforest to one place. This makes it a lot easier to see many animals over a short time.
Lodge number 1 and 2 on this list are fantastic for seeing macaws and other animals at the claylicks. Lodges 2 and 3 offer great options to visit beautiful oxbow lakes.
And here are the top Tambopata lodges to experience this fantastic section of rainforest.
The Tambopata Research Center
Located in the middle of Tambopata National Reserve, the Tambopata Research Center is positioned near one of Amazonia’s largest macaw clay licks. You can see hundreds of brightly colored macaw parrots visiting the clay for its high salt and medicinal properties.
In addition to the macaw parrots and other animals visiting the nearby clays, enjoy treks through the rainforest to spot several different monkeys, including howler monkeys, capuchins, titi monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and a high diversity of birds.
The rooms at Tambopata Research Center are comfortable and open onto the rainforest to provide a connection with this incredible environment. Enjoy small group guided tours to explore five different habitats, including bamboo, flood plain, terra firma, palm and riverine rainforest.
The lodge houses both wildlife researchers and tourists, which means you can interact with researchers and learn about the magnificent macaws.
See the video below for a quick introduction.
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
As this is one of the most remote lodges in the Amazon Rainforest, you will travel up the Tambopata River and deep into the reserve where the wildlife is at carrying capacity. This means you will maximize your opportunities for wildlife experiences, including chance sightings of jaguar sunning themselves on the river bank.
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The Tambopata Research Center
Puerto Maldonado, PeruPositioned in the middle of the wildlife-rich Tambopata National Reserve, near one of the largest macaw clay licks in the Amazon Rainforest, you will ...
- Deep Rainforest Lodge, Access to Tambopata's Macaw Claylicks
From $ 1,296
/ personThe Refugio Amazonas Lodge
The Refugio Amazonas Lodge is located right at the edge of Tambopata Reserve and offers excellent guided tours of the surrounding rainforest. The Refugio Amazonas provides a similar experience to the Posada Amazonas Lodge mentioned below and these lodges are often offered interchangeably. The Refugio Amazonas Lodge provides a fantastic base to see many different Amazon Rainforest animals and plants.
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
Differing from the Posada Amazonas, the Refugio Amazonas Lodge provides the only children's trail in Amazonia. This makes it a great choice for a family adventure helping teach young children about the rainforest in a relatable way. From Refugio Amazonas Lodge, you can also visit the incredible Chuncho Claylick to see hundreds of brightly colored macaw parrots.
Located at the edge of the Tambopata National Reserve, the Refugio Amazonas Lodge provides expert guides to explore the rainforest. You can find several different monkeys, including tamarins, squirrel monkeys, capuchins, howler monkeys, titi monkeys, parrots at the clay lick, tanagers, capybaras, and caiman crocodiles.
As an added bonus, the guides at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge have recently discovered nesting sites for harpy eagles close to the lodge. Harpy eagles are one of the world’s largest and most powerful birds of prey and frequently feed on monkeys and sloths. Make sure to send a message to the lodge using their page to ask about recent sightings. And you can check availability with the lodge using the button below.
The Refugio Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, PeruThe Refugio Amazonas Lodge & Spa is an Amazon Rainforest lodge located in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve. Explore the surrounding rainf...
- Comfort Lodge, Short Travel Time
From $ 760
/ personThe Posada Amazonas Lodge
The Posada Amazonas Lodge is a community-owned lodge just 45 minutes from the base town of Puerto Maldonado. This is a great lodge for a short stay of 3 or 4 days. Enjoy exploring the rainforest on small-group Amazon tours to find different monkeys, colorful birds, reptiles, and amphibians.
Relax with the sounds of the rainforest from your comfortable room, which can be your choice of either the comfort rooms or suites. Unlike most other lodges, the Posada Amazonas also offers wireless internet so you can share images and maintain contact with friends and family.
The nearby lake provides a great place to explore on small catamarans to find the resident family of giant otters, as well as hoatzin birds, caiman crocodiles and horned screamers. Click the video below for a quick introduction.
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
In addition to wildlife, enjoy cultural activities like visiting a working community farm and touring the ethnobotanical trail. From Posada Amazonas Lodge, you can also visit a small clay lick to see parrots.
Providing a comfortable base for your rainforest adventures, head out with your professional jungle guide to enjoy the 30-meter canopy tower, rainforest walks, and night hikes scouting for wildlife.
The Posada Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, PeruAt the Posada Amazonas Lodge, enjoy a comfortable experience of Peru’s Amazon Rainforest from Puerto Maldonado. Because of the position inside the Es...
- Comfort Lodge, Short Travel Time
From $ 760
/ personLodge Summary
Here is a summary of the above Tambopata Lodges.
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4, 5 days+
The Tambopata Research Center
Puerto Maldonado, PeruPositioned in the middle of the wildlife-rich Tambopata National Reserve, near one of the largest macaw clay licks in the Amazon Rainforest, you will ...
- Deep Rainforest Lodge, Access to Tambopata's Macaw Claylicks
From $ 1,296
/ person -
4, 5 days+
The Refugio Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, PeruThe Refugio Amazonas Lodge & Spa is an Amazon Rainforest lodge located in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve. Explore the surrounding rainf...
- Comfort Lodge, Short Travel Time
From $ 760
/ person -
3, 4 days+
The Posada Amazonas Lodge
Puerto Maldonado, PeruAt the Posada Amazonas Lodge, enjoy a comfortable experience of Peru’s Amazon Rainforest from Puerto Maldonado. Because of the position inside the Es...
- Comfort Lodge, Short Travel Time
From $ 760
/ person
Ash
Tour Advisor at TourTheTropics.comAsh Card is a frequent visitor to the Tropics and has a passion for helping visitors get the best experiences from tropical locations. Ash is a contributor and tour advisor at TourTheTropics.com. Feel free to contact Ash for tour help in the tropics. When not helping tourists with tours and info, Ash can be found traveling, on wildlife tours or salsa dancing. Ash has completed a BSc in Biology, a Master’s degree in Zoology, and has undertaken a research scholarship at a world-class university on animal behavior. He has published scientific research in the Australian Journal of Zoology and the Journal of Behavioral Ecology. His goal is to help a global society live in balance with the natural world.