Puerto Maldonado is the gateway to Peru’s Amazon Rainforest and has one of the largest tourism industries in Amazonia. As this is a delicate environment home to incredible wildlife, it’s best for the different tours to be environmentally responsible.
There are a few different eco-lodges and tours to choose from and we will go over our selection of lodges for the Puerto Maldonado Amazon below.
The following lodges for the Puerto Maldonado rainforest have been handpicked to be eco-friendly, offer a comfortable and in depth experience of the Amazon Rainforest, and are Rainforest Alliance verified.
Jump to our recommended Puerto Maldonado Eco Lodges & Tours
Each of the lodges and tours demonstrate a responsible approach to tourism in this delicate and wildlife-rich environment. In addition to meeting the requirements for environmental and social responsibility, the tours have also meet requirements for service, guest satisfaction, and offer a fantastic experience of the Amazon Rainforest.
Environmental Responsibility
The following lodges are all made with local materials and the vegetables and fruits used in meal preparation are all locally sourced.
The energy used to run the lodges for lighting, heating, and cooling is all as efficient as possible. Most is gas, but some of the energy is produced on site using solar panels. The products used are always biodegradable and an active composting system is used.
Social Responsibility
The lodges all involved the local community and the Posada Amazonas especially is community owned. In the other lodges, local community members work as managers, cooks, cleaners, and guides.
Having a strong connection to the local communities in this way means tourism benefits the communities, and provides alternative work from destructive activities like logging and oil. This also engages local communities in the protection and care of this incredible environment.
Carbon Neutral
Although the below lodges do generate some carbon emissions despite operating as efficiently as possible, these carbon emissions are offset by the lodges making the following list 100% carbon neutral.
Recommended Eco Lodges and Tours in Puerto Maldonado
The following lodges have met all the above criteria for environmental and social responsibility, while providing a comfortable, secure, and wildlife-rich experience of the Amazon Rainforest. The first lodge is a deep Amazon lodge suited to 4 days or more in Amazonia.
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The Tambopata Research Center
The Tambopata Research Center is one of the deepest lodges in the Amazon Rainforest. Located in the middle of Tambopata National Reserve, on tours from the lodge you will explore the rainforest with its abundant wildlife.
The animals and plants this deep in the rainforest are at carrying capacity for the environment, which increases your chances of spotting more abundant and rare wildlife.
Enjoy a comfortable lodges with a choice of suite and room options. From the Tambopata Research Center, head into the Amazon Rainforest to find many different animals. Spot parrots, toucans, several different monkeys, beautiful butterflies, and delicate tree frogs.
From the Tambopata Research Center, you even have a 10% chance of spotting wild jaguar. A main attraction from the Tambopata Research Center is a clay lick where hundreds of macaw parrots gather at the clay. These are areas of exposed riverbank containing clays rich in salts and toxin-neutralising medicines.
The different macaws visit the lick to help with compounds in unripe fruits and seeds the birds eat in the rainforest. An additional reason is to replenish salts missing from their diet. The particular clay lick near the Tambopata Research Center is one of the largest in Amazonia providing a spectacular display of sound and color.
From the lodge, enjoy exploring 5 different habitats, including terra firma, bamboo, floodplain, palm and riverine rainforest areas. These are each home to their own communities of animals and plants.
On the way to Tambopata Research Center, you will stop over for a night at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge in the Tambopata National Reserve buffer zone. While here, enjoy a tall canopy tower looking out over Amazonia. See the various shades of green on the canopy and even spot different toucans and parrots flying over the rainforest.
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 $ 1,350
/ person -
The Refugio Amazonas Lodge
The Refugio Amazonas is a fantastic lodge in the buffer zone of the wildlife-rich Tambopata National Reserve. Enjoy a canopy tower, lake tours, rainforest trails, parrot and small mammal clay lick, and visit a large macaw clay lick on their ‘a la carte’ program.
As the Refugio Amazonas is positioned in the buffer zone of Tambopata National Reserve, the wildlife you can spot from the lodge is incredible (although a little less diverse than the Tambopata Research Center above). Enjoy heading out with your rainforest guide to find many different monkeys, such as capuchins, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, marmosets, and tamarins. In addition to the primates, see fascinating and colorful birds. The lodge even offers a tall canopy tower to see over the rainforest where you can see toucans, parrots, and macaws flying high over Amazonia.
You will also explore Lake Condenado on a small catamaran to see hoatzins, cormorants, attractive herons, caiman, and horned screamers. The Refugio Amazonas is also fortunate to be located near some small clay licks where you can see parakeets and other parrots feeding from the salt-rich and medicinal clay. There is also a clay lick to spot different mammals. On the ‘a la carte’ program, you can also visit the large Chuncho clay lick, which is one of the largest macaw clay licks in the Amazon Rainforest.
This is one of the best areas to spot hundreds of brightly colored macaws congregating at the clay. In addition to the incredible wildlife, visit a working jungle farm and a real Brazil nut concession to see how people live in the rainforest. Taste some different exotic fruits and learn about different medicinal plants.
For families with children, the lodge also offers one of the only children’s trails in Amazonia. This teaches children about Amazonia in a relatable way. The Refugio Amazonas also has a spa area to enjoy aromatherapy treatments and massages surrounded by the Amazon Rainforest.
On the Refugio program, you can also choose from a list of additional activity options, such as aerobotany, citizen science, or night walks.
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 -
The Posada Amazonas Lodge
A community owned and operated lodge in the Ese-Eja communal reserve, the Posada Amazonas Lodge offers a fantastic Amazon Rainforest experience for visitors looking for 2 or more days in the rainforest.
From the lodge, explore the rainforest on guided forest walks to find a wide range of rainforest plants and animals. Enjoy climbing a tall canopy tower to look over the rainforest canopy. While appreciating the beautiful views and various shades of green, watch for different macaws, parrots, toucans, and even monkeys moving through and over the canopy.
As one of the favorite attractions from this particular lodge, enjoy the nearby lake home to resident giant river otters. Guests have a higher chance of spotting giant otters at Posada Amazonas than the others, as you are paddled around the oxbow lake on a wooden catamaran. While on the lake, also spot for caiman, hoatzins, herons, cormorants, and other lake-living animals.
The Posada Amazonas Lodge is also located by a small parrot clay lick where you can see colorful parakeets and other birds feeding from the clay. In addition to the wildlife, visit a working jungle farm to see how people live in the rainforest. Enjoy tasting delicious tropical fruit and interact with locals. The Posada Amazonas also has a small spa area to enjoy a massage in the Amazon Rainforest.
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 -
The Machu Picchu & Amazon Tour
If you’re interested in creating a more streamlined experience of Machu Picchu and the Amazon Rainforest, you can combine both on the socially and environmentally responsible 12-Day Cusco & Amazon Tour. There is also the 10-day option, which includes the 2-day short Inca Trail instead of the 4-day classic Inca trail.
Note, you can easily book your Machu Picchu experience, such as the 2-day luxury Inca Trail and then send a request to the other Amazon tours on this list.
On the Cusco & Amazon Tour, enjoy the 4-day Inca Trail, a glimpse of Machu Picchu’s splendor, Rainbow Mountain’s kaleidoscopic wonders, and the Amazon’s incredible rainforest. This section of the tour is at the Rainforest Alliance certified Tambopata Ecolodge, which offers a comfortable base for your rainforest tours. Enjoy a visit to the macaw clay lick, Amazon lakes and guided wildlife walks on the trails.
Click the book now button below to learn more.
12 daysThe Cusco & Amazon Tour – 12 Days
Cusco, PeruEnjoy a fantastic 12-day odyssey that combines the ancient allure of Cusco and the Andes with the wonder of the Amazon Rainforest. This tour invit...
- Combines Machu Picchu & Amazon
From $ 2,750
/ person
10 daysThe Cusco & Amazon Tour – 10 Days
Cusco, PeruThis journey combines the history and scenery of the Andes with the wildlife-rich Amazon Rainforest. The Cusco & Amazon 10 Day tour is an expertly...
- Combines Machu Picchu & Amazon
From $ 2,560
/ person
Ash Card
Tour Advisor @TourTheTropicsAsh 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.
