Fred Lepiere has taken some excellent photographs of the staff, buildings and lodge facilities at the Tahuayo Lodge, Iquitos, Peru.
The Tahuayo Lodge (Main Lodge)
The Tahuayo Lodge was established on December 1995 near the lower Tahuayo River. Following many camping trips in the region where tourists, scientists and naturalists alike were overwhelmed by incredible biodiversity, it was decided by husband and wife team Paul and Dolly Beaver to establish the lodge as a base of operations. Expeditions are now focused on the Rio Blanco and Tangarana tributaries. In addition to the incredible biodiversity, the lodge placement was also due to the nearby village of Chino where supplies can be sourced and many lodge employees originate.
Tahuayo Lodge Bedrooms
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The Tahuayo Lodge includes fifteen cabins ranging from honeymoon cabins, with a king-size bed, family cabins with one large bed and a few single beds, to cabins with two beds. Half of the Tahuayo Lodge cabins now have ensuite bathrooms, which are assigned on the basis of earliest reservation.
The Tahuayo Lodge Dining Room
Tahuayo Lodge food is prepared by the lodge’s specially trained culinary staff and is served in a buffet style. As the staff have training in sanitary food and water handling, you can eat items usually not recommended in South America, such as salads and unpeeled fruits. In the dining room, you can find a map of the reserve and a few books on wildlife of the surrounding forest.
The Tahuayo Lodge Kitchen
The Tahuayo Lodge kitchen where head chefs Amado and Gabriel prepare a selection of delicious dishes under difficult conditions. As the nearest city, 150 km from the lodge, is also the largest city in the world not connected to any other city by road, bringing in supplies could be an issue. Although the diversity of food is limited, the experience and knowledge of these two highly important members of staff ensures a plentiful buffet of different foods.
The Tahuayo Lodge Library & Study Area
The Tahuayo Lodge Library & Study Area was once the area where reserve research took place. However, after the purchase of the Tahuayo Lodge Amazon Research Center further into the Amazon, this room is now often simply used by the occasional school group. There are still a few interesting items dotted around, which were found in the surrounding rainforest.
The Tahuayo Amazon Research Center
The Tahuayo Lodge Amazon Research Center (ARC) was established in 2007 after meetings with government offices in Iquitos (Loreto, Peru), Yale University’s School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, the Missouri Botanical Garden, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. This is where many scientists and researchers have been studying diverse aspects of the Amazon Rainforest. The ARC contains a 1000 acre primate research grid where scientists have been studying the reserve’s several species of monkeys. Tourists can visit the ARC and research grid on tours of 7 days or more to explore the more pristine rainforest (due to the further distance from any settlements).
Tahuayo Amazon Research Center
The front seating area of the ARC provides a fantastic place to relax after a day’s hiking in the Amazon Rainforest. At certain times of the year while looking out over the river, you can spot pink dolphins playing in the waters just in front of the ARC.
The Tahuayo Lodge
Iquitos, PeruFrom the Tahuayo Lodge, you will explore the Amazon Rainforest’s wildlife-rich Tamshiyacu Tahuayo Reserve with a private guide on a
