Example Itinerary
Below is an example 6-day itinerary (shorter or longer trips available). Note that 6-days is the minimum time to combine both the main Tahuayo Lodge and the Amazon Research Center (ARC). The recommended time is 8-days because of the amount of things to see and do.
The itinerary can be customized to your liking on arrival. You are also encouraged to include specific interests in the 'message' section upon booking.
The rate includes all in Amazon
- All land and water transfers
- Lodging
- Buffet meals
- Guided Excursions
- Excursions customized to your liking
- Gear such as jungle boots
- Unlimited pure water
- Free Wi-Fi
- All fees and taxes, such as: entrance fees, conservation fees, port taxes, etc.
Optional expenses only: cola or beer drinks, souvenirs, tips, laundry.
Day 1 – Arrive to Iquitos, Peru
Important: You must arrive to Iquitos before mid-day (1:30 pm) on this day.
Airport or hotel pickup – If flying into Iquitos Airport, upon arrival pick up your luggage (there are carts to use for free if you like) and walk through the only door to exit of the airport. Our staff will be waiting for you just outside with our uniforms and a sign of our logo. Once you are outside, our staff will help you with your bags and take you straight to your transportation. Note: please do not let others (besides our staff) handle your baggage unless you will be paying them. If hotel, please let us know where to pick you up. For your convenience, we have a great B&B in Iquitos city.
Speedboat transfer (note–is 4 hours) up the Amazon River, then the Tahuayo tributary to our lodge.
Evening excursion of your choice
Days 2, 3 at the Tahuayo Lodge
The Tahuayo Lodge on the Tahuayo River is a rustic lodge and is comfortable for adventurous travelers. Cabins are private, and all have private bathrooms. Explore from the lodge with your private guide in and around the Tahuayo Reserve. Enjoy fully customizable itineraries and excursions day and night. To get you started, here is a list of some of our more popular activities:
- The Canopy Experience–Hike or canoe (depending on the season) through Igapo forest to reach our canopy zipline complex.
- Igapo/varzea Forest Exploration– Explore a unique forest with alternating acidic water flooding (from the upper Tahuayo River) with alkaline water flooding (from the nearby Ucayali) with your guide in search of wildlife. Go by foot or canoe while searching for beautiful birds, primates such as pygmy marmosets, night monkeys and howler monkeys, and other wildlife.
- Tahuayo River Exploration – Go by boat with your private guide to explore the Tahuayo River. Here you can spot colorful birds (macaws, tanagers, hawks) sloths, neotropical river otters and monkeys along the riverbank.
- Cultural Visit– take a short boat ride over to the nearby village of El Chino, this is an experience to see how people live in one of the most remote places on the planet. Visit the school or clinic that we have constructed for the communities. All adults in the communities have been vaccinated.
- Tahuampa (flooded forest) Excursion – Canoe in and around permanently flooded forest with a vast diversity of wildlife. Search for the spectacular hoatzin (one of the world’s most interesting and unique birds), black caiman, horned screamers, wattled jacana, giant fishing spiders, giant ficus fig trees and much more.
- Piranha Fishing – Head by boat early in the morning or late afternoon to fish for the infamous Amazonian piranha.
- Terra firme Excursion – For this full-day excursion, you will ride a motorboat up the Rio Blanco to visit terra firme ecosystem. Hike through the dense forest searching for beautiful little poison dart frogs, harlequin toads, marmosets, leaf cutter ants and more.
- Cocha ecosystems – Explore oxbow lakes in search or pink dolphins, wading birds, ospreys, squirrel monkeys and more. Swimming is possible in some lakes.
- Night Excursions – if you are still feeling adventurous into the night we offer a variety of night excursions.
Go for a night hike or canoe ride to search for scorpions, tarantulas, snakes and other nocturnal wildlife.
Explore by boat on the Tahuayo or Blanco river; here you can search for caimans, snakes, and frogs.
Test your jungle skills and try fishing like the locals do, with a spear and a headlamp. (best during the dry season)
If you are in the mood to relax, sometimes it is nice to ride down the Tahuayo River and find a spot to enjoy the constellations while you listen to the jungle sounds all around you. Have you ever seen the night sky with NO light pollution?
Ask in your request to see full list of activities and excursions.
Anything else you want to see or do? Just ask. Your trip is fully customizable.
Days 4, 5 at the Amazon Research Center
Depart the main lodge in the morning en route to the Amazon Research Center (ARC). The Research Center is more remote and about 2 hours up river from our main lodge. It is formally recognized as a research institution by Peru’s national science council, CONCYTEC (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion Tecnologia).
Cabins are private, simple and comfortable, all have shared bathrooms.
Trail Grid – We have over 75 km of hiking trails from the research center, most of the trails are laid out in a grid to facilitate the scientific collection of population data (In the rainy season these may become canoe trails). The trails go through several varieties of igapo ecosystems, including bajial, high and low restinga as well as palm swamp ecosystem. We can see many different species of monkeys, including brown and white capuchins, saki monkeys, titi monkeys, woolly monkeys, sometimes uakaris, as well as giant tayra weasels and tamandua anteaters. Data collected from camera traps also reveal a high density of jaguar and other predators live here, but these are rarely seen.
Cochas – Boating the various lakes and rivers from the research center we often see caiman and anaconda as well as the highly endangered giant river otter.
Scientific study – Spend a morning or full day with scientific staff studying monkeys.
Hiking to Lake Yarina – Full day or 2 days with camping (camping requires advance reservation) (dry season best) we can see hoatzins on their nests, blue and yellow macaws and caiman.
Night excursions
Day 6 – Return to the main lodge then Iquitos
Depart the Amazon Research Center and return to the main lodge. Search for wildlife along the way.
After lunch boat ride back to Iquitos
Transfer to airport or hotel
Important: Your flight must depart Iquitos 5:00 pm or later on this day.
End of the Trip.
The Two Lodges
The Tahuayo Lodge (main lodge)
Cabins have private bathrooms
Greater variety of activities
The Research Center Lodge (ARC)
Cabins have shared bathrooms
Better hiking, over 50 miles of trails through a variety of ecosystems
More wildlife
Lodge is more remote, in more pristine forest
