The White family from Greensboro, NC did an extended version of PeruNorth’s Tarapoto & Gocta itinerary in July 2026, with three nights at Pumarinri Amazon Lodge followed by four nights at Gocta Andes Lodge. Here are their comments on the experience:
“Good Morning James,
My apologies for the delayed response. We are home now but we arrived back to a major plumbing issue at the house that completely derailed life when settling down and I forgot to reply in a more timely fashion.
What was your favourite cultural destination in the itinerary?
Kids’ pottery class in Chasuta.
The pottery museum in Chazuta and the chocolate farm tour were really nice. I liked that there was a hands-on moment for the kiddos at the pottery museum, our 10 year old really enjoyed making a pinch-coil clay tea cup with the other children.
As a math teacher I really enjoyed watching the group of tourists group-think through ratios when we decided we wanted to make a 70% cocoa chocolate bar for our hand made treats.
What were your favourite natural destinations in the itinerary?
I think we had the most fun on two outings: at Pumarinri the birding boat tour was a big hit! My kiddo said if we ever go back she wants to do it twice, once in the morning and then again in the afternoon. The guide was awesome and answered a lot of her questions when we stopped for a leg stretch before turning back for the hotel.
Travelling by horseback to Gocta Falls.
In Gocta it was definitely the waterfall hike. Our guide was spectacular and our kiddo really enjoyed riding a horse for most of the trail.
We also really enjoyed our time at the hummingbird refuge. We lucked out and even got to see the spatula tailed hummingbird during its molting phase. Our only wish is that we had spend more time at the refuge. Other tourists in the hotel were taken for a 4pm start time and stayed until sunset, but our tour didn't start until 5, so we were really sad to have missed that extra hour.
We did really enjoy the visit, just wish we had more time to look at all the amazing birds. They have a really special set up there!
Who were your guides? How did they perform?
All of our guides were wonderful, in particular the guides who went above and beyond the call of duty because our kiddo was feeling unwell were the guides at Kuelap and the owners of the chocolate farm.
All the guide were really understanding of my husband's lack of Spanish skills and would pause every sentence or few so that I could translate for him.
Which was your favourite accommodation and why?
View of Huallaga River - a tributary of the Amazon - from Pumarinri Lodge.
Pumarinri was our favorite. The bungalows were amazing, the views were spectacular, and having all the hiking and nature trails on the property was hands down the best part of the trip for us. We must have walked the frog trail four or five times so we could try to catch a glimpse of all the different species.
We loved that at both the Pumirinri and Gocta hotels that they had birding hand outs. My kiddo loved checking off each bird as we saw them.
At Pumarini there is a lending library of books at the front desk, my kiddo was over the moon excited when she was allowed to check out both a book on butterflies (in spanish) and a book on native birds in Peru (in English). Her favorite part of the stay was sitting on the desk at the bungalow and reading about the birds and butterflies from the area or looking up birds we saw and trying to name them.
Which was your favourite restaurant / dish / drink?
Both hotels have amazing menu selections. We enjoyed every meal.
My husband loved every dish with Lomo Saltado, my kiddo was really thankful that the kitchen staff would make her a bland-ish chicken soup when she was sick (for most of the Pumarinri portion of the trip) and that they bought her her own bottle of yogurt when she mentioned that was the only thing she really felt up to eating one morning. Super nice kitchen and wait staff.
What forms of transport did you use? Pros/cons?
We flew to Tarapoto on StarPeru and flew out of Chachapoyas on ATSA, both airlines were nice.
The hotels provided the remainder of the transportation and all of the drivers were wonderful.
Did your itinerary involve any hiking? How would you rate it in terms of difficulty?
Yes we did a fair bit of hiking.
Pucayaquillo Waterfall is an easy moderate. We had a lot of kids in our tour group and walked at their pace, it was really enjoyable.
Kuelap is surprisingly more hiking than I would have thought with how they route you existing the site from the last time I visited. We were not expecting the exit to be substantially longer than the hike to the site. I'd say it was a moderate hike due to the altitude and the grade of the pathway.
Karajia was also more of a hike than I remember. It is pretty much straight downhill and then straight back up. I'd rank this one as a heavy-moderate.
What was the most pointless item in your luggage!?
I think because I've traveled to these areas before and knew what we'd need that we didn't have any un-used items.
What was/were your favourite natural encounter (eg. animal / bird / flora seen)?
Oh too many to list, but the ones that come to mind are we say the Andean Cock of the Rock while hiking to Gocta, 7 species of hummingbirds at the refuge, countless birds on the burning tour but the Kingfisher was my favorite.
Tree frog found near Pumarinri.
We also spotted 4 species of poison dart frogs, some spectacular butterflies, and a monkey while at Pumarinri.
I am the only plant-nerd in our family but I particularly loved chatting the the local guide on the Pucayaquillo hike because he was pointing out all of the medicinal plants along the way and my host dad from Peace Corps is a curer and utilizes a lot of those same plants. It was really cool to see them growing out in the wild and not just dried on his shelves.
Did you suffer any insect bites? Other physical discomforts?
The insect bites were minimal, but we did bring a really good Picaridin repellant lotion.
My daughter got sick before we arrived in Tarapoto and had some gastrointestinal distress throughout our tours, but nothing related to the food at the hotels.
The altitude at Kuelap and the Karajia/Quiocta caves did hit my husband rather hard. He had some headache and GI related issues from those two trips.
The biting insects, surprisingly, were worse at Gocta than in Tarapoto, but not too bad.
Did you have much interaction with locals? Where and how did this occur?
Aside from tour-guides and hotel staff we didn't really.
In Pumarinri you're really not leaving the hotel unless you're on a tour, that being said everyone on site and on tours were wonderful.
At Gocta we ventured out into town with more frequency but mostly to pop into a store for snacks or to look at souvenirs. Everyone was really nice, the town is obviously very close-knit and welcoming of tourism. But as a person who used to live in northern Peru I will say that in general locals are unbelievably welcoming, especially if you are actively trying (no matter your skill level) to speak the language, enjoy the food, and try new things.
I think the north of Peru is a better place to visit because it is still relatively young in its tourism life. The guide groups are all still locals, and your guided ticket/tour is contributing to the local economy in a more meaningful way.
Did you feel your money was going to local businesses and people?
Yes. See my above comment, in conversations with our guides and hotel staff almost everyone was from an hour radius of where we were visiting.
Having visited Gocta in 2009 and then comparing the town to what I saw this trip it is very obvious that tourism income is being redirected into the town's infrastructure, local businesses, and local families in a thoughtful way.
Were you given any information regarding sustainability during the course of your trip (e.g. talks on environmental issues from guides)?
Yes, mostly in Pumarinri. You can feel how connected the hotel is to the location. They take their role as land keepers seriously and acknowledge the impact that a hotel can have given their proximity to the national park.
On the night tour in particular we heard about all of the waste reduction and recycling efforts and how the hotel strives for sustainability.
The waterfall hike guides also talked about about the community's efforts to protect the area from deforestation and how the local community uses lumbar sustainably when possible.
Did you notice any areas where environmental practices could be improved?
None that were in the hands of any hotel or guides.
Overall summary:
We had an amazing time as a family. There was a nice balance between going out and "doing things" on tours and having just lounge time at the hotel, even with our trip plan including one-two tours per day.
Yellow-Rumped Cacique nests at Pumarinri.
The hotels were spectacular. I have never stayed in such nice accommodations. The bungalow at Pumarinri was a highlight for us. Getting to sleep underneath the nesting tree of a group of Yellow-Rumped Caciques was a delight on the ears, their song was so unique! And we saw a new butterfly/lizzard/insect/frog on every trip from the bungalow to the main area of the hotel and back. Just stunning.
The van ride from Tarapoto to Gocta was also a breathtaking trip filled with such amazing views. We even drove past a smoking volcano vent at one point!
I was pleasantly surprised with the restroom stops and the bathroom cleanliness. That has very much improved since I last lived in Peru!
In Gocta we had so much fun just relaxing outside and our kiddo in particular loved watching the alpacas. She gave them the nicknames "Fleece" and "Flop" and wrote a cute little graphic novel about their adventures on the grounds.
Thank you for helping us coordinate this trip!”
Panoramic view from Gocta Lodge balcony, including swimming pool, waterfall … and alpacas!