refugio amazonas
Refugio Amazonas is located about two hours from Puerto Maldonado.
Located in a 200-hectare private reserve within the buffer zone of Tambopata Natural Reserve.
Secluded, 32-bedroom jungle lodge with 4 room categories.
Wide variety of kid-friendly, adventure-focused & science activities.
Mammal, macaw & parrot clay licks.
Great for nature-lovers & families.
Overview
Budding biologists on a night hike.
Refugio Amazonas is a luxurious oasis in the Amazon rainforest.
With its secluded location beside Tambopata Natural Reserve, the abundance of flora and fauna, the quality of the guides, and the wide variety of a-la-carte activities, the lodge is ideal for nature-lovers.
And after a day of jungle discovery, there are a number of relaxing services to be enjoyed, aside from the delicious cuisine:
Lounge in an inviting hammock
Have a massage with Amazon plant-based lotions in the Spa
Enjoy a rainforest-inspired cocktail at the bar
Finally, nights are spent in comfortable, eco-friendly rooms, with private bathrooms, to prepare you for the next day’s discoveries.
And for those wishing for added privacy, space and comfort, the Amazon Villa is a four-room bungalow, set well away from the rest of the lodge … with amenities you wouldn’t expect to find in the jungle!
Prices
Prices below are per person in double occupancy, and include all transfers, excursions with English-speaking guide and meals while at Refugio Amazonas.
| Itinerary | Length | Prices From |
|---|---|---|
| 3D/2N | 3 Days | £362 / $467 |
| 4D/3N | 4 Days | £544 / $703 |
| 5D/4N | 5 Days | £727 / $939 |
Please note that there is an additional fee to enter Tambopata National Reserve, which is currently $US 13 per person.
NB. The daily excursions are decided, in conjunction with your guide, on arrival at Refugio Amazonas. You can see many of the options in the ‘Activities’ tab.
Activities
When staying at Refugio Amazonas, visitors can choose from a wide range of stand-out Amazon excursions, to create a personalised, custom experience. Here are some of the choices:
ADVENTURE Activities at Refugio Amazonas
Mountain biking: A great way to explore the rainforest along 10 km (6 miles) of trails. GT mountain bike, helmet & cycling gear, water bottle, and mountain bike guide provided.
Mountain biking beside Tambopata River.
NATURE Activities at Refugio Amazonas
Chuncho Macaw Claylick: Tambopata is a world hotspot for macaws, so in the morning, we make the two-hour boat ride from the lodge into the Reserve to one of the famous macaw clay licks. This is often visited by three species of macaw, and many other parrots and parakeets.
Binoculars and a spotting scope are provided, and our guide will help us identify the bird species, along with any other wildlife there and along the river.
Red & Blue Macaws at Chuncho Clay Lick.
Sunset Safari: A boat on the Tambopata River is a great place to enjoy the spectacular Amazon sunset. So, in the late afternoon, we go for an easy-going, two-hour boat ride in the company of our guide, to recognise any species seen and explain the dynamics of Amazonia.
Refugio Amazonas motorboat on Tambopata River at sunset.
Condenado Lake Visit: A 45-minute hike through terra firme rainforest brings us to an aguaje palm swamp and Condenado Lake. This is an ox-bow lake, which we explore using a traditional canoe or catamaran.
Of the many species that inhabit Condenado, perhaps the most iconic are the Giant Amazon Otters, which we may spot.
Wildlife spotting on Lake Condenado.
Canopy Tower: A 30-minute hike from Refugio Amazonas is a 32 m (105 ft) scaffolding canopy tower, built on high ground to increase the range of view.
From here, we can see the Tambopata National Reserve extending into the horizon, and multiple bird species, such as toucans, macaws and raptors.
View over Tambopata Natural Reserve from Refugio Amazonas’ Canopy Tower.
Parakeet Clay Lick: A 15-minute boat ride from Refugio Amazonas, followed by a 60-minute hike, takes us to a clay lick frequented by both parrots and parakeets. We observe them from a blind.
Species spotted at the clay lick include:
Dusky-headed Parrot
Cobalt-winged Parakeets
Mealy Amazon Parrot
Yellow-crowned Amazon Parrot
Blue-headed Pionus
Chestnut-fronted (Severa’s) Macaw
Orange-cheeked (Barraband’s) Parrot.
The lick is most active at dawn, but there is usually activity throughout the day
Parrots & parakeets at Tambopata clay lick.
Mammal Clay Lick: A 20-minute walk from Refugio Amazonas is a clay lick popular with mammal, especially peccaries. Herds ranging from 5 to 20 of these wild rainforest pigs show up intermittently to eat the mineral-rich clay.
We need to be lucky to see them, but the area is also popular with deer, guan and parakeets … and occasionally, the rare Harpy Eagle.
Jungle Orchid Trail: Refugio Amazonas is involved in the study and conservation of Peruvian orchids, and maintains various species in an on-site greenhouse, which we can visit, in the company of experts. If we are fortunate, at least some of the orchids will be in bloom.
We then test our newly-acquired knowledge, as we try to identify wild orchids in the rainforest surrounding the lodge.
Overlook Trail: This 2 km (1.5 mile) trail takes us along the banks of the Tambopata River, passing through terra firme and secondary rainforest … allowing us to see the difference.
There are also a number of well-positioned benches overlooking the river, where we can stop to rest and observe the serene progress of the Tambopata through the Amazonian lowlands.
Sunset over Tambopata River on Overlook Trail.
Night Walk: The Amazon rainforest is as alive at night, as during the day. After dark is the time to witness a bizarre and beautiful world of nocturnal amphibians, reptiles insects and birds. Often we can hear them, rather than see them.
The trail takes about an hour and a half, with our guide pointing out the fauna. On clear evenings, we can also enjoy the star-filled views of the Southern Hemisphere night sky.
LOCAL CULTURE at Refugio Amazonas
Farm Visit: Crossing the Tambopata River to the community of Condenado, we reach a family-owned farm, managed by the charismatic Don Manuel.
He shows us around the property, where he grows a wide variety of Amazonian crops that fulfil different purposes.
Group from Refugio Amazonas with Don Manuel at his farm.
Medicinal Plants Trail: Many pharmaceuticals have their origins in the Amazon jungle, so along this trail, we look for a range of trees and shrubs that have medicinal and/or spiritual uses, such as:
Ayahuasca
Jungle Garlic (Ajo-Sacha)
Yuca de Venado
Cat’s Claw (Uña de Gato)
Charcot-Sacha
Para-Para
Night Lectures: Every night there is a lecture by a Refugio Amazonas staff member covering themes such as indigenous peoples, conservation threats and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.
Lecture by Refugio Amazonas’ biologist.
Brazil Nut Trail & Camp: Refugio Amazonas is located in a Brazil nut forest and this hike takes us through a beautiful old growth patch that has been harvested for decades (if not centuries). There are the remains of a camp used by Brazil nut harvesters for two months of the year.
Brazil nuts are the only sustainably harvested product in the rainforest and we learn about the whole process: harvest, transportation, drying, preparing for consumption.
SCIENCE Activities at Refugio Amazonas
Discover a New Insect Species: We meet the resident research team in the lobby for a brief explanation on the types of specimens to look for, and how to identify them.
We are given the tools needed for collecting, and then we walk around 15 minutes from the lodge to the light trap which attracts an incredible variety of insects.
The researchers regularly send specimens they cannot identify to the Museum of Natural History in Lima … and they often turn out to be new to science!
Refugio Amazonas’ entomologist collecting insect specimens at a light trap.
AmazonCam Tambopata: We walk for about 20 minutes, in the company of the lodge’s researchers, to near the mammal clay lick, where camera traps are set up. We assist with collecting the data and installing new ones!
On return to the lodge, we check to see if anything has been captured on screen!
Jaguar captured on Refugio Amazonas’ camera trap.
Tambopata Aerobotany: We walk about 30 minutes to Refugio Amazonas’ 32-m (105-ft) tall scaffolding tower, for incomparable views of the rainforest canopy, in all its diversity.
We observe the researchers programming the drones for their daily aerial route, and observe the amazing pictures and videos that result!
Gallery
PHOTOS - WITH CAPTIONS - OF refugio Amazonas
Reviews
What our clients say about Refugio Amazonas:
“Because the journey to Tambopata Research Centre is long, you stop off for one night at Refugio Amazonas lodge which was incredible!
The rooms are luxurious and the food was lovely with lots of options and we had the chance to go out on a night walk despite only being there for a short period of time.
We forgot some much needed items (underwear!) back in the office, but when we told staff this they were more than happy to help us. They called the office and had our bag sent on the next boat the following day, and our bags arrived at Tambopata Research Center before we did! ”