Exclusive Amazon expedition to the largest parrot salt licks in the world
Discovering the secrets of the Peruvian Amazon, immersing yourself in the fascinating nature and experiencing the wonders of the most biodiverse rainforest region in the Tambopata National Park is the focus of this special nature trip. Where the Tambopata and Madre de Dios jungle rivers meet, a boat trip takes you deep into the protected nature reserve. The jungle lodge Refugio Amazonas and the research station with guest lodge Tambopata Research Centre offer ideal conditions for extraordinary animal observations. The area, characterised by jungle, wet savannahs, rivers and lakes, is home to a rare biodiversity: over 20,000 plant species, countless insects, more than 1,300 bird species and 32 parrot species, including the large macaws. Giant otters, jaguars, tapirs and caimans are also at home here.
Join us on an extraordinary journey where impressive wildlife sightings take centre stage. The lodges are simpler than luxurious accommodation in other regions of the world, but the wildlife experiences make this expedition unrivalled.
030 / 69 80 21 92
gowin@select-luxury.travel
"When I first heard from a National Geographic cover story that there was a place in the world that was home to the world's greatest diversity of parrots and, in particular, macaws, far from civilisation, I wanted to travel there once in my life. Many years later, it was now possible, because nature lovers also have the opportunity to be there, where for a long time only researchers and biologists had access."
Departure in the morning from Germany, Austria or Switzerland to Lima. Depending on the airline, the flight takes around 16 hours. Upon arrival in the early evening, a reception and private transfer await you to the Belmond Miraflores Park Hotel or, alternatively, to the trendy Boutique Hotel B, located in the heart of Barranco and a member of Relais & Chateaux. Here you will be warmly greeted with a welcome cocktail.
2 nights at the 5★ Hotel Belmond Miraflores Park, Ocean View Junior Suite incl. breakfast - Details about the hotel
or alternatively at the 5★ Relais & Chateaux Hotel B in a room Aposento with breakfast - Details about the hotel
After breakfast, your private guide will take you to the centre of the metropolis. Your sightseeing begins here at the picturesque Plaza Mayor. It is surrounded by stately buildings such as the city hall, the government palace, the archiepiscopal palace and the cathedral. During a possible dinner (optional, not included) in one of the capital's trendy restaurants, such as Virgilio Martinez's Central, you will get your first culinary taste of the variety of flavours on your trip.
After breakfast, private transfer and flight in around 2 hours over the Andes to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon basin, in south-eastern Peru in the Madre de Dios region. Puerto Maldonado is the capital of the region and was named after the explorer Faustino Maldonado, who led a rainforest expedition in 1860.
Your jungle adventure to wild animals in the dense jungle of the lush green Amazon region starts here. On arrival at the airport, you have the opportunity to check in your large luggage at our local partner's office and continue your journey in a motorised wooden boat on the mighty Amazon River Madre de Dios with crumpleable bags.
From the office, take a vehicle to the jungle community of Inferno (approx. 1 hour), where the boat landing stage is located, and then travel upstream in an open wooden boat through dense rainforest for around 3-3.5 hours. On the way you can see various birds, such as crested and great crested herons, kingfishers, swallows, scissorbills and others.
Your lodge is the Refugio Amazonas Lodge in the middle of the Peruvian jungle. After a short hike uphill from the landing stage, you will reach the lodge in the early evening. After a welcome cocktail, briefing and dinner.
3 nights in the Refugio Amazonas Lodge - Details about the lodge
The stay here is centred around the great outdoors with animal watching and activities in the rainforest. Depending on guests' fitness levels and interests, expeditions on foot and hikes through the rainforest are offered to introduce the ecological context of this fascinating habitat. You have the opportunity to choose exclusive excursions and à la carte trips from a menu with your multilingual guide (English/Spanish speaking). Together with your guide, you can put together your daily jungle programme and experience the rainforest and its fascinating vegetation and wildlife according to your wishes and individual interests. Refugio Amazonas offers over twenty different excursions to explore the fauna and flora.
Please bear in mind that the jungle is not a zoo. Sometimes you can only hear the animals without perhaps being able to see them. It takes a trained eye and patience!
Nevertheless, there is a high probability of being able to observe monkeys, parrots and above all the magnificent large colourful macaws at the clay lick or from the canopy tower, as well as caimans and capybaras (capybaras) on the river banks. On the slopes of the river you can see the different altitudinal levels of the forest, completely different plant communities in a lowland rainforest that is flooded in the rainy season. In the morning, you will visit a salt lick on a mud wall where several species of parrots, including the large macaws, as well as black-eared, miller's and many other parrots, come to satisfy their mineral requirements. Various parrots can be observed at the large clay licks in the region, including various large macaws and amazons, but also some smaller species. Good shots of the colourful birds are possible from the hide with good camera equipment.
You can also explore a botanical trail. Here, your guide will tell you more about the many uses of plants in medicine, as food, for fibres and as building materials. After dark, you can search for and observe insects and amphibians in the rainforest on guided night walks and marvel at the "beauties of the night".
I ... Love Birds!
Head traveller Dirk Gowin visits the parrots on the Tambopata River
"When I first heard from a National Geographic cover story that there is a place in the world where the world's greatest diversity of parrots and, above all, macaws have their home far from civilisation, I had the desire to travel there once in my life. Many years later, it was now possible, because thanks to Rainforest Expeditions, even well-heeled nature lovers have the opportunity to go where for a long time only researchers and biologists had access.
It's a long way, but it's worth it! After a flight of around two hours from Lima, you land at a mini airport in Peru's Amazon basin - but at least it's an Airbus. From here, the journey continues, taking almost a day and a half with an overnight stop.
The destination at the end of the path is simply fantastic! We are surrounded by macaws and flocks of brightly coloured birds fly around like sparrows here - in red-blue, yellow-blue or green-blue-yellow and screeching like babies when they fly to their favourite spots in the early morning just in time for sunrise: the salt licks by the river. The early macaw catches its salt!
For me, that always means getting up very early. In the darkness of the ending night, we start the hike to the observation points in the jungle in single file and in rubber boots in a hot and humid climate of almost 30 degrees. In front of us is the river or a depression in the ground, behind it the cliffs of reddish-yellow sand, the salt licks - here they are the largest in the world! And they also attract other animals, such as tapirs.
Then it's time to wait and stand or sit in wait, at least not lying down, until the first brave ones dare to come out of the treetops and fly off as the vanguard, test eaters so to speak. Then they come by the hundreds and enjoy the minerals and salts of the lick in the still fresh morning air and the rising sun. The later the day, the less chance there is of seeing them, because the hotter it gets and they don't like the heat. Later, they prefer to spend the day in the shade of the palms and mighty Brazil nut trees. Macaws are timid because they have enemies lurking in wait for them. And they are love birds: the pairs stay together for life - how beautiful!
The experience seems to be out of this world: I walk through the camp on stilt paths, the rainforest below me, lush green vegetation with monkeys and birds to my right and left. And pairs of parrots sit on the trunks, caressing each other and not caring about me. Why should they? They are at home here, feel comfortable and safe, humans are just visiting. And research is still being carried out here: you can see the scientists here for hours, days on end at their observation posts, unexpectedly finding an observation point in the middle of the thicket, as there are macaw breeding caves or even breeding boxes high up in the trees, from which a red or blue or yellow-blue head peeks out at a height of around 15-20 metres and looks down at me and a few other human beings... An unforgettable sight: I love these birds!"
In the very early morning, excursion to the Tres Chimbadas lagoon, a lake where giant otters can often be seen, as well as turtles, hoatzins and many water birds.
Then return to the lodge and continue to the Tambopata Research Centre in an open boat (approx. 3.5 hours upstream). A picnic pack is available on board on the way. You now travel deeper and deeper into the Tambopata Conservation Reserve. As the journey progresses, you leave civilisation completely behind you. The reserve has several checkpoints at which you must stop for identification and safety, as there are no traces of human use in this impassable, lonely, isolated area that has not been developed for tourism. However, in addition to a large number of birds, families of capybaras and caimans await you.
In the afternoon, you reach your isolated lodge: the Tambopata Research Centre in the middle of the jungle. It used to be a pure research centre, but a few years later, thanks to Rainforest Expeditions, nature lovers can now also take advantage of the opportunity to be where only researchers and biologists had access for a long time. The simple but very well located eco-lodge with 18 rooms not only accommodates scientists and students, but also visitors interested in nature. There are around 12 kilometres of jungle trails in the surrounding area and the world's largest parrot salt licks. It's a long way, but it's worth it! Nature observations are the absolute priority, as the lodge is not luxurious.
The unique lodge is located in the deep primary rainforest Tambopata of the Amazon basin in Peru and is a paradise for bird lovers. The Tambopata Research Centre is one of the most remote lodges in the isolated Tambopata Nature Reserve in Peru and was the cover story of National Geographic. The Tambopata National Reserve covers 1.3 million hectares and is the habitat for many endangered species.
It is also home to the largest salt clay lick in the world, where various species of parrots such as macaws, amazons and parakeets, as well as tapirs and even big cats such as jaguars, can be regularly encountered and observed.
After a general briefing and a rest break, you will go on your first hike in the rainforest to observe howler and jumping monkeys, for example. From a tree platform, many birds of the canopy region, such as tanagers, guans and brow birds, are also easy to observe.
The Tambopata National Park is the largest conservation reserve in the whole of South America. The area is home to over 1300 bird species, 200 mammals, 1200 butterflies and 32 parrot species. The lodge is located near one of the largest clay licks in the Amazon and offers unique opportunities to observe the parrots. During your stay, parts of the national park will be explored in the company of expert nature guides. The park has one of the highest levels of biodiversity with large intact animal populations. In the early morning, before sunrise, you will travel by boat and on foot to a 40 metre high clay wall, which is visited by up to thousands of parrots of up to 15 species. Up to 6 species of macaws can be seen in this, the largest collection of parrots in the world, as well as a number of amazons and parakeets. Only in the late morning does the colourful show calm down a little and you return to the lodge for brunch and rest.
The afternoon hikes lead either on foot or by boat into the palm swamps or further upstream even deeper into the national park. This is where the yellow-breasted and green-winged macaws live. In the evening, the researchers will give talks about the macaw project at the lodge and you will learn more about the background. Together with the research team, there is also the opportunity to take part in a nocturnal "frog walk", where you can see large Blomberg toads and tree frogs, as well as rare tiger moths, tarantulas and grass-cutting ants.
3 nights at the Tambopata Research Centre - Details about the lodge
The Tambopata National Park will be explored during the days of your stay in the company of expert nature guides. The park has one of the highest levels of biodiversity with large intact animal populations. In the early morning, before sunrise, you will travel by boat and on foot to a 40 metre high clay wall, which is visited by thousands of parrots of up to 15 species. Up to 6 species of macaws can be seen in this, the largest collection of parrots in the world, as well as a number of Amazons and parakeets. Only in the late morning does the colourful show calm down a little and you return to the lodge for brunch and rest.
The guide always takes you on rainforest hikes. The jungle is estimated to be around 200 to 300 years old and has some huge ceiba and strangler fig trees. It is not uncommon to see brown-backed tamarins, squirrel monkeys and brown capuchin monkeys as well as collared peccaries. Tracks of ocelots, pumas and jaguars are frequently seen along the trail. However, it is always very difficult to actually see these cats in the dense rainforest, although with a bit of luck they can usually be seen on the banks of the mighty Tambopata River.
Please bear in mind that the jungle is not a zoo. Sometimes you can only hear the animals without perhaps being able to see them. It takes a trained eye and patience!
The days in the rainforest start early before sunrise and end after sunset and are all about observing nature. Every morning, before breakfast, you can set off to the large parrot salt licks and observe the macaws and parrots from the hide. You can also hike along a path through temporarily flooded rainforest. Here you can expect to see wading birds as well as some mammals such as howler monkeys. Boat tours are offered that take you to a lagoon. Here you can observe hoatzins, caimans, bats, ducks, herons as well as woodpeckers, starlings and flycatchers from an observation platform. After another visit to a clay lick, you explore a side arm of the Tambopata by boat. Those who feel like it can try their luck at fishing, others will just want to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of a small rainforest river. In the afternoon, you can observe animals from an observation tower, from where you have a beautiful view over the rainforest. On clear days, you can see as far as the snow-capped Andes.
Rainforest Expeditions has been involved in ecotourism in the Tambopata National Reserve since 1989. With various projects and several lodges, sustainability is a top priority here - for animals and people. Members of the local community also have a job thanks to the guests. They benefit directly from gentle ecotourism and do not have to sell baby macaws on black markets, which is unfortunately still the case elsewhere.
The fact that the area is protected and characterised by jungle, wet savannah, rivers and lakes guarantees a level of biodiversity that is rarely found: More than 20,000 plant species, over a thousand species of butterflies and more than 1,300 bird species, including 32 species of parrots, are native to the rainforests of southern Peru. Rainforest Expeditions shows you the way to this fascinating diversity. However, the main focus is clearly on the macaws.
The original aim of the macaw project was to halt the decline of the local macaw populations, which were suffering from the loss of their habitat. The idea was to develop a system that would provide the birds with a natural environment and enough nesting sites to reproduce. The project focussed on one species, the largest of the macaws, the Scarlet Macaw. Its nesting preferences include the tallest trees in the forest, such as the shihuahuacos and lupunas.
Originally, the experts offered wooden boxes as nesting sites. These worked well at first, but were then colonised by several other creatures - from termites to wasps and other tree animals. After a series of trials and errors, the macaw project team arrived at a final form for the artificial nests: they had designed a durable structure using PVC pipes, the most resistant material to erosion from bad weather and attacks from unwanted colonisers.
These structures had to look attractive enough to entice the birds to nest in them, so they were customised to fit the environment. From the outside they look like a branch of the tree they are hanging from, and on the inside the PVC walls are covered with a chicken wire system that allowed the birds to climb up and down with their skilful claws. The macaws liked this: the artificial nests proved to be one hundred per cent successful and the birds returned again and again during the breeding season.
The Macaw Project with Rainforest Expeditions is now approaching its 30th anniversary, making it the longest running study of this group of birds in the Neotropics! Led by Dr Donald Brightsmith, the project is maintained year-round by his team from Texas A&M University and volunteers from around the world.
The lodges welcome visitors who do not want to be tourists, but active explorers. Guests whose visit has a positive impact on this protected area and supports the local population.
TAMBOPATA - TAMBOPATA REFUGIO AMAZONAS - PUERTO MALDONADO - LIMA
After a small early breakfast, we take the open boat back downstream to the Refugio Amazonas lodge in around 2.5 hours. Another small box breakfast is served during the trip. From here, the journey continues by open boat downstream to the jungle community of Inferno in approx. 3 hours and then by bus to Puerto Maldonado airport in approx. 1 hour. On the way, stop at the office railing and repack your belongings into your luggage, as well as collecting the large luggage stowed here. In the afternoon, return flight with LAN Peru in approx. 2 hours to Lima. On arrival in Lima, reception and transfer to the selected hotel.
5★ Hotel Belmond Miraflores Park - Details about the hotel
5★ Relais & Chateaux Hotel B - Details about the hotel
The day is at leisure. We will be happy to arrange an excursion to suit your taste. In the afternoon, transfer to the airport and return flight to Europe. The flight takes around 16 hours, depending on the airline.
Arrival in the afternoon in Germany, Austria or Switzerland.
Note: Equipment tips on what you should have with you in the jungle:
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sun cream with high UVA protection - insect repellent - binoculars min. 10×42 - good camera with high zoom, film device, sufficient spare batteries/battery packs/adapters - torch with sufficient spare batteries - waterproof rucksack - water bottle - closed, flip-flops/sandals/slippers as slippers for the lodges - sufficient breathable T-shirts and socks in muted colours - dark and muted colours, clothes that dry easily, light cotton trousers, shorts, swimwear - rain poncho, water protection for equipment - pocket money/drinks A frank word: You are travelling to a largely undeveloped tourist area far away from civilisation.
Nature observation takes centre stage. The lodges are simple, clean and functional, but do not come close to the standard of safari lodges in Africa. Travelling to these remote nature reserves in the Amazon requires a high degree of flexibility and tolerance and the renunciation of Western standards in terms of quality, service, punctuality, comfort and hygiene.
The accommodations are simply equipped; they do not have electric light or a regular power supply. Most lodges have solar power to charge batteries, Wi-Fi is usually extremely weak or non-existent, and telephone accessibility is also very limited.
The rainforest hikes take a long time, last several hours and cannot always be done in hiking boots due to the all-pervading wetness of the ground - rubber boots are provided at the lodge for this purpose. If you cannot walk well in these, it is advisable to bring waterproof trekking shoes, a waterproof rucksack, water bottle, rain poncho and dark clothing that dries easily. The temperatures are consistently hot and humid, with no significant cooling at night. There are no air conditioning systems.
We reserve the right to make changes and adjustments to the programme. Safety is paramount. Please understand that the local guides often only speak English.
Included in your trip:
Services not included:
Optionally, we offer you various individual extensions: Cuzco, the ancient Inca capital with a visit to the rainforest area in the Sacred Valley of the Incas, Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu, a visit to the legendary Inca fortress in a dramatic location on a mountain ridge. Or you can travel on to Manu National Park for additional wildlife spotting. Manu National Park has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The protected area extends from an altitude of 250 metres to over 4,000 metres and thus encompasses an enormous variety of habitats. Its biodiversity is world-class: more than 5,000 species of flowering plants, over 1,000 bird species and around 100 mammal species have been recorded, including lowland tapirs, giant otters, squirrel monkeys, red howler monkeys, spectacled and black caimans as well as a unique variety of birds. Lake Titicaca or Bolivia with its lagoons in the highlands of the Andes can be easily travelled from here. We will be happy to advise you in detail and individually.
The 5★ Hotel Belmond Miraflores Park is located high up on the cliffs in the trendy, upmarket Malecon de la Reserva neighbourhood with a magnificent view of the Pacific.
The hotel is your luxurious and comfortable retreat in the hustle and bustle of the turbulent capital.
Nearby you will come across magnificent colonial buildings and can explore museums, fine shops and galleries.
Your Ocean View Junior Suite is modern and stylishly furnished and offers a magnificent view of the Pacific.
Exclusive design elements, an inviting king-size bed, the spacious marble bathroom and the separate living area with workstation create a perfect living experience.
The hotel is home to several elegant restaurants and bars.
You will be particularly fascinated by the stylish Tragaluz restaurant in the middle of a beautiful garden.
Here you can enjoy fine international dishes with Asian, Mediterranean and Peruvian flavours.
Enjoy the fantastic view from the heated panoramic pool on the roof terrace or indulge in a soothing treatment at the Zest Spa.
The chic 5* boutique hotel B is located in the heart of the Barranco district, a historic neighbourhood on the Pacific Ocean, and has just 17 rooms.
The house was actually a summer pavilion and city palace from the Belle Époque period. Marble, precious woods, a white façade decorated with colonnades, open balconies and high ceilings filled with light from Lima teatinas are what make this house so charming.
It was restored by sculptors and an Italian carpenter in order to preserve and enhance this exceptional architectural heritage.
The Hotel B, which benefits from the bohemian ambience of the neighbourhood, exhibits works by contemporary Peruvian artists, giving the rooms a lot of character.
A small hideaway and luxury hotel that exudes the charm of Lima's traditional hospitality, a meeting centre with an artistic sensibility to appeal to travellers, and a distinctive restaurant in the spirit of a turn-of-the-century Explorers Club.
An art-design boutique hotel in the heart of a revitalised artistic environment that houses a private collection of contemporary Latin American and Peruvian artists, which lends the interior an additional unique charm.
Hotel B is surrounded by galleries, museums and trendy restaurants.
The rooms differ in location, size and design: Aposento (22-26 square metres), Alcoba (19-22 square metres), Atelier (34-42 square metres).
Chef Oscar Velarde awaits you at El Restaurant:
"I see cooking as an art that requires feeling and flavour rather than precise measurements.
I draw my inspiration from the abundance of natural local ingredients from our region. I strive to offer every guest a taste of home combined with the rich flavours of Peru."
The Refugio Amazonas Lodge borders the huge Tambopata Nature Reserve, which is located in the centre of the Peruvian Amazon region against the dramatic backdrop of the towering Andes high above Lake Titicaca. The lodge is located in the buffer zone of the reserve, directly adjacent to the core zone. You are immersed in a privileged location in almost untouched nature and far away from civilisation. Nature observation is the absolute priority, as the lodges are not luxurious.
The slightly longer journey of around 3.5 hours by boat is rewarded with countless opportunities to observe nature and animals and an unforgettable experience in the tropical rainforest. Just like the local neighbouring communities, who live from the Brazil nut harvest, the team is committed to the sustainable use of the forest area and the protection of nature with its species-rich flora and fauna.
The lodge is not luxurious, so nature observation is the main focus. There is a restaurant for all meals, a bar, a boutique and a lounge. The rooms are partly built in open timber construction, are on stilts, have their own bath/shower/WC (some with cold and only lukewarm water) and are connected to each other via wooden walkways. You live here in the middle of the jungle and surrounded by nature. Each accommodation has mosquito nets and some are equipped with hammocks. Insects and other animals can get into the rooms. There are only 24 rooms, which are built according to traditional indigenous construction methods and exclusively with regional materials (wood, palm fronds, wild cane and clay). All rooms have a very special panoramic window that is open to the rainforest and guarantees a particularly intense experience of nature. Mosquito nets, furniture such as bedside tables, chairs, table, armchairs and hammocks are included.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are already included in the price, as are the excursions. The lodge manages completely without electricity. There are paraffin lamps and batteries, which are charged by a generator and supply all rooms with electricity three times a day. On arrival, you will be given environmentally friendly care products that are quickly biodegradable and leave as few traces as possible.
The stay here is centred around nature with animal observations and activities in the rainforest. Depending on the fitness level and interests of the guests, expeditions on foot and hikes through the rainforest are offered, which introduce the ecological context of this fascinating habitat. You have the opportunity to choose exclusive excursions and à la carte excursions from a menu with your multilingual guide (English/Spanish speaking). Together with your guide, you can put together your daily jungle programme and experience the rainforest and its fascinating vegetation and wildlife according to your wishes and individual interests.
Refugio Amazonas offers over twenty different excursions to explore the fauna and flora: Please remember that the jungle is not a zoo. Sometimes you can only hear the animals without perhaps being able to see them. It takes a trained eye and patience! Nevertheless, there is a high probability of being able to observe monkeys, parrots and above all the magnificent large colourful macaws at the clay lick or from the canopy tower as well as caimans and capybaras (capybaras) on the river banks.
This unique lodge is located in the deep primary rainforest Tambopata of the Amazon basin in Peru and is a paradise for bird lovers.
Nature observation takes centre stage, as the lodges are not luxurious.
The Tambopata Research Centre is one of the most remote lodges in the isolated Tambopata Nature Reserve in Peru and was the cover story of National Geographic.
The Tambopata National Protected Area covers 1.3 million hectares and is the habitat of many endangered animal species.
It is also home to the largest salt clay lick in the world, where various species of parrots such as macaws, amazons and parakeets, as well as tapirs and even big cats such as jaguars, can be regularly encountered and observed.
The sustainable eco-lodge Tambopata Research Centre was originally a pure research station and now also offers a small lodge area run by Rainforest Expeditions.
The simple but very well located eco-lodge with 18 rooms accommodates not only scientists and students, but also visitors interested in nature.
There are around 12 kilometres of jungle trails and the world's largest parrot salt licks in the area.
The sustainable eco-lodge is very remote and difficult to reach in the transition zone to the primary rainforest of the Tambopata National Park.
The lodge is quite simple, the natural spectacles of the region are the absolute added value, as well as the seclusion far away from civilisation.
There are only 18 rooms here, which are also built in the traditional style of the indigenous people and exclusively with regional materials (wood, palm fronds, wild cane and clay).
All rooms have a very special panoramic window that is open to the rainforest and guarantees a particularly intense experience of nature. Some rooms have an open terrace or balcony facing the rainforest, which cannot be closed off.
Mosquito nets, furniture such as bedside tables, chairs, tables, armchairs and hammocks are included. Each room has its own bathroom with shower/WC. Hot water is supplied by solar technology.
The Tambopata National Park is the largest conservation reserve in the whole of South America. The area is home to over 1300 bird species, 200 mammals, 1200 butterflies and 32 parrot species.
The lodge is located right next to one of the largest clay licks in the Amazon and offers unique opportunities to observe the parrots.
German citizens require a passport that must be valid for six months from the date of entry. Tourists can stay in Peru for 90 days every six months without a visa.
Note: Equipment tips on what you should have with you in the jungle:
- Sun protection: hat, sunglasses, sun cream with high UVA protection - insect repellent - binoculars min. 10×42 - good camera with high zoom, film device, sufficient spare batteries/battery packs/adapters - torch with sufficient spare batteries - waterproof rucksack - water bottle - closed, flip-flops/sandals/slippers as slippers for the lodges - sufficient breathable T-shirts and socks in muted colours - dark and muted colours, clothes that dry easily, light cotton trousers, shorts, swimwear - rain poncho, water protection for equipment - pocket money/drinks A frank word: You are travelling to a largely undeveloped tourist area far away from civilisation.
Nature observation takes centre stage. The lodges are simple, clean and functional, but do not come close to the standard of safari lodges in Africa. Travelling to these remote nature reserves in the Amazon requires a high degree of flexibility and tolerance and the renunciation of Western standards in terms of quality, service, punctuality, comfort and hygiene. The accommodations are simply furnished; they do not have electric light or a regular power supply. Most lodges have solar power to charge batteries, Wi-Fi is usually extremely weak or non-existent, and telephone accessibility is also very limited. The rainforest hikes take a long time, last several hours and cannot always be done in hiking boots due to the all-pervasive wetness of the ground - rubber boots are provided at the lodge for this purpose. If you cannot walk well in these, it is advisable to bring waterproof trekking shoes, a waterproof rucksack, water bottle, rain poncho and dark clothing that dries easily. The temperatures are consistently hot and humid, with no significant cooling at night. There are no air conditioning systems. We reserve the right to make changes and adjustments to the programme. Safety is the top priority. Please understand that the local guides often only speak English.
There are no vaccination requirements for Peru, but yellow fever vaccination is mandatory for travelling in the Amazon region, i.e. it must be completed at least 10 days before entry. This applies in particular to all trips to the designated yellow fever endemic areas of Peru, such as the entire Peruvian Amazon region and the areas east of the Andes below 2,300 metres. The Federal Foreign Office also recommends checking and completing the standard vaccinations according to the current vaccination calendar of the Robert Koch Institute for children and adults when travelling (www.rki.de).
Peru lies in three landscape zones, each with its own climatic characteristics:
The rainforest region in Peru's Amazon basin to the east of the Andes makes up the largest part of Peru at around 60 per cent. The Peruvian rainforest is dense and almost impenetrable, with rivers being the only arteries. The average annual temperature in this region is 26°C, peaking at 35°C in the drier months of August to November, with annual precipitation reaching up to 3,800 mm in the humid travelling season of November to March. The transition from the sierra is smooth, as there is a tropical mountain forest with a milder climate. The national parks of Tambopata and Manu, as well as the city of Puerto Maldonado, can be visited all year round. BEST TIME TO TRAVEL: The climate is warm and humid all year round, with the rainy season lasting from November to April. We recommend travelling during the dry season from May to October.
In the highlands of the Andes, known as the "Sierra", the average temperature at 3,300 metres is only around 11 °C all year round. From October to April, heavy rainfall can occur in this region, which tends to have little rainfall. Cusco and the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu are located in the Sierra.
The "Costa", the smallest coastal region in terms of area, is very dry and agriculture is often only possible in river oases. The capital Lima and the Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world, are also located in this region. Temperatures in the Costa vary between 12 °C in winter and 35 °C in summer.
Important note:
This trip is partially suitable for travellers with reduced mobility, depending on their impairment.
Please contact us for detailed advice and handling of flights, transfers and accommodation.
Thank you for your interest in our holidays. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
Alternatively, you can call us directly at + 49 30 69 80 21 90.
Please fill in all fields marked with an * carefully. Many thanks in advance!
030 / 69 80 21 92
gowin@select-luxury.travel
"When I first heard from a National Geographic cover story that there was a place in the world that was home to the world's greatest diversity of parrots and, in particular, macaws, far from civilisation, I wanted to travel there once in my life. Many years later, it was now possible, because nature lovers also have the opportunity to be there, where for a long time only researchers and biologists had access."
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