Things to know before your Amazon rainforest visit
15 July 2022 (524 visits)Getting around the Amazon basin can seem like a daunting prospect if you don’t know what to expect. There are some things you need to know before your Peru Amazon rainforest adventure, to help you plan your trip, choose your rainforest destination, and prepare.
First, remember that it’s best to explore by boat. There is no better way to experience the Amazon basin than by actually being on one of the great Amazon River’s tributaries, gazing out at the dense rainforest on each bank. With the help of your naturalist guide, you’ll see creatures that make the water their home, ranging from caimans to abundant birdlife, and you’ll see rainforest fauna on the riverbanks, beaches and in the trees, including -if you’re lucky- the world’s largest rodent, monkeys, and perhaps even a solitary jaguar.
Time spent on rivers should be seen by travelers as one of the highlights of their Amazon adventure. To reach our own Tambopata Ecolodge it is a 68-kilometer journey from the nearest town, Puerto Maldonado, partly by jungle road as far as the river port, but then entirely by boat. This is because we are lucky enough to be able to offer our guests an eco-lodge stay surrounded by remote protected forest, far from human influence on Amazon ecosystems.
Also, bear in mind that speedboats get you there faster. As part of our all-inclusive ecotourism programs, we get our guests to the most spectacular attractions of the rainforest in fast boats, where they can spend most of their time enjoying sights such as the macaw clay licks and jungle lakes for which our Tambopata home is famous. And we use low-emission outboard motors and build our boats from fiberglass, making our boats eco-friendly and meaning that no rainforest trees are cut down for their construction!
Of course, when you disembark from your boat, you’ll want to explore the forest. No matter how comfortable your eco-lodge is, you’ll want to get out on forest trails as much as possible! Guided hikes keep you safe, but they also offer the best opportunities for wildlife spotting. While in the rainforest, it’s best to take advantage of the knowledge possessed by experts, who can show you all there is to explore. At our own jungle lodge, we work with expert and experienced naturalist guides who spend their entire working lives in the forests we help to protect. This means that their local knowledge is unrivaled, and they know just where to take our guests for the very best chances to see Amazon animals and appreciate the rainforest’s trees and plants!
