Our biodiverse Tambopata forests host abundant fauna, but many species can be hard to spot! When walking forest trails in the Amazon or traveling by boat and canoe on rivers and lakes, spotting animals and birds can be a challenge.
The rainforest is filled with fascinating and beautiful creatures, but to the untrained eye they can be difficult to distinguish from the surrounding forest and hard to identify, and many potential sightings can be completely missed.
The vastness of the Amazon basin, along with factors such as the sheer density of the vegetation, the time of day and weather conditions, and even the time of year, can combine to determine what might be seen during a trail walk or boat excursion. And when the elusive nature of the majority of rainforest animals is added to this equation, it is easy to understand why patience and the services of a professional naturalist guide are essential to the success of a wildlife spotting adventure.
At Tambopata Ecolodge, we have been working to conserve the forests surrounding our ecofriendly installations for more than thirty years. This means that nobody knows the forests we help to protect better than us. At our remote location, 68 kilometers from the nearest town in unspoiled Amazon rainforest, when you venture onto the river or along a forest trail with one our naturalist guides, you are entering a wilderness territory that we know as well as you know your own local park!
Our guides are all chosen for their wildlife expertise and their intimate knowledge of the forest and wetland ecosystems where we live and work. And all of them are passionate about sharing their knowledge. Whether you are hoping to see monkeys, reptiles, birds or mammals, or if you are more interested in the trees and plants that make up the ecosystems we protect, our guides are the best company you could hope for during your visit to our Amazon home.
As you walk our trails or float calmly across our lakes, be sure to follow your guide’s eyes and hands. He or she will know what to look out for at each of the locations we include as part of our ecotourism programs, so check out where they look, and where they point, and then to learn more, listen as they identify the species they’ve spotted, and tell you more about their role in the ecology of the Amazon.
And in addition to keeping your eyes open, tune yourself in to the sounds of the forest. Of course, it can be exciting to venture into the Amazon for the first time, but if you remain quiet, concentrated, focused and –above all- patient, the rainforest will gradually reveal to you many of its secrets!