A 9-day photo safari in Peru’s Tambopata Reserve & visiting 3 Amazon Eco-Lodges
In the heart of the western Amazon basin lies a series of protected areas that encompass over 30 million hectares shared by the countries of Peru and Bolivia. Within the Peruvian side is the Tambopata National Reserve that is close to 300,000 hectares in size and was created to protect the massive watershed of the Candamo and Tambopata rivers. The Tambopata N.R. lies next to the massive Bahuaja Sonene National Park that protects over 1 million hectares of prime amazon wilderness. Within this massive territory scientists have catalogued 32 species of parrots, 190+ mammals, 575+ bird species, 1100 kinds of butterflies and over 9,000 vascular plants (and counting) over the years. And this is only what has been catalogued, there is much to be discovered still. To that end, a small group of dedicated people who love wilderness and come from all parts of the social, economic and spiritual worlds helped to build a series of lodges across this land – all connected by one highway – the Tambopata River.
We will be visiting three of these lodges – Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas and Tambopata Research Center, all of which offer the amenities services and guides that will take us to the animals. We will spend one night in Puerto Maldonado at the beginning of the trip, two nights at Posada Amazonas, one night at Refugio Amazonas and four nights at the Tambopata research Center (TRC), the lodge furthest away but the one that has the best animal-viewing due to it’s location – away from civilization. We will have excellent beds, showers, food and guides that are experts in sighting and finding the animals that we are here to photograph. Normally people will fly into Lima then connect with a domestic flight to Puerto Maldonado, near the Bolivian border. From there we head upriver on the Tambopata to each lodge, making photos of unique, rare and beautiful animals and plants. We will spend most of the time at TRC where we can really explore the area. This is where the famous macaw clay licks are located and we will have the opportunity to photograph them early in the morning as they begin their daily activity – eating clay to combat the poisons and other effects of the fruits and plants they eat. It’s a spectacle of Mother Nature that will not be forgotten anytime soon! Heck, there is great photo ops in the bathrooms as frogs hang out there all the time!
The guides are local, bi-lingual and lovers of the natural world. We will spend parts of the day shooting and also downloading photos and seeing our progress in order to learn and improve. We will have access to limited supplies of telephoto lenses that will bring the animals closer to us that will be provided by the lodges. We return to Puerto Maldonado on the last day and you can either spend the night or catch the late-afternoon flight back to Lima, Cusco or wherever you may be headed next.
Prices are in US $ and include all services as per the itinerary. International airfare is NOT included in this tour price. Airfare to the starting point of Puerto Maldonado is NOT included in this tour price. Please consult Geo Travel at 800-938-7285 or your travel agent for booking airline tickets. We include all airport transfers from Puerto Maldonado, accommodations in P.M., meals as noted (B,L,D), a professional photographer that leads the tour supported by local professional bi-lingual guides, boat transport, bus transfers, our years of experience and local knowledge. Please contact us with any questions.
| 7-10 people: | $ 3,775.00/per person |
| 4-6 people: | $ 4,275.00/per person |
| 2-3 people: | $ 4,775.00/per person |
| 1 person: | $ 5,675.00/per person |
DATES for 2012
June 30 – July 8, 2012
AND
September 15-23, 2012
Please note: We can run this trip on different dates, so please let us know your date preferences and we will create a custom departure date for you and your group, based on availability.
- ITINERARY -
TRIP # 1
Day 0 / Fri / June 29: Fly from home to Lima or Cusco, Peru
Fly from home to Lima or Cusco, Peru. Overnight in Lima or Cusco so you can catch the AM flight to Puerto Maldonado. Airline tickets, meals and hotel are not included in the tour price. This is merely to let you know how to plan your flights so you arrive in Puerto Maldonado on day 1 of the tour. Please consult Geo Travel at 800-938-7285 or your travel agent for booking airline tickets.
Day 1 / Sat / June 30: Arrival in Puerto Maldonado
Fly from Lima/Cusco/etc. and arrive in Puerto Maldonado. We will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the office to sort out some paperwork first. Afterwards we will take you to your hotel in Puerto Maldonado so you can rest and re-pack your gear for the trip upriver tomorrow. We will have a group dinner together to get to know each other and answer any questions you may have. Overnight at Hotel Madre de Dios. (3*) (D)
Day 2 / Sun / July 1: Puerto Maldonado – Posada Amazonas
After breakfast we will drive the 30 kms (45 minutes) to the port on the Tambopata River and head upriver on a comfortable motorized boat. The boat ride is about 45 minutes to Posada Amazonas, the closest lodge to Puerto Maldonado. We will check-in, get rooms assigned get a brief orientation and then have lunch at the lodge. Afterwards we head into the forest looking for animals to photograph. We will visit the canopy tower in the afternoon and in time for sunset as we are likely to see something interesting during that time of day. We return to the lodge for dinner. Overnight at Posada Amazonas (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 3 / Mon / July 2:Posada Amazonas
After breakfast we head to the parrot clay-lick which is a mere 20-minutes from the lodge. There are blinds set-up so we should be able to shoot a great variety of parrots actively engaging in detoxifying themselves from the plants and fruits they eat by adding the minerals in the clay to their diet. We head out into the forest once again searching for animals doing their daily routine. Lunch at the lodge. It’s a good idea to visit the Canopy Tower in the afternoon as getting those canopy-level photos are really hard to get. Dinner at the lodge. Evening photography of nocturnal creatures. Overnight at Posada Amazonas (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 4 / Tue / July 3: Posada Amazonas – Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
After a very early breakfast we head to the river before sunrise and take a 30-minute boat ride and a 45-minute hike to see the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake – home to resident river otters and a slew of other animals from birds to reptiles and diurnal bats. It’s like stepping back into Jurassic time period, especially early in the morning, when there may be fog. We will travel in the lagoon on a catamaran boat & platform that uses a moving keel to propel us quietly around the lake. After a few hours the sun get too hot and the animals move on. We head back to the boats and settle-in for the trip to Tambopata Research Center (TRC) which is six hours upriver from the oxbow lake. It’s a long way but that’s where we get to see a great variety of wildlife that see few people and we will spend a few days here exploring the jungle. Lunch en route in the boat. Upon arrival to TRC we will settle in and have a hike to some overlooks before sunset. Dinner at the lodge. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 5 / Wed / July 4: Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
There are endless photo ops, so after breakfast we will head out to the river or the forest in search of animals that are willing to be photographed. A lot of the success in wildlife photography is having enough time in an area and the patience necessary to wait for an animal to do something interesting once you found them. Lunch at the lodge. We will search the local hot-spots for animal activity until sunset. Dinner at the lodge. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 6 / Thu / July 5: Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
Today we begin before sunrise as we need to get over to the clay macaw lick before the birds do. We leave before breakfast with some snacks and a thermos. The location is maybe a 30-minute walk from the lodge, depending on river levels. We return to have a proper breakfast and regroup. We head out into the floodplain forest in search of animals. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we head to a nearby pond where we can use a platform to have access to all sorts of local birds that inhabit the pond and are fairly predictable so your results should be quite good at the end of the day. We return to the lodge after sunset and have dinner. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*) (B,L,D)
Day 7 / Fri / July 6:Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
There are countless photo ops around the lodge grounds itself as the opening in the jungle canopy attracts all kinds of insects, birds, reptiles, mammals and what-not. Always keep a camera handy as you never know what will show up. Lunch at an appropriate time. In the afternoon we may head to a palm tower next to a swamp where there are established macaw nests. The distance to the nests is very close and you should have no problem getting some great images. Depending on the time of year, there may be more or less activity in the area but we can always move onto other areas if these are not productive. Wild animals do as they wish, irrelevant of what our needs as photographers are but we will work hard to find suitable subjects all the time. Dinner at the lodge. Nighttime is the best time to find all kinds of strange-looking animals that make incredible noises. We will spend some time searching for interesting critters that are only active at night. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*) (B,L,D)
Day 8 / Sat / July 7:Tambopata Research Center (TRC) – Refugio Amazonas
After an early breakfast we head down to the boat and settle-in for the three and a half hour ride to Refugio Amazonas, the last lodge we will visit in Tambopata. We will have lunch aboard the boat. Upon arrival to Refugio Amazonas we will check-in, get a briefing and then head out to shoot. There is a very interesting old-growth patch of forest nearby that has Brazil Nut trees and the remains of a seasonal harvesting operation that has been used for gathering Brazil nuts for a few centuries. We’ll take a little time to learn about this and shoot images of the massive trees as well. We continue into the forest to find animals to photograph. Dinner at the lodge. Nighttime shooting of nocturnal critters. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. (B,L,D)
Day 9 / Sun / July 8: Refugio Amazonas – Pto. Maldonado – Cusco/Lima, etc.
After an early breakfast we head out to the forest to take advantage of our last morning in the jungle. Afterwards we board the boat for the three-hour ride downriver to the port and continue back to ‘civilization’ with a 45-minute bus ride back to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival you will get your other belongings that you left here in storage and transfer to a hotel or to the airport, depending on your flight schedule. You may have to spend the night in Puerto Maldonado and take a flight the next morning. All of this will be sorted-out upon arrival so you need not worry about re-confirming flights, etc. We will be on top of it from the day you arrive in Puerto Maldonado. In any case, we will have transport to a hotel if you need one or to the airport so you can catch a flight back to Cusco/Lima, etc. this afternoon. (B)
End of our services.
*****
TRIP # 2
Day 0 / Fri / Sept 14: Fly from home to Lima or Cusco, Peru
Fly from home to Lima or Cusco, Peru. Overnight in Lima or Cusco so you can catch the AM flight to Puerto Maldonado. Airline tickets, meals and hotel are not included in the tour price. This is merely to let you know how to plan your flights so you arrive in Puerto Maldonado on day 1 of the tour. Please consult Geo Travel at 800-938-7285 or your travel agent for booking airline tickets.
Day 1 / Sat / Sept 15: Arrival in Puerto Maldonado
Fly from Lima/Cusco/etc. and arrive in Puerto Maldonado. We will pick you up at the airport and transfer you to the office to sort out some paperwork first. Afterwards we will take you to your hotel in Puerto Maldonado so you can rest and re-pack your gear for the trip upriver tomorrow. We will have a group dinner together to get to know each other and answer any questions you may have. Overnight at Hotel Madre de Dios. (3*) (D)
Day 2 / Sun / Sept 16: Puerto Maldonado – Posada Amazonas
After breakfast we will drive the 30 kms (45 minutes) to the port on the Tambopata River and head upriver on a comfortable motorized boat. The boat ride is about 45 minutes to Posada Amazonas, the closest lodge to Puerto Maldonado. We will check-in, get rooms assigned get a brief orientation and then have lunch at the lodge. Afterwards we head into the forest looking for animals to photograph. We will visit the canopy tower in the afternoon and in time for sunset as we are likely to see something interesting during that time of day. We return to the lodge for dinner. Overnight at Posada Amazonas (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 3 / Mon / Sept 17:Posada Amazonas
After breakfast we head to the parrot clay-lick which is a mere 20-minutes from the lodge. There are blinds set-up so we should be able to shoot a great variety of parrots actively engaging in detoxifying themselves from the plants and fruits they eat by adding the minerals in the clay to their diet. We head out into the forest once again searching for animals doing their daily routine. Lunch at the lodge. It’s a good idea to visit the Canopy Tower in the afternoon as getting those canopy-level photos are really hard to get. Dinner at the lodge. Evening photography of nocturnal creatures. Overnight at Posada Amazonas (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 4 / Tue / Sept 18: Posada Amazonas – Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
After a very early breakfast we head to the river before sunrise and take a 30-minute boat ride and a 45-minute hike to see the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake – home to resident river otters and a slew of other animals from birds to reptiles and diurnal bats. It’s like stepping back into Jurassic time period, especially early in the morning, when there may be fog. We will travel in the lagoon on a catamaran boat & platform that uses a moving keel to propel us quietly around the lake. After a few hours the sun get too hot and the animals move on. We head back to the boats and settle-in for the trip to Tambopata Research Center (TRC) which is six hours upriver from the oxbow lake. It’s a long way but that’s where we get to see a great variety of wildlife that see few people and we will spend a few days here exploring the jungle. Lunch en route in the boat. Upon arrival to TRC we will settle in and have a hike to some overlooks before sunset. Dinner at the lodge. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 5 / Wed / Sept 19: Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
There are endless photo ops, so after breakfast we will head out to the river or the forest in search of animals that are willing to be photographed. A lot of the success in wildlife photography is having enough time in an area and the patience necessary to wait for an animal to do something interesting once you found them. Lunch at the lodge. We will search the local hot-spots for animal activity until sunset. Dinner at the lodge. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*). (B,L,D)
Day 6 / Thu / Sept 20: Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
Today we begin before sunrise as we need to get over to the clay macaw lick before the birds do. We leave before breakfast with some snacks and a thermos. The location is maybe a 30-minute walk from the lodge, depending on river levels. We return to have a proper breakfast and regroup. We head out into the floodplain forest in search of animals. Return to the lodge for lunch. In the afternoon we head to a nearby pond where we can use a platform to have access to all sorts of local birds that inhabit the pond and are fairly predictable so your results should be quite good at the end of the day. We return to the lodge after sunset and have dinner. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*) (B,L,D)
Day 7 / Fri / Sept 21:Tambopata Research Center (TRC)
There are countless photo ops around the lodge grounds itself as the opening in the jungle canopy attracts all kinds of insects, birds, reptiles, mammals and what-not. Always keep a camera handy as you never know what will show up. Lunch at an appropriate time. In the afternoon we may head to a palm tower next to a swamp where there are established macaw nests. The distance to the nests is very close and you should have no problem getting some great images. Depending on the time of year, there may be more or less activity in the area but we can always move onto other areas if these are not productive. Wild animals do as they wish, irrelevant of what our needs as photographers are but we will work hard to find suitable subjects all the time. Dinner at the lodge. Nighttime is the best time to find all kinds of strange-looking animals that make incredible noises. We will spend some time searching for interesting critters that are only active at night. Overnight at Tambopata Research Center (TRC) (3*) (B,L,D)
Day 8 / Sat / Sept 22:Tambopata Research Center (TRC) – Refugio Amazonas
After an early breakfast we head down to the boat and settle-in for the three and a half hour ride to Refugio Amazonas, the last lodge we will visit in Tambopata. We will have lunch aboard the boat. Upon arrival to Refugio Amazonas we will check-in, get a briefing and then head out to shoot. There is a very interesting old-growth patch of forest nearby that has Brazil Nut trees and the remains of a seasonal harvesting operation that has been used for gathering Brazil nuts for a few centuries. We’ll take a little time to learn about this and shoot images of the massive trees as well. We continue into the forest to find animals to photograph. Dinner at the lodge. Nighttime shooting of nocturnal critters. Overnight at Refugio Amazonas. (B,L,D)
Day 9 / Sun / Sept 23: Refugio Amazonas – Pto. Maldonado – Cusco/Lima, etc.
After an early breakfast we head out to the forest to take advantage of our last morning in the jungle. Afterwards we board the boat for the three-hour ride downriver to the port and continue back to ‘civilization’ with a 45-minute bus ride back to Puerto Maldonado. Upon arrival you will get your other belongings that you left here in storage and transfer to a hotel or to the airport, depending on your flight schedule. You may have to spend the night in Puerto Maldonado and take a flight the next morning. All of this will be sorted-out upon arrival so you need not worry about re-confirming flights, etc. We will be on top of it from the day you arrive in Puerto Maldonado. In any case, we will have transport to a hotel if you need one or to the airport so you can catch a flight back to Cusco/Lima, etc. this afternoon. (B)
End of our services.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions feel free to contact us directly via phone at 303-545-5728 (Office), 303-808-7713 (mobile) or via e-mail at phototours@sergiophototours.com
