The Best Ecolodges and Tours in Puerto Maldonado

There are several ecolodges and tours to choose from for our trip, and below we will review our selection of lodges to explore the Amazon from Puerto Maldonado in a responsible way.

Puerto Maldonado is the starting point for the journey into Peru’s Amazon rainforest and has one of the largest tourism industries in the entire Amazon. As this is a delicate and sensitive environment, which is responsible for hosting an incredible ecological diversity, it is best that the various excursions are environmentally responsible.

The following Puerto Maldonado jungle lodges have been carefully selected for being eco-friendly, offering a comfortable experience and being located within the deep Amazon rainforest, to take into account these characteristics they are all verified by the Rainforest Alliance.

Each of the lodges and excursions demonstrate a responsible approach to tourism in this delicate and wildlife-rich environment. In addition to meeting the requirements of environmental and social responsibility, the tours have also met the requirements of service, satisfaction and comfort of their guests, thus offering a unique and unforgettable experience of your visit to the Amazon rainforest.

Environmental Responsibility

The following lodges are built with local materials, and the vegetables and fruits used in the preparation of meals are from the local harvest of the day.

The energy used for lighting, heating and cooling is as energy efficient as possible. Most of it is gas, but part of the energy is produced on site by solar panels. The products used are always biodegradable in nature and an active composting system is used to reduce pollution levels.

Social responsibility

All ecolodges have the participation of the local community, and the Posada Amazonas in particular is owned by the community. In the other lodges, members of the local community are hired as active workers in the lodge as managers, cooks, cleaners and guides.

In this way, tourism benefits local communities and provides them with alternative work to destructive activities such as logging and oil extraction. This also connects and makes visible to local communities the importance of protecting and caring for this incredible environment.

Carbon neutral

Although the following lodges generate some carbon emissions despite operating as efficiently as possible, these carbon emissions are offset by the lodges, making the lodges mentioned in the following list 100% carbon neutral.

Recommended ecolodges and tours in Puerto Maldonado

The following ecolodges in Puerto Maldonado successfully meet all of the above criteria for environmental and social responsibility while providing a comfortable, safe and wildlife-rich Amazon rainforest experience. The first lodge is a deep Amazon lodge suitable for 4 days or more exploring the Amazon.

1. Tambopata Research Center (Tambopata Research Center)

The Tambopata Research Center is one of the most remote ecolodges located in Puerto Maldonado deep in the Amazon rainforest. Situated in the middle of the Tambopata National Reserve, on planned excursions from the lodge you can explore the rainforest with its abundant wildlife and all the diversity that makes it unique. The animals and plants in these depths of the jungle are at the limit of population capacity within this environment, which increases the chances of spotting more abundant and rare wildlife during your viewing and expeditions that include your stay.

Enjoy comfortable accommodations with a variety of options for all types of stays including suites and rooms. Departing from the Tambopata Research Center, you will be able to go deep into the Amazon rainforest to encounter many different animals. Observe parrots, toucans, a wide diversity of monkeys, beautiful butterflies and delicate tree frogs. Your hosts may even warn you that you will have a 10% chance of spotting wild jaguars, which is a unique experience and one of the most important travel objectives for visitors to this area.

Exploring the Amazon Rainforest from the Tambopata Research Center

One of the main attractions of the Tambopata Research Center is a clay lick where lots of macaw parrots gather. These are specific exposed areas of the riverbank that contain clays rich in salts and toxin neutralizing medicines. The various macaws visit the clay lick to help themselves with compounds from the immature fruits and seeds that the birds eat in the jungle, as a style of purification for them. Another reason is to replenish salts that are lacking in their diet. The clay lick near the Tambopata Research Center is one of the largest and most important in the Amazon and offers a spectacular display of sound and color, definitely a destination you won’t want to miss.

Starting at the lodge, enjoy taking routes to 5 different habitats, including terra firme, bamboo, floodplain, palm and riverine rainforest. Each of these habitats has its own communities of animals and plants, from which you will learn a lot and be able to coexist with these ecosystems.

On the way to the Tambopata Research Center, you will stop for the night at the Refugio Amazonas Lodge, in the protected area of the Tambopata National Reserve. While here, enjoy a high jungle area with unique views of the Amazon. You will be able to contemplate the different shades of green of the treetops and even spot a great diversity of toucans and parrots flying over the rainforest.

2. Refugio Amazonas Lodge

Located in the middle of the wildlife-rich Tambopata National Reserve, near one of the largest macaw clay licks in the world, Refugio Amazonas Lodge is the perfect place to enjoy the surrounding nature and the animals that inhabit it.

Refugio Amazonas is a unique and special lodge located in the protected area of the Tambopata National Reserve, with a great diversity of wildlife. Enjoy an observation tower, excursions across lakes, hiking through the jungle, the fantastic parrot clay lick and small mammals.

Because the Refugio Amazonas is located in the protected area of the Tambopata National Reserve, the wildlife that can be seen from the lodge is extensive and incredible (although a little less diverse than that of the Tambopata Research Center). Enjoy going out into the rainforest with your guide to encounter many different species of monkeys, such as capuchins, howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, marmosets and tamarins.

Amazon Rainforest from Refugio Amazonas Lodge

In addition to the primates, you will be able to observe fascinating and colorful birds. The lodge even offers a high observation tower to view the rainforest, where you can see toucans, parrots and macaws flying over the Amazon, which is a unique landscape you won’t find anywhere else. You will also explore Lake Condenado on a small catamaran to see hoatzins, cormorants, attractive herons, caimans and horned screamers.

Refugio Amazonas is also fortunate to be located near some small clay licks where you can see parakeets and other parrots feeding on the salt-rich medicinal clay. There is also a clay lick to spot different mammals that take advantage of its benefits. In the a la carte program, you can also visit the large Chuncho clay lick, one of the largest macaw clay licks in the Amazon rainforest, a destination not to be missed. It is one of the best areas to see hundreds of brightly colored macaws converging on the great clay wall.

In addition to the amazing wildlife, visit inside the jungle, a working farm and an authentic chestnut plantation concession to see how people live in the jungle. Taste different exotic fruits and learn about different medicinal plants, a trip full of fun, experiences and learning.

For families with children, the lodge also offers one of the only children’s trails in the Amazon. Children learn about the Amazon in a way that brings them closer to nature while keeping them safe and having fun.

Refugio Amazonas also has a spa area to enjoy aromatherapy treatments and massages surrounded by the Amazon rainforest.

In the Refugio program, you can also choose from a list of additional activity options, such as Aero botanica, citizen science or night hikes.

3. The Amazon Village

New for ecolodges, the Amazon Villa in Puerto Maldonado offers a more luxurious stay in the Amazon rainforest. Enjoy your own private bungalow in the protected area of the Tambopata National Reserve.

Go out with your private rainforest guide to encounter many different animals and plants of the Amazon rainforest. Discover capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, tamarins, marmosets, toucans, parrots and hopefully some more rare animals.

The Amazon Villa was created to offer guests a combination of privacy, comfort, services and activities to enhance their Amazon rainforest experience. You will even be able to see colorful monkeys and birds from the comfort of your suite.

Enjoy your own private bungalow with a very comfortable premium bed, private bathroom, bathtub, dining area for private romantic dinners, WiFi for sharing photos or catching up on work, and a private guide to take you into the vastness of the Amazon and learn a little more about this area. Your experience begins with private transportation to the bungalow and does not end until the return trip to the airport for your departure flight.

Activities

Activities you can enjoy from the Amazon Village include a visit to the large Chuncho clay lick, where you can spot hundreds of brightly colored macaws at a time. In addition to this large clay lick, visit an observation tower to spot toucans and parrots, visit a mammal clay lick and see a working farm in the jungle. The farm visit is a great opportunity to learn about life in the jungle and also to taste delicious exotic fruits prepared locally by local people.

You will also be taken by catamaran on nearby Lake Condenado to encounter hoatzins, cormorants, alligator crocodiles and horned screamers. In addition to exploring the jungle in search of wildlife or simply relaxing in your private villa in the hammock, bathtub or spacious lounge, you can also choose other options, such as aero botany or citizen science.

Request a barbecue prepared on your private porch, enjoy a sunset cruise, or simply enjoy a relaxing and exclusive time in the observation tower, it will definitely be a relaxing experience where you can enjoy everything around you.