Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick 2 Days

This day we’ll begin our adventure at 9:30 a.m., departing from the city of Puerto Maldonado. First, we’ll travel by car for about 2 hours. The first part of the road is paved, followed by a dirt road until we reach the Tambopata River.

At the river, a boat will be waiting to take us 20 minutes upstream. During this boat ride, it’s very likely that we’ll spot animals such as capybaras (the world’s largest rodents) and many birds that live near the water. After this beautiful journey, we’ll arrive at the lodge called Colpas Tambopata Inn, where we’ll be welcomed with a refreshing drink.

In the afternoon, after enjoying a delicious lunch, we’ll go for a walk through the forest. We’ll start in a secondary forest, which is a forest that has regrown after being cleared in the past. Then we’ll enter a primary forest, an ancient ecosystem with massive trees, plenty of vines, and climbing plants. During the walk, we’ll learn about the local economic activities such as farming and the gathering of jungle fruits.

With a bit of luck, we might spot capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys moving through the trees. At the end of the walk, we’ll climb a very tall structure called the Canopy Tower, the tallest in Tambopata. From the top, you can see the entire jungle, and if the sky is clear, you’ll witness a stunning sunset over the Amazon basin.

Once night falls, we’ll return to the lodge and head out again by boat for an exciting activity: searching for caimans. We’ll use a strong flashlight to illuminate the riverbanks of the Tambopata River, looking for white and black caimans. We may also see more capybaras, and if we’re really lucky, we could even spot elusive animals like an ocelot or a jaguar.

After this night adventure, we’ll return to the lodge, have dinner, and rest to continue our journey the next day.

Meals included: Lunch and dinner.

Our day begins very early, around 5:00 a.m., to make the most of the early hours when animals are most active. After a quick coffee or tea, we’ll board our motorized boat and travel for an hour and a half up the Tambopata River towards the Macaw Clay Lick, one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the Amazon.

During the boat ride, we’ll keep our eyes peeled, as we’ll have a high chance of spotting shorebirds, capybaras (the world’s largest rodents), white caimans resting on the banks, and, with a bit of luck, some other typical jungle animals.

Upon reaching the Macaw Clay Lick, we’ll take a position at a special lookout, where we can watch hundreds of macaws and parrots arriving at the clay wall to feed on the essential minerals for digestion. It will be a true display of colors and sounds, with green, red, blue, and yellow macaws, as well as parrots of various species. We’ll have the opportunity to photograph and film this natural phenomenon from 6:30 a.m. to around 11:00 a.m.

Before returning, we’ll make a brief stop at the government control post, where we can visit a small museum offering information on the biodiversity and conservation of the Tambopata National Reserve.

Back at the lodge, we can relax and rest, or if we prefer, enjoy the new swimming pool to refresh ourselves after the morning hike.

After lunch, we’ll board the boat again to return to Puerto Maldonado. The return trip includes 15 minutes downstream by boat and then a two-hour minibus ride, completing an unforgettable experience in the Amazon jungle of Peru.

Meals included: Breakfast | Lunch