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avelling to Tambopata National Reserve offers a rare opportunity to discover a lively biodiversity of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects and trees. Record-setting numbers of animal species are concentrated within small areas, and the variety of plant life is greater than almost anywhere in the world. While there are many activities you can enjoy, here is a sampling:
Visit the Butterfly House near the airport and in only 15 minutes, you can get to the boarding wharf. Begin to experience the enchantment of the rainforest, as you take a 45-minute boat ride along the Madre de Dios River to arrive at Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción lodge (OR SIMILAR.) After ashort briefing, settle into your beautiful cabaña and enjoy your lunch in the dining room. Take a nap, followed by a refreshing tea time and get ready for the afternoon excursion. On your first day, we recommend a guided walk along th
e Trail system, into the natural area, where you will discover the Amazon Basin. This trail offers an excellent introduction to the jungle environment, winding past impressive trees such as the Shihuahuaco, and the strangely beautiful strangler fig, offering excellent opportunities for bird watching and observing exotic insects. We also recommend on the first night our Twilight River excursion — a guided afternoon boat ride on the Madre de Dios river. Witness the transformation from a diurnal to a nocturnal world: animals and birds of the daytime give way to species specially adapted to the night. As you enjoy their paradise, you will learn about their habits, while you search for nightjars, owls, capybaras and big caimans. Enjoy the dinner, served in the main dining room from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. After dinner, you may retire early to your own cabaña, or join us to talk about your experience in the rainforest, as you listen to the intriguing sounds of the jungle at night.
The next morning you may visit the Lake Sandoval excursion into the Tambopata National Reserve. Glide in a wooden canoe, across a beautiful, mirror-lik
e oxbow lake that is home to the endangered giant river otter, as well as red howler monkeys, red-bellied macaws, anacondas, side-neck turtles and black caimans. Return to the Inkaterra Hacienda Concepción for lunch. After lunch, consider visiting the remarkable Inkaterra Canopy Walkway and Anaconda Walk. Ascending the first tower, 29 meters above the forest ground, you begin your encounter with the treetop realm. For more than a quarter of a mile, you will literally walk through the rainforest canopy on a suspension bridge network linking eight observation platforms. During this hour-and-a-half expedition, be on the lookout for bright toucans, woodpeckers, trogons, monkeys and the three-toed sloth. If you wish, you may extend your excursion and appreciate the sunset from one of the towers. After your descent from the Canopy, experience the Anaconda Walk for about 30 minutes along the 200-meter wooden bridge over the Aguajales swamps. In this lush eco system, you may observe the various species of amphibians, birds, mammals, abundant flora, trees and there is a possibility to see snakes of this flooded marshland. The walk finishes by returning to the lodge. Once at the lodge, enjoy the daily nature presentation in the Eco Center. Enjoy another incredible dinner at the lodge.
Enjoy a full breakfast before departure. A 45-minute return trip by boat on the Madre de Dios River takes you to Puerto Maldonado, where you may visit the Butterfly House. Peru boasts the greatest variety of butterflies in the world, with 3,700 known species. Many of these can be seen at the Butterfly House, a showcase for the variety, beauty and adaptability of these fascinating insects. Transfer to the airport for your flight back to Lima.