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Admiring the size of the tree in the Amazon

Amazon Explorer

Example 6 Day Tour
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Heath River Wildlife Center is the gateway to the largest uninhabited rainforest in the Amazon. Visit a macaw clay lick, admire the giant otters playing in nearby oxbow lakes, and explore dozens of trails in search of spider, squirrel and capuchin monkeys, capybaras, tapir, and even the elusive jaguar. The Heath River Wildlife Center, located in the Tambopata wilderness, shares a portion of its profits with the Ese Eja indigenous communities. Guides share their knowledge of the medicinal uses of rainforest plants and their adept wildlife spotting abilities, while community hosts teach visitors about unique tribal traditions and handicrafts, creating the perfect mix of natural and cultural experiences. Enjoy Amazon travel!
The hoatzin birdTogether on the riverAs loud as they are beautifulKeep your binocs handy...you never know what youll see!Ivan and Lee at the top of the canopy tower at Refugio.Little pink slippers.  Must be a female.Just hangin aroundThis is roughing it?  I dont think so!  The lodge at Refugio Amazonas is increddible.The Tambopata RiverAdmiring the size of the tree in the Amazon
Highlights
  • Search for hundreds of bird and mammal species
  • Visit the most photogenic macaw clay lick in the Amazon
  • Hike through the rainforest to the grassland plains of Pampas del Heath
  • Take a night walk in search of caimans and nocturnal wildlife
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Arrive Lima

Overnight.

Day 2: Fly Puerto Maldonado | Heath River Wildlife Center

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
A morning flight takes you to the jungle town of Puerto Maldonado where you meet your guide and transfer to the boat dock on the Tambopata River. There, guests will board motorized canoes and head down the Madre de Dios River for approximately five hours. Admire the stunning virgin rainforest along the way to the Heath River, which forms the wilderness border between Peru and Bolivia. Along the way, you may see native children splashing along the banks, hawks, orinoco, cliffs of red earth, thick banks of Cercopia trees, and perhaps even a family of Capybaras.

Arrive at the Heath River Wildlife Center where guests enjoy spacious double-occupancy bungalows with electric fans, private bathrooms, and hot showers. You will be welcomed to your accommodation just in time for dinner.

*Note that the lodge is located on the Bolivian side of the Heath River so passports are required to clear Bolivian passport control.

Day 3: Explore the Wild Amazon

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Rise early for a visit to the most photogenic macaw clay lick in the Amazon. Brightly-colored parrots and macaws arrive by the hundreds to feast on the clay! These colorgul birds gather to eat the clay in order to neutralize certain toxins in the daily diet (poisonous berries, for example). The extraordinary and noisy show can go on for two to three hours and can include varieties of parrots, parakeets, Chestnut Fronted Macaws, and Red & Green Macaws. Enjoy breakfast on your specially-designed floating blind while admiring these creatures.

When you return to the lodge, your guide leads you on a cultural trek through the forest, pointing out which plants are used for medicinal or healing purposes, which ones can be made into the best bows and arrows, and how to select trees and leaves for home construction.

After lunch and a short rest, hike through the rainforest to the Pampas of Heath, the largest remaining undisturbed savanna in the Amazon. This grassland plain is home to such endemic species as the maned wolf and marsh deer. The contrast is striking as you emerge from the mature rainforest onto the grassland plains of the Pampas. We aim to arrive around sunset when the parrots are returning from their daily search for food to gather in this place. There is an elevated platform allowing great views of this vast expanse of grasslands and shrubs.

Return to the lodge at night with the help of headlamps and flashlights, hearing the ever-changing sounds of the jungle along the way.  Frogs, insects, monkeys, and nocturnal creatures could be encountered. After dinner, you can choose to visit the mammal lick in hopes of seeing the Lowland Tapir.

Day 4: Heath River Wildlife Center

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Choose from a wide range of activities available in your diverse, tropical environment. Many people return to the macaw lick for a second look at these magnificent birds or spend more time on the trails. 

Later in the day, take a canoe tour around the Cocha Guacamayo, an oxbow lake that a family of giant otters calls home. The lake is located inside the Bahuaja Sonene National Park just a short distance by boat from your lodge. Return after dusk looking for caimans during the ride. This region is home to the Black Caiman, which is endangered and distinguishable along the river's edge by glowing orange eyes.  

Share the day's excitement with other guests over dinner back at the lodge.

Day 5: Sandoval Lake

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
We leave at dawn for the return journey downstream. The mornings are the peak of wildlife activity, so keep a sharp eye on the banks of the river where we may see families of Capybaras and maybe be rewarded with a rare glimpse of Jaguar or Tapir swimming through the stream.

We arrive at Port Sandoval where we will walk to Sandoval Lake, which is protected by Tambopata National Reserve. Along the trail there are birds and butterflies; and after 3km (2 mi) the trail leads to a narrow canal lined boats. This flooded forest leads to the open waters of Sandoval Lake. In the golden light of afternoon our crew will row the boats across to the lodge (motors are banned here). We can see the appearance of turbid lake while a huge Paichebreaks the surface - an Amazonian fish that can weigh up to 100Kg (220 lbs.). Or you may hear strange and unsettling screams and see heads peering from the surface of the lake, which will mark our encounter with Pteronura brasiliensis, the Giant Otter of the Amazon. After dinner we can finish the day with a short night walk, spotting some nocturnal creatures along one of the trails near the lodge.

Day 6: Fly Lima | Return Home

  • 1 Breakfast
Enjoy an early breakfast before returning to Puerto Maldonado for the flight back to Lima and connecting flights home.

Accommodations

Heath River Wildlife Center

Double Accomodations
Lodge Restaurant
Heath River Wildlife Center

Wyndham Costa Del Sol Lima Airport

Costa del Sol, Lima Airport
Costa del Sol, Lima Airport
Costa del Sol, Lima Airport

Sandoval Lake Lodge

Double Accomodations
Lodge Restaurant
Canopy Bed

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$2,368

Notes

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Included
  • 5 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 4 Dinners
  • 5 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Rubber boots are provided by your Amazon lodge. There are size limits for the following lodges in the Amazon.
    Hacienda Concepcion: Sizes 32-45
    Reserva Amazonica: Sizes 32-46
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Internal Flights: Lima - Cusco - Lima
  • Internal Flights: Lima-Puerto Maldonado-Lima

Map

When to Go

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Good to ideal period to travel, and many people choose to visit at this time.
Chance for unpredictable weather but with fewer visitors.

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The trip might have been the absolute best of our lifetime (thus far). We particularly want to commend our guide Peter in the Guilin area-he was so incredibly attentive, energetic, enthusiastic-and absolutely dedicated to ensuring that our meals were 100% vegetarian.
Jack Charney

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