The lowland rain forests of Tambopata lie far enough south of the Equator to provide a cooler, drier winter season between May and October, which also happens to be the major season for international travel. The general weather conditions are warm and humid. In Tambopata the average daytime high temperature is between 82° and 93° F (25° and 31°C) and the average nighttime low is between 62° and 73° F (16° and 22°C).

Between May and September, cold fronts from Argentina can sweep into southwestern Amazonia and push daytime highs down to 50° F (9° C) and the nighttime lows to 43° F (5° C). Thus, during that season always be potentially prepared for cold and drizzle.

During the rainy months of November through April, always be prepared for heavy rain that can continue for hours or days. Around 80% of the annual average 2000 mm rainfall occurs during this season.

We recommend that each visitor limit gear to good binoculars; camera gear; tight-weave, light weight, light colored, long pants; long sleeved, tight-weave, light colored shirts; undergarments, absorbent socks; ankle-high hiking boots; sneakers; a powerful flashlight with batteries; a small toilet kit; a water bottle; sunblock lotion; sunglasses; a secure, broad-brimmed hat; 100% waterproof, head-to-ankle rain suit; insect repellent; yellow fever inoculation certificate; small denomination bills and a small daypack.

Yellow fever inoculation is required for travel to Tambopata. It is necessary that you bring your yellow fever inoculation certificate to prove to the airport officials in Puerto Maldonado that you are vaccinated.

Leishmaniasis is present throughout the rain forests of southeastern Peru. It is a skin lesion caused by a protozoan transmitted by a certain kind of small biting fly. There is no vaccination against it but it is curable in every case. The selected cure, injections of pentavalent antimony (Glucantime), is uncomfortable. Leishmaniasis is also very easy to prevent by wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, and repellent on exposed skin at all times, and sleeping under mosquito nets. If you are interested in receiving complete information on leishmaniasis contact us before your trip.

For precautions against malaria consult your physician or a specialist in tropical medicine. It is vital that persons with medical problems or special diet requirements make them known to us well before departure.

Posada Amazonas and Tambopata Research Center are in daily radio contact with our offices in Puerto Maldonado and Lima. We have HF radios at these four stations. From Lima and Puerto Maldonado we are able to communicate by fax or phone with the rest of the world. In some cases, cellular phones will have a signal when we're standing on top of the canopy tower at Posada Amazonas.

We provide all meals during the trip. Meals consist of soup or appetizers, salad, main course, dessert, and coffee or tea. All fresh fruits and salads are thoroughly disinfected before serving. We also provide at all times unlimited amounts of boiled, cooled drinking water. If any visitor has special dietary requirements, we are happy to make individual arrangements, but please notify us early. Upon request we will furnish a complete description of our menus.

Posada Amazonas is located on the banks of the Tambopata River in the grounds of the Ese'eja Native Community, adjacent to the Tambopata National Reserve. Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese'eja Native Community of Tambopata own it jointly. Posada Amazonas is built using a combination of traditional native materials (wood, palm fronds, wild cane and clay) and architecture and modern day eco-lodge technology. The lodge itself consists of a complex of four sections: rooms, dining area and kitchen, relaxation area and internal support facilities. The entire roof of the lodge is constructed using high quality crisneja palm fronds, whereas the floors are of tropical mahogany.

The room's complex is built of four 9 X 24 meter structures with six rooms per facility, for a total of 24 double bedrooms. The rooms are 7 x 4 meters so they can comfortably hold three beds, although they are set up for two. The walls dividing each room are built using cane and clay, and extend from the floor to about 2.5 meters height making each room private. The combination of clay and cane achieves two important objectives: regulating heat and providing a charming final appearance. However, sounds can be heard from room to room. The side that looks out to the forest does not have a wall or screening of any kind, acting as a large window facing the forest.

The reason we have been able to incorporate this "luxurious" design into our lodge is because mosquitoes are not really a problem around the lodge clearing and the open section allows for an intimate contact with the rain forest. A second small window on the opposite side, set up very high, keeps the rooms well ventilated. Beds are sized for Americans or Europeans (1.05m X 2.05m) with mosquito nets. Each room has a private bathroom with cold water only. Rooms and bathrooms are separated by drapes. The dining room and lounge is spacious and offers ample area for resting and socializing.

Tambopata Research Center is located in a half hectare clearing 50 meters from the Tambopata River and 300 meters from the macaw clay lick. It is composed of four interconnected, thatch-roofed buildings designed after traditional low-impact native architecture. All buildings and interconnecting passageways are raised on four-foot stilts built from palm trunks.

The main building is a 33 foot by 100 foot platform divided into 12 double rooms. Each bedroom is furnished with two beds draped in mosquito nets, a chair, a night table with a kerosene wind lamp, and a table for luggage and clothing. Each room does not have a wall on the side that looks into the forest: it is also designed to have an optional, permanent, unobstacled view of the forest surrounding the clearing in order to maximize wildlife observation time.

To the left of the main building a 20 foot-long, roofed passageway connects to the bathrooms containing flush toilets and shower stalls. To the right of the main building a 15 foot-long, roofed passageway connects to the dining room and meeting room which in turn is connected to the kitchen.

Neither Posada Amazonas nor Tambopata Research Center have electricity. Light is provided by numerous kerosene lamps and candles. A generator is turned on once a day to recharge batteries for tourists or lodge facilities. At night it is very dark, so we recommend good flashlights.

Our boats are 20 foot canoes with foldable couched seats and a roof. They are powered by 55 to 125 hp outboard motors which allow for a travel time of two hours from Puerto Maldonado to Posada Amazonas and four to five hours from Posada Amazonas to TRC. Passengers are protected by the sun and rain by the roof but we suggest keeping your rain gear and sunblock handy in case the sun's rays or raindrops come in slanted. There are life vests in every seat.

In case of emergencies we have a first aid kit that is equipped to deal with most cases that may reasonably arise in the area. For snake bites, an unheard of at Tambopata so far, we have a stun gun, extractors and an anti-venom at the lodges. In case of evacuation, we are three and a half hours from Puerto Maldonado and medical attention, in case we're at TRC.

In case of a true emergency, friends or family should contact you through our office in Lima from Monday to Friday:

Telephones: (511) 4218347, (511) 2214182.
Fax: (511) 4218183
Mobile phone, Operations Manager, Mario Napravnik: (511) 8165491
Mobile phone, Account Manager, Milagros Saux: (511) 8165467
Mobile phone, Account Manager, Maria Esther Stagnaro: (511) 8165468

In Puerto Maldonado : Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays
Phone/Fax (5184) 571056
Mobile Phone (5184) 688033
Address :Jr Arequipa 401 Puerto Maldonado
When dialing from Puerto Maldonado omit 5184.

Tambopata is one of the worldīs most diverse wildernesses. It is also one of the best preserved. However, the vast majority of the rain forest's diversity is in the form of insects. The world record diversities of birds and mammals are mostly in the form of small, unspectacular species. Large spectacular species are rare, shy, unpredictable and very difficult to see, with few notable exceptions. So donīt come expecting the wildlife densities of the African savannahs or the Antarctic peninsula. We aren't in Jurassic Park or Disneyland, either.

Nevertheless, Tambopata is diverse and it is well preserved and exciting encounters do occur on a regular basis. At Tambopata Research Center, you will have some of the Amazon's best chances of seeing jaguar, tapir, giant river otters, harpy eagles, macaws, etc. However, the Amazon's best chances for some of these species are very slim, but they do occur. From January to July of 1999, for example, we have seen 11 jaguars, perhaps the most difficult to see specie.

Another important thing to keep in mind is that when you do encounter wildlife, you will not have the clear, ample field of view of the African savannahs or Antarctica, nor the reposed exhibits of a zoo. In all likelihood you will see the wildlife through branches, leaves, vine tangles and dense vegetation, scampering, stampeding, flying or leaping away from you, at heights of up to 40 meters for less than a minute. But wonderful encounters do happen. Of the 11 jaguar encounters mentioned above, one was of a jaguar eating a dead tapir, at 20 yards seen for 15 minutes by 8 people. Another one was of a jaguar sleeping on the beach in front of the TRC. Our driver did three return trips to show everyone at the lodge, including staff, the sleeping jaguar. It was even filmed by a crew from the BBC! The next day, it was there again. So, do not expect wildlife to be encountered as it is found in North American parks.

Come relaxed, with your eyes open and lots of curiosity. You will be in a place where every horizontal and vertical meter of forest probably has hundreds of species of organisms, different from one meter to the next. Just that thought should keep your sense of wonder alive throughout the trip. Then, all of a sudden, you will see that jaguar.

The first column of the following table summarizes encounter probabilities for Tambopata's most spectacular wildlife species based on over 600 Tambopata Research Center guests who were surveyed in 1998 and 1999. Results for 2000 have not yet been processed, so we have no hard data for encounter rates at Posada Amazonas. The second column specifies Tambopata Research Center's wildlife encounter probabilities relative to five other lodges in the region based on a two year study conducted from 1997 to 1998. The number of times each species was encountered by the group of scientists was tallied and then compared to each of the other lodges'. The number in the column indicates TRC's position relative to the other five. This data was taken from Chirs Kirby's preliminary unpublished report of the TREES-RAMOS project.