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Contact:
Martin Schmidt
Marketing and Sales
Rainforest Expeditions
Av. Aramburu 166, 2b
Miraflores, Lima 18, Perú
Tel: +511/421-8347
Fax: +511/421-8183
mschmidt@rainforest.com.pe
www.perunature.com
Recommended by:
Conservation International, Peru
www.conservation.org.pe
www.conservation.org/xp/CIWEB/
regions/neotropics/andes.xml
n.pardo@conservation.org
Type of accommodation:
Bed & breakfast, lodge, inn
Research station
Features:
Private bathroom
Laundry facilities
Restaurant
Number of rooms: 30 in Posada Amazonas and 24 in the Refugio Amazonas.
Year founded: Posada Amazonas in 1998 and Refugio Amazonas in 2005.
Number of employees: 35 work in the Posada Amazonas and 12 in the Refugio Amazonas; in addition, we employ 35-40 guides between the lodges
Percent of employees who are local residents: 94% (33) in the Posada Amazonas and 92% (11) in Refugio Amazonas. Around 40% (15) of the guides are local.
Type of destination:
Forest/rainforest
Indigenous community
Farm, ranch (rural)
River, lake, wetland
Able to accommodate:
Families
Gay/lesbian
Singles
Singles with children
Seniors
Description of the area:
The Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja Sonene National Park are in Madre de Dios department in southeastern Peru, which has an area of 53,000 miles (85,000 km). This area is one of the most biodiverse regions of the world, housing healthy populations of animal species that have large ranges, such as jaguars, river otters, tapirs, macaws and harpy eagles. The reserve and the park protect habitats including snow-capped peaks in the Andes, pristine cloud forests, and lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin. Tambopata National Reserve, Bahuaja Sonene National Park and their buffer zones protect more than 3.7 million acres (1.5 million hectares) of tropical forest.
Tambopata National Reserve has 680,000 acres (275,000 hectares) and its objective is to protect the wildlife and beautiful landscapes within the reserve area, and to ensure sustainable natural resource use. The world-famous macaw clay lick [a red clay area by the river where many macaws congregate] and the Tambopata Research Center ecotourism concession are found in its territory. The Reserve protects more than 1,300 bird species including 32 species of parrots (10% of the world’s parrots), 200 species of mammals, 90 species of amphibians and 10,000 species of vascular plants.
Bahuaja-Sonene National Park has an area of 2.5 million acres (1,091,000 hectares) and houses intact populations of several species of animals that are endangered or extinct in other regions of the Amazon. Diversity is high among birds and insects such as butterflies, dragonflies, and arboreal ants. It contains the largest clay lick for macaws and parrots on the planet and the largest Brazil nut forests of Peru. Part of the park adjoins Madidi National Park in Bolivia.
The Posada Amazonas and Refugio Amazonas are near the reserve and the Tambopata National Reserve, in the indigenous area of Infierno, a territory of 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) where 130 families of the Ese-eja ethnic group live. Their communities traditionally live along river banks as colonizers that make their living from subsistence farming, hunting, and fishing, and on a smaller scale, from logging and Brazil nut extraction.
The Posada Amazonas is administered jointly with the Infierno area and it is located within a communal reserve of 4,900 acres (2,000 hectares) where the direct use of resources is prohibited. The Posada Amazonas provides an excellent opportunity for cultural interaction. It is ideal for two-night stays, because its proximity to the city of Puerto Maldonado allows an afternoon activity before reaching the inn. There is a clay lick for parrots and macaws nearby, an observation tower and a lake with a group of otters that are spotted by 60% of our visitors.
Refugio Amazonas is an ideal lodge for families with children and teenagers, because it has activities designed especially for these groups. It is also interesting to those who enjoy soft adventure travel because fishing, kayaking, camping, canopy climbing and other activities are also available. A stay of at least 3 nights is recommended.
Available activities:
Adventure, sports
Biking
Bird watching
Canopy exploration
Eco/nature/wildlife
Educational, research, volunteering
Fishing
Tours
Walking/hiking
Visits to conservation projects
How to get there:
The boat ride from Puerto Maldonado takes one and one-half hours to the Posada Amazonas and three hours to the Refugio Amazonas .
Making a difference:
Rainforest Expeditions administers four initiatives: Posada Amazonas, the Tambopata Research Center and the Refugio Amazonas in the Amazon in southeastern Peru, and Konchukos Tambo in the Peruvian Central Andes near the highest tropical mountains of the world.
The Posada Amazonas trains and hires people from the indigenous territory of Infierno. The economic benefits stemming from tourism have motivated the community to invest in development infrastructure (high school, potable water), training (accountants, leaders), conservation (resource guards, concessions), and institutionalization. Most (96%) of the population of Infierno thinks that the project is beneficial for the community.
Refugio Amazonas is part of the sustainable development of adjacent localities, integrating the greatest number possible of Brazil nut harvesters and farmers.
General rates:
$$$$ (100-150) -- Approximate rates per night with lodging, food, transport, activities, and guides.
Click here for more information about Rainforest Expeditions’ rates.
Photo captions:
The first four images are of the Posada Amazonas. The second three are of the Refugio Amazonas.
Date this information was provided: May, 2007.
