Ecoinka: We are committed to the safety of our staff, guests & the communities where we travel. Please see our TRAVELER INFORMATION trip details.     Reviews

Refugio Amazonas

3D2N Refugio Amazonas

Refugio Amazonas lodge lies deep within the rainforest — a luxurious oasis in the wilderness. 

Located in a 200-hectare private reserve within the buffer zone of the Tambopata National Reserve, Refugio Amazonas is a secluded, 32-bedroom jungle lodge. The lodge is located about two hours from the Puerto Maldonado airport, in Southeastern Peru. Its wide variety of kid-friendly, adventure-focused, and science activities, Refugio Amazonas is great for nature-lovers and families.  As the headquarters of our Citizen Science program, Wired Amazon, you even can contribute to science or discover a new species on your trip!

Why you’ll love it here


Become a Scientific Explorer: Wired Amazon is our citizen science program. From discovering a new species to learning about Harpy Eagle behavior, guests at Refugio Amazonas can join the Wired Amazon team and participate in groundbreaking research that is advancing our knowledge of the rainforest. Each month (on average) a guest discovers a species new to science!  

  • See Macaws in the wild: We take a boat trip to the spectacular Chuncho Clay Lick, inside the Tambopata National Reserve, to see hundreds of Macaws descend on clear mornings. It's an unforgettable sight!
  • Canopy Tower: Our 30 meter (100 foot) Canopy Tower offers spectacular views of the vast expanses of rainforest around the lodge. There's more than just trees to see — you'll often be able to spot Toucans, Parrots, Macaws, and other treetop birds!
  • Jungle Farm: We visit a working rainforest farm to learn about agriculture and local life. You can try exotic tropical fruits, chocolate, medicinal plants, and little-known relatives of the tomato!
  • Oxbow Lake Visit: Paddle around Lake Condenado on a catamaran, spying beautiful wildlife like Hoatzins and Caimans.
  • Rooms at one with nature: Our naturally-built rooms have a wall open to the surrounding jungle. This gives you a safe way to enjoy this diverse ecosystem, even during downtime. Wild animals, including monkeys, are often visible from the lodge. Our dining room is a huge open building as well, with a second-floor loft for a stunning view of the rainforest canopy.
  • Children's Rainforest Trail: Your kids can explore the Amazon rainforest's only trail specially designed for children, along with our lodge playground!
  • Wellness Center: Relax with fantastic massages and aromatherapy at our on-site wellness center.
  • Aerobotany: Discover where classic field biology and 21st-century technology come together in the rainforest. Join our resident Aerobotanist to fly drones over the canopy and classify the photos, helping with scientific discovery!

Details

Days
3 Days
Nights
2 Nights
Price from
$758 USD Per Person

Itinerary

  • Arriving in Puerto Maldonado, capital of Madre de Dios, join the transfer of 1 hour by bus and 1 hour by boat to the lodge. Your first tasting of our Amazonian cuisine will be during the boat trip, while you leave the city behind and enjoy the incredible landscapes during the tour.
  • What to expect at Refugio Amazonas? – A charming refuge in the middle of a chestnut forest, with a bar, massage room, and dining room service. With the Tambopata National Reserve behind him. This eco-hostel is the headquarters of Wired Amazon, the first citizen science project to turn its guests into citizen scientists.
  • What is included in the Accommodation? – A 45 m2 room, with mosquito nets over the beds, a private bathroom, and a window open to the forest, which maximizes contact with nature.
  • What is included during your stay? – Three daily meals, teas, coffee, activities and guided excursions, welcome drink upon arrival at the hostel, transfers to and from the airport. Guides are assigned in a ratio of 10: 1
  • A half-hour walk from the hostel takes us to the 35-meter-high canopy tower, a staircase with railings will provide us with safe access to the top of the tower, from which we can contemplate the impressive forest of the National Reserve of Tambopata. From the top, it is also possible to see different species of birds such as toucans, macaws, raptors among other species.
  • You will have the option of taking a night walk through the jungle when most of the mammals are active but difficult to see. Easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as strange as their natural stories.

  • You can navigate around Lake Condenado, looking for wildlife such as the hoatzin or Shansho, who is said to be a pre-historic bird! Alligators, Martin fishermen among other species, if we are lucky we will be able to observe a family of otters that inhabit its waters and are difficult to see. You will be able to discover the difference between the eco-system of a lake and a river and who knows, maybe you will be rewarded with macaws flying over the treetops.
  • Do you know Brazilian Nuts? That dried fruit? Today you will know its origin, we will visit a Brazil Nut camp very close to the hostel, you will be able to see the immense chestnut trees where they come from and how the local people harvest them once a year between the months of the rainy season. The chestnut is one of the main sources of income for the local population of Puerto Maldonado, making it one of the sustainable activities with the greatest impact.
  • A visit to the organic farm of our dear neighbor Don Manuel, located just five minutes by river from the hostel, will show you the various crops typical of the area and you will be surprised with fruits that you did not know!

  • Our expedition came to an end. It’s time to say goodbye and say goodbye! We will return to the airport for your domestic flight.
  • Thank you for your visit. This contributes directly to the Wired Amazon Project and its efforts to conserve and learn about the biodiversity of the Tambopata National Reserve.

Prices by room:

Room Category3Days/2Nights
Superior Single$ 758
Superior Double$ 1,094
Comfort Single$ 796
Comfort Double$ 1,206
Amazon Suite Single$ 986
Amazon Suite Double$ 1, 398

Single: 1 guest – Double: 2 guest

Children: 20% discount for children under 12 years old sharing triple or quadruple accommodation with parents. Not valid for single or double rooms.

The Journey

Refugio Amazonas requires at least two hours of travel time. To begin your rainforest tour, you take a quick plane trip from Lima or Cuzco to the Amazonian city of Puerto Maldonado, in Southeastern Peru. After we meet you at the airport, we'll take you on a one-hour road trip, followed by a tranquil 1-hour boating on the Tambopata River, to arrive at our jungle oasis.

By Air

The first step in your trip to Tambopata includes a plane trip from Lima or Cuzco. Flights from Lima depart from the national terminal of the Jorge Chávez airport. The trip takes about three hours. Most flights stop in Cuzco before continuing to Puerto Maldonado. The flights from Cusco depart from the national terminal of the Velasco Astete airport. The trip takes about 45 minutes.

By Land

Upon arrival in Puerto Maldonado, you will be greeted by our guides, and taken to a waiting vehicle. We will make a brief trip to our operations office in Puerto Maldonado where we will ask you to keep the luggage you do not need. The luggage is transported by hand in several stages of the long-distance trip, so we ask that you please limit your weight to 15 kilos (32 pounds per piece). You can pack bags separately and leave them safely in our offices in Puerto Maldonado the first day so that we do not load them unnecessarily. Your luggage will be waiting for you at the airport the day you leave. After taking care of your luggage, we take a 1-hour bus trip to the Filadelfia River Port.

By River

In Filadelfia, we board long, stout canoes equipped with outboard motors and downstream to Refugio Amazonas. The 1-hour boat journey is pleasant, and often includes our first sightings of macaws, herons, caimans and capybaras. Once the boat reaches the dock of the lodge, you'll have officially arrived in the wild jungles of Tambopata!

Once You Arrive

The access to our lodges involves going up a staircase with about 70 to 90 steps. The number of steps will vary depending on the season, rainy or dry, due to the fluctuation of the river. These steps are considered a medium level of effort. It usually takes about a fifteen-minute-walk to get to the lodge.

Rainforest Expeditions Departures from Airport (Puerto Maldonado to Lodge)*:
Two daily departures at 1:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Rainforest Expeditions Returns to Airport (Lodge to Puerto Maldonado)*:
Two daily departures at 7:00 AM and 8:00 AM

**Do not take LATAM 2081 or LATAM 2077 as they do not match with our transfers to the lodge. We do not recommend arriving or departing to / from Puerto Maldonado by bus, as the highway is unsafe **

Refugio Amazonas Map Journey

 

Includes all meals, accommodations, and Lodge services, all river transportation, and transfer from and to the airport of Puerto Maldonado.

Entrance to the Tambopata National Reserve: US$13.00. International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls or messages, reconfirmation of flights and items of personal nature.
 

×