23rd to 26th May 2026
TAMBOPATA AMAZON ADVENTURE
Embark on a four-day adventure into the heart of the Amazon, beginning with a scenic flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado and a riverboat ride to Refugio Amazonas, an eco-hostel nestled in the Tambopata National Reserve. Headquarters of the Wired Amazon Project, the Refuge blends comfort with purpose, offering an immersive experience with cozy forest-view accommodation, guided excursions, and Amazonian cuisine. By joining this adventure, you support vital conservation efforts in the Reserve, while connecting deeply to the rainforest’s wonders.
A Tambopata Amazon Expedition is a guided ecotourism trip into Peru’s Tambopata National Reserve in the Amazon rainforest, offering experiences like wildlife viewing, learning about medicinal plants, and guided night walks to see nocturnal animals. We will be staying at a dedicated eco-lodge, the Tambopata Research Center, contributing to rainforest conservation efforts.
What to Expect:
Wildlife Viewing: Expeditions focus on spotting diverse species, including giant river otters at Tres Chimbadas Oxbow Lake, various frogs during night walks, and many other creatures.
Guided Activities:
You’ll have expert guides for jungle hikes and lectures from scientists about ongoing conservation projects, like those run by the Wired Amazon Program.
Ecotourism & Conservation:
The core concept is responsible ecotourism, where stays at lodges support the preservation of the rainforest and its wildlife.
Educational Elements:
You can learn about the uses of medicinal plants at places like the Centro Ñape and attend lectures to gain deeper insights into the Amazonian ecosystem.
Cost
USD 2,650 per person sharing
Single supplement = Add USD 300
BOOK NOW TO SECURE YOUR PLACE! Pay a non-refundable deposit of USD 1,000 to ADI to secure your booking, with the balance payable 6 weeks before departure.
Kusudi La has teamed up with adventure operator, Adventure Dynamics International (ADI), and leading mountaineer, Sean Disney, to bring together people who are adventurous and purposeful about their desire to experience and engage with the world.
Adventure Dynamics International (ADI) and Sean Disney have been organising and guiding adventures for over 25 years. This package is a popular add-on to the Inca Trail (led by Sean Disney) or can be booked separately with ADI.
PACKAGE includes:
- All airport transfers in Cusco and Porto Maldonado.
- All transportation (bus, boat, transfers).
- Accommodation (3 nights sharing – unless paying single supplement).
- All meals, including water, tea, and coffee.
- English-speaking guides.
- Loaned rubber boots for treks.
PACKAGE excludes:
- Flights, visas, travel/cancellation insurance.*
- Hospitalisation, evacuation, and medical costs.*
- Hotel in Cusco after the Inca Adventure, if required, due to flight availability.
- Drinks and alcohol.
- Items of a personal nature, including laundry and wifi.
- Cell phone connection – not available.
- Adventure activities outside the itinerary (e.g., zip lines, kayaking, tree climbing).
- Tips (approx. USD 100 per person).
- Any other costs outside the itinerary (e.g., additional hotel stays, transfers, etc.)
Itinerary
23 May (Day 1):
Welcome to Tambopata!
We arrive by air and start our adventure by boat – We will fly from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios, and travel for one hour by bus and one hour by boat to the Refugio where we will spend the next 3 days. Your first taste of Amazonian cuisine will be on the boat, as you leave the city behind and voyage into the beautiful landscapes.
What to expect at Refugio Amazonas? – A charming refuge nestled in a chestnut forest in the Tambopata National Reserve. This eco-hostel is the headquarters of Wired Amazon, the first citizen science project to turn its guests into citizen scientists. It also offers a bar, massage room, and dining room service for the enjoyment and comfort of its visiting scientists.
What is included in the accommodation? – A 45 square metre room, with mosquito nets over the beds, a private bathroom, and a window open to the forest, maximising contact with nature. Rooms are sharing unless you choose to pay the single supplement. Suites are available for families.
What is included during your stay? – Welcome drink upon arrival. Three daily meals, tea, coffee, water, guided excursions within the itinerary, and various optional activities. Guides are assigned on a ratio of 10:1.
A half-hour walk from the Refugio takes us to a 35 metre canopy tower – a staircase with railings that provides safe access to the top of the tower and stunning views of the impressive forest of the Tambopata National Reserve. From the top of the tower, it is also possible to see different species of birds such as toucans, macaws, and raptors.
24 May (Day 2):
Let’s visit a Macaw Clay Lick
On clear mornings most of the year, dozens of large macaws and hundreds of parrots congregate on the riverbank in a raucous and colourful spectacle, the inspiration for a National Geographic cover story in April 2022. These are the famous “Macaw Clay Licks”. Discretely hidden 50 metres from the cliff, we will observe Green-winged, Scarlet, and Blue-and-gold Macaws, and several species of smaller parrots that descend to ingest clay. Outings are at dawn when the lick is most active.
You can also take a trip around Lake Condenado to look for wildlife such as the hoatzin, a unique South American bird, commonly known as Shanso, which is said to be pre-historic. Alligators and the Martin fisherman bird are among other species we may see. If we are very lucky, we may even see a family of otters that inhabits these waters. You will also discover the difference between the ecosystem of a lake and a river, and may even be rewarded with macaws flying over the treetops!
You will also have the opportunity for 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.
25 May (Day 3):
Explore the Brazil Nuts Forest
Do you know Brazilian Nuts? That dried fruit? Today you will learn their origin as we will visit a Brazil Nut camp very close to the Refugio. You will see the immense chestnut trees, learn where they come from and how the local people harvest them once a year after the rainy season (typically from December to March). The chestnut is one of the main sources of income for the local population of Puerto Maldonado, making it one of the most sustainable activities and one with one of the greatest impacts.
Do you want to know what else nature provides us? In this activity, you will meet some of the scientists working at the Wired Amazon Project. We will take a walk along the medicinal plants trail to learn about the great variety of plants and trees that the local population has used for generations to heal body and soul. Perhaps you have heard of some of them: Sacha ajos (the garlic vine), Uña De Gato (the Cat’s claw), Charcot-Sacha, Para-Para, and Ayahuasca are just some examples.
Researchers from the Wired Amazon Project will give us a Night Lecture about the opportunities and challenges of the project.
26 May (Day 4):
Time to Say Goodbye
Our expedition comes to an end, and it’s time to say goodbye. We will return to the Puerto Maldonado airport and connect to our onward flights (see details below).
Your stay will have contributed directly to the Wired Amazon Project and its efforts to conserve and learn about the biodiversity of the Tambopata National Reserve.
NB: Itinerary subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances.
Get involved
We are a registered non-profit social enterprise that uses adventure to raise funds for the care and well-being of all living creatures. We are a fundraising organisation and identify specific beneficiaries and projects each year that align with our purpose.
General enquiries:
ask@kusudi-la.com
Hiking Club:
hikingclub@kusudi-la.com
Kilimanjaro & Morocco:
stephanie@kusudi-la.com
Call us: +27 82 388 3432