PERUVIAN RAINFOREST Tambopata Candamo Air Inclusive "Macaw Plus Explorer" program Air Inclusive "Peru Explorer" program

TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER
Soft Adventure

Site Inspection & report by by Michele Shelburne, President, LADATCO TOURS

GETTING THERE: Beginning with the 1999 programming, Tambopata Research Center will be treated as an extension to Posada Amazonas - indeed, it is another four hours by motorized canoe on the Tambopata River from the Posada Amazonas, or a total of six hours from the port of Puerto Maldonado.

ABOUT THE TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER: The Tambopata Research Center was built in the early 1990's and is not only a lodge for visiting eco-tourists but also a facility for visiting scientists and researchers. It is located just 50 meters (150 feet) from the Tambopata River, by easy access via a rather steep initial ascent by stairs and then an easy trail to the lodge.

There are four inter-connected buildings: one long building with 14 rooms and a table-sitting area with small library; to the right is a covered walkway to another building with spacious dining room area; to the left another covered walkway leads to the well designed complex of showers and toilets and to the research facility. The entire complex is topped with thatched roof and built of palm trunks or hardwoods. It sits in a half-hectare clearing, and remarkably has little problem with mosquitoes or pesky insects. Rooms are adequate in size, with the back wall open to the jungle; beds have the traditional and necessary mosquito netting and bedside tables. The surprise was that there is even a wall safe with lock and key and beside amenities - little foil pouches of hand lotion and shampoo!

Packages are available any day from the Posada Amazonas - absolute minimum is two nights; better three or four nights - the longer the stay, the better increase in percentage chance for a really good Macaw Lick day, and more opportunities to visit the lick other than from the beach across the river from the lick.

WHAT TO DO & SEE:

The Macaw Lick is one of the highlights - and one of the four top commercially available licks. It's 50 meters (150 feet) tall, 500 meters (1500 feet) long along the west bank of the river - the early morning sun hits it, turning it a golden-orange. On most clear mornings hundreds of parrots and macaws visit the lick within three to six hours after dawn - nine species of parrots and six species of macaws, including all three big macaws: Scarlet, Red & Blue, Blue & Gold. Some days there are other visitors: guans, tapir, capybara, howler monkeys and pigeons.

Harpy Eagle	480+ species of birds	Giant Otters
	25 km (15 miles) of trails
	Macaw & parrot Lick
	Mammals such as Agouti & Peccary
	Five species of Monkeys
	Oxbow lake