Tambopata Tours from Puerto Maldonado

Which Tambopata tour should you choose?

All three tours start and end in Puerto Maldonado, stay at Collpas Tambopata Inn and include the Chuncho macaw clay lick at sunrise, where we watch red-and-green, scarlet and blue-and-yellow macaws from 60 to 80 m (200 to 260 ft) away. The difference is what you add to it:

• Classic 3-day tour, from $295: our traditional program, without Sandoval Lake. A night walk and a caiman search by boat, kayaking on the Tambopata River and piranha fishing. You are back in Puerto Maldonado at around 4:30 p.m. on day 3.
• 3 days with Sandoval Lake, from $320: a forest walk and our 50 m (165 ft) canopy tower, breakfast in front of the clay lick, fishing and a night walk, and on the last day Sandoval Lake, where our guides put the chance of seeing giant otters at about 40%.
• 4 days, from $350: the canopy tower, the Chuncho clay lick and Sandoval Lake, plus a third night at the lodge, kayaking on day 2 and a full day with a 5 to 8 km (3 to 5 mi) walk to a mammal clay lick and fishing on the Tambopata River.

If birds are your main interest, our 7-day Tambopata birding tour from Cusco goes down the Interoceanic Highway to the lowlands.

Where you stay: Collpas Tambopata Inn

Collpas Tambopata Inn is on the Tambopata River, at the edge of the Tambopata National Reserve, about one hour by boat from the Chuncho clay lick. Rooms are private, with their own bathroom, towels and mosquito nets. There is free Wi-Fi, and the three buffet meals a day have vegetarian and vegan options. See photos of the lodge.

Getting to Tambopata from Cusco

Our Tambopata tours start in Puerto Maldonado, the capital of the Madre de Dios region. From Cusco you can fly there in about one hour or take the bus, about 10 hours. We pick you up at the airport or the bus station, drive about 2 hours to the Tambopata River and take a 30-minute boat ride to the lodge. Flights and bus tickets are not included, so tell us your arrival and departure times when you book. Read how to get from Cusco to the Amazon for all the options.

What our Tambopata tour prices include

Prices are per person in US dollars and include the transfers from the Puerto Maldonado airport or bus station, a bilingual native guide with a spotting scope and binoculars, the boat, the lodge, all meals, drinking water, rubber boots and a rain poncho, and the entrance fees to the Tambopata National Reserve and the Chuncho clay lick. Flights or bus tickets, airport taxes, alcoholic drinks and tips are extra. Departures need a minimum of 4 travelers, and groups of more than 5 get a discount.

You reserve online with a deposit of $60 per person, paid by card (6% fee) or PayPal (8% fee), and pay the balance before the tour. See Manu and Tambopata entrance fees and tour costs.

Tambopata or Manu?

Tambopata is the quicker option: a short flight from Cusco and shorter transfers, so a 3-day tour gives you more time in the lowland rainforest. Manu is reached by road across the Andes and the cloud forest, and its Reserved Zone needs 6 days or more. Read our Manu vs Tambopata comparison or see all our Manu National Park tours.

Before you go

SERNANP, Peru’s protected areas service, recommends visiting Tambopata from May to October, the drier months. The US CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for travelers going below 2,300 m (7,550 ft) in the Madre de Dios region; get it at least 10 days before your trip. See our yellow fever and malaria guide and our Amazon packing list.