In short
For a first stay combined with Cusco, Tambopata (plane to Puerto Maldonado, then boat): three nights for Lake Sandoval, five for the large macaw clay licks. For the great flooded forest, Iquitos and Pacaya Samiria, four to six nights. For an expedition, Manu, a week from Cusco. For a foothill forest with villages and waterfalls, Tarapoto. Count the hours in the boat: they decide how much time you actually spend in the forest.
Five gateways compared
| Gateway | How you get there | What dominates | Useful length | For whom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Maldonado and Tambopata | Flight from Lima or Cusco, then from 30 minutes to about 5 hr 30 min by boat depending on the sector | Lakes (cochas), macaw clay licks, terra firme forest | Three to five nights | First stay, combined with Cusco; bird enthusiasts for the upper Tambopata |
| Manu | By road from Cusco, through the cloud forest, then by boat | Every altitude zone, from the Andes to the lowlands; very well-preserved forest | A week | Travellers who want an expedition and accept long days of travel |
| Iquitos and its lodges | Flight from Lima (no road), then one to a few hours by boat | The Amazon river, flooded forest and terra firme | Three to four nights | First stay in the rainforest, families, people who enjoy river travel |
| Pacaya Samiria | Flight to Iquitos, road to Nauta, then from three hours to two days by boat | Large flooded forest, many lakes | Four to six nights | Those who want the great forest and accept the journey |
| Tarapoto and San Martín | Flight from Lima, then by road | Foothill forest, waterfalls, villages, cocoa | Four to five nights, without an isolated lodge | Those who prefer a town and day trips |
Manu, Tambopata and Pacaya Samiria are protected areas: you enter them with an operator authorised by SERNANP and pay an entrance fee. Around Tarapoto and Iquitos, many outings take place outside protected areas; when that is not the case, as at Allpahuayo-Mishana, the protected area’s rules apply.
Five environments, five ways of watching
| Environment | What it is | How you watch it | The right time |
|---|---|---|---|
| The cocha | A lake formed from an old meander cut off from the river | By boat, in silence, paddling | Early morning and late afternoon; giant otters and caimans |
| The collpa | A clay bank where macaws, parrots or mammals come to eat soil rich in mineral salts | From a hide, at a distance, without noise | At dawn for birds; at night for tapirs, at mammal clay licks |
| The flooded forest | A forest covered by floods for part of the year, mainly in the north | By canoe among the trees at high water, on foot at low water | Depending on the water level, which changes by several metres |
| Terra firme | A forest that never floods, with very tall trees | On foot, on trails, sometimes from a tower above the canopy | Morning for birds and monkeys; night for insects, frogs, spiders |
| The river | The river, a transport route and an environment in its own right | From the boat, during the journeys | All day; pink river dolphins in the northern rivers |
See four environments not to be confused and reading the flooded forest.
Three typical days, depending on your aim
These days describe what lodges commonly offer; each has its own programme.
Birds. Up before dawn, boat to a macaw clay lick, two to three hours in a hide, breakfast on the spot. Late morning on a terra firme trail or in an observation tower. Siesta in the hottest hours, then a cocha in the late afternoon. This programme requires a lodge close to a large clay lick, so often further away: see the upper Tambopata.
Wildlife. Morning on a cocha by boat (giant otters, caimans, waterbirds), afternoon in the forest with a guide who reads tracks, night outing on foot or by boat for caimans, frogs and insects. A longer stay multiplies the opportunities; nothing guarantees a particular species.
Family. A short outing in the morning, lunch and a real rest at the lodge, a boat trip in the late afternoon, a short night outing near the lodge. Choose a lodge close to town (less time in the boat), short trails, and ask the minimum age for each activity.
Three or five nights: the time that is really useful
The day of arrival and the day of departure are taken up by the flight and the boat: only the days in between are full. The further away the lodge, the more time the transfer eats up.
| Three nights near town | Five nights far from town | |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer from the airport | 30 minutes to 1 hour by boat | About 5 hr 30 min by boat (upper Tambopata) |
| Arrival at the lodge | Before lunch | In the late afternoon |
| Full days | Two | Three |
| Possible outings | Two dawns, one or two nights, a cocha | Three dawns including one at the clay lick, several nights, remote lakes |
| Margin if rain cancels an outing | None | One day |
So two more nights add only one full day, but in a better-preserved forest. See three, four or five nights.
A fictitious example: two programmes compared
An invented example, to show the method; the prices and names do not exist.
| Programme A “3 days” | Programme B “4 days” | |
|---|---|---|
| Nights | 2 | 3 |
| Lodge | 45 minutes away by boat | 3 hours away by boat |
| Arrival, departure | Arrival at noon, departure at 10:00 | Arrival at 17:00, departure at 7:00 |
| Outings included | Lake Sandoval, one night outing, one walk | Two remote lakes, a small clay lick, two night outings, one walk |
| Group and guide | Up to 12 people, English-Spanish guide | Up to 6 people, English-speaking naturalist guide |
| Reserve entrance fee | Not included | Included |
| Advertised price | Lower | Much higher |
A is not “the rip-off” and B “the good one”: A suits someone who wants a first contact without a long journey, B someone who wants to see more. To compare, divide each price by the number of outings actually included, and add what is not included (entrance fee, drinks, tips).
Permits, health, evacuation
- Permits. In a protected area, ask whether the operator is authorised by SERNANP and whether the entrance fee is included. In Tambopata: S/ 30 for one day, S/ 60 for two to three days, S/ 150 for four to thirty days (general rate); every day from 5:00 to 19:00; Lake Sandoval 30 minutes by boat then 3 km on foot; middle Tambopata (Cocococha, Sachavacayoc and Condenado lakes) about 3 hours by boat; upper Tambopata (Chuncho and Colorado clay licks) about 5 hr 30 min by boat. In Pacaya Samiria: S/ 30 a day for a foreign visitor (S/ 15 for a Peruvian adult); every day from 6:00 to 17:00; visits only with an authorised operator.
- Health. The CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for the Amazonian regions, and malaria is present below 2,500 metres east of the Andes: consult a travel medicine centre, and protect yourself from mosquitoes day and night. See health.
- Evacuation. Ask how long it takes to reach a doctor from the lodge, by day and by night, by what means (boat, road), and how the lodge communicates (radio, satellite phone, internet connection). The more isolated the lodge, the more this answer matters, and the more your insurance must cover evacuation.
Watching without promising
The animals are free: a good guide says so before setting off. They keep their distance, feed nothing, do not let you touch animals, cut the engine near them, and accept an outing without any great sightings. An animal offered for a photo (sloth, monkey, parrot) has been captured: do not pay. See wildlife without contact.
A lodge is not chosen from a photo of a cabin
- The real location: time from the airport, how much by car and by boat, inside the protected area or next to it, outings accessible from this base.
- The pace: arrival and departure times, number of full outings.
- Comfort, described concretely: bedding, mosquito net, bathroom, electricity and generator hours, ventilation, internet connection.
- Meals: diets catered for, drinking water.
- The guide: language, training, group size.
Note the answers in the comparison tool below: an empty box is a question to ask before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Which Amazon should you choose for a first trip?
If you are going to Cusco, Tambopata is the simplest: a flight, then 30 minutes to a few hours by boat. If you want the flooded forest and travelling by river, Iquitos. If you prefer a town with day trips, Tarapoto. The programme and the lodge matter as much as the gateway.
Will I definitely see animals?
Nobody can promise that. The animals are free; the length of the stay, the season, how remote the lodge is and the quality of the guide count for a great deal. Be wary of programmes that guarantee a list of species or offer to let you touch them.
Do you need a vaccination for the Amazon?
The CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for the Amazonian regions, and medical advice on malaria, present below 2,500 metres east of the Andes. Make an appointment at a travel medicine centre several weeks before departure.
Sources and dates
5 sources
Prices, opening hours and rules change: every piece of information cited links to its source, with the date it was consulted.
Figures and rules cited
- S/ 30 for one day, S/ 60 for two to three days, S/ 150 for four to thirty days (general rate); every day from 5:00 to 19:00; Lake Sandoval 30 minutes by boat then 3 km on foot; middle Tambopata (Cocococha, Sachavacayoc and Condenado lakes) about 3 hours by boat; upper Tambopata (Chuncho and Colorado clay licks) about 5 hr 30 min by boat: Tambopata National Reserve: entry, opening hours, sectors and access (Tambopata National Reserve, Madre de Dios) . Visits only with an authorised operator. Peruvian adults: S/ 15 for one day.
Site management: SERNANP, Reserva Nacional Tambopata (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026 - S/ 30 a day for a foreign visitor (S/ 15 for a Peruvian adult); every day from 6:00 to 17:00; visits only with an authorised operator: Pacaya Samiria National Reserve: entry, opening hours and the rule on operators (Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, Loreto) . Sectors: Yanayacu-Pucate (one to three days, the most accessible, some twenty cochas), Pacaya, Samiria (Kukama communities), Tibilo (two to three days, from Lagunas). Access from Nauta, then 3 to 48 hours by boat depending on the sector. Do not disturb nesting turtles (July to September).
Site management: SERNANP, Reserva Nacional Pacaya Samiria (new tab) · consulted on 2 October 2026
Sources consulted
- SERNANP, Reserva Nacional Tambopata (sectors, fees, hours) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- SERNANP, Reserva Nacional Pacaya Samiria (sectors, season, operators) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- SERNANP, Parque Nacional del Manu (access and length of visit) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- CDC Yellow Book, Peru (yellow fever, malaria) (new tab) (consulted on 2 October 2026)
- PROMPERÚ, San Martín, Loreto and Madre de Dios regions (new tab) (consulted on 25 September 2026)
How we choose and date our information: our method. Has something changed? Let us know.