Refugio Amazonas

Refugio Amazonas is the perfect base to explore the Tambopata River and surrounding jungle. Ederson, our tour guide, led us through an memorable 3 night jungle exploration. Eagle eye Ederson spotted elusive creatures including tapirs, capybaras and macaws and tutored us on the ways of the jungle and the research undertaken by Refugio Amazonas. Ederson's enthusiasm for his work was inspirational. He even took great videos and photos for us on our phone cameras when our skills were not up to snuff. All the other tour guides were equally excellent. All of the staff deserved to be mentioned by name for their great service. The spacious and comfortable lodge ticked all the boxes for an unforgettable adventure.

What an incredible experience! Our guide, JC, was truly exceptional — his deep knowledge of birdwatching and his positive energy made our stay unforgettable. We felt complete trust in him throughout, and he always went the extra mile to ensure we were comfortable and at ease. The same warmth and dedication were reflected in all the guides at the lodge, which made our 4 days at Refugio Lodge even more special. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this trip so memorable. Warm regards, Romain & Jemma

What a brilliant adventure from start to finish! The experience kicks off the moment the team scoops you up at the airport and doesn’t end until they wave you off again at the end of your stay. Everything in between? Pure jungle joy. The lodge itself is gorgeous—spacious, beautifully designed, and spotless. The staff bend over backwards to make sure you’re having the best time possible. Breakfast and dinner were excellent every single day, and the young hospitality lead deserves a medal for enthusiasm, knowledge, and general “Are you happy? No really, are you happy?” vibes. The lodge has loads of comfy corners to flop into after activities, plus a well-stocked bar with surprisingly reasonable prices (considering you’re in the middle of the Amazon and not, say, a Tesco). Our room was huge and had a fantastic shower, plus one side opened straight into the rainforest. Slightly alarming at first—nothing like brushing your teeth while wondering who’s watching—but it absolutely works and makes you feel truly immersed in nature. Our guide, appropriately named ‘Listen’, was fantastic. Knowledgeable, energetic, and somehow capable of keeping track of every tiny creature and every human in the group at the same time. We did every activity on offer: night walks, sunset cruises, the clay lick adventure, and climbing the canopy tower. All were excellent, and I won’t spoil them—just trust me and do everything. (If you survive the night walk, you’ve earned bragging rights.) Speaking of night walks… nothing quite like strolling through the rainforest under a full moon with the distinct sensation that a million unseen eyes are watching you. Highlights included a tarantula that was *definitely* too comfortable with our presence, plus the unsettling thought of the thousands more we didn’t see. We also learned about the towering Brazil nut trees and discovered how locals harvest these coconut-like pods that hide the nuts inside. Hard work, but vital for the community—and a fascinating peek into life in the Amazon. Wildlife was everywhere: frogs, mysterious “creepy-crawlies” (a scientific term, apparently), capybaras, and the majestic owl butterfly, roughly the size of a dinner plate and a total diva when it comes to photography. The macaw clay lick had to be the highlight. Days ended drifting along the Amazon as the sky turned molten gold and deep crimson—absolutely magical. The heat and humidity were relentless (36°C and 99% humidity by mid-afternoon!), but that’s all part of the Amazon charm. An excellent, exhilarating, slightly terrifying, always unforgettable experience. Huge thanks to the entire team—absolutely brilliant! 👍😎👍

From the moment we arrived at PEM airport, their hospitality started….. we were received and taken to their office that was 5 mins away and was a prelude to all the amazing experiences that we were going to have. We were assigned this amazing guide Luis Pauccara who was extremely knowledgeable, kind and hard working. From the very first moment he made sure that we had our one of the best experiences. He enriched us with his vast knowledge of the jungle, which he was continuously sharing, keeping us involved. In our short stay, he made sure we saw caiman, macaws in the claylick, capybara, tarantulas and many other Amazonian wildlife. He gave us a special tour of the medicinal plants of Amazon, which was so fascinating. And last but not the least, he took me for a special biking tour (which was not part of our itinerary). To sum it up, he went extra miles to give us an unforgettable experience. And the icing on the cake was the sweet gesture of Luis and Tania, who were very kind to accommodate my special request for late departure (owing to late departure of my flight from PEM). I cannot thank them enough and highly recommend Luis to anyone coming to Tambopata.

We had the most amazing time EVER at Refugio Amazonas, and I am so very glad I booked our stay here. Honestly, this is to date probably the best travel experience we have ever had and I will never forget our time in the Amazon here. First of all, the lodge is beautiful. Our room was lovely. The beds were comfy. The bathrooms are large. It is incredible waking up to the sounds of the jungle and falling asleep to the insects at night. We did have some insects in our room, and a rodent, and even a tarantula (non poisonous)! But it was part of the experience. The food was great and they prioritize native and local ingredients. My partner and I are both vegan and they took SUCH good care of us. The food was delicious, and we had ample vegan options every meal. Everything from the first email contacts with Katia to the transfers to the first night info session to the activities-- which I will get to in a second-- was incredible. It is a bit pricey, but everything is included and there is nothing you need to worry about, and it was so worth it. OK now for the best part-- the activities. Holy wow. First of all, we had the best guide EVER-- Juan Carlos. He was amazing. He is a bird expert, knows so much about the animals who live in the rainforest, the insects, the trees, the plant life, it was incredible. He also so clearly cared that everyone in our group had an amazing time. He took so many pictures for us, pointed out so many animals for us, and made sure we all enjoyed every moment. I can’t thank him enough because it made our time here so very special. We went on many activities that were amazing, and we saw so many animals— capybaras, howler monkeys, capuchin monkeys, so many incredible insects, frogs, tarantulas, so many many birds and butterflies. Every activity was amazing but the highlights were the macaw clay lick and the canopy tower. And we were super impressed and happy to hear about their commitment to conservation, protecting the animals, and supporting the native community nearby. There is so much I could say about our stay here but I would recommend a 3 night stay over 2 nights (so you can do more activities), and make sure you read the guides they send via email before you come so you pack correctly and know what to expect and bring--the guide includes everything so that there are no surprises, and we knew exactly what to expect, although our stay exceeded our expectations! I highly, highly recommend staying here, it was magical, it was a once in a life time adventure, and I will never forget it. I also want to shout out the manager of the lodge, I forgot her name, but she was incredible, as well as the service staff at meal times, who were so kind and helpful to point out what was vegan all of the time. I truly hope we can come back some day!!

The lodge was kept very clean, and the staff paid close att to people's needs. It was very easy find activities and the guides were excellent with a genuine intended approach towards sustainability and environment longevity.