I just returned from a visit to the Reserva Amazonica in Tambopata (Peruvian Rainforest) and would like to offer my candid take on the experience.
FACILITIES: A wonderful hotel in the jungle. Fantastic rooms and amenities; delicious food and very attentive and efficient service.
LOCATION: This lodge is aesthetically beautiful due to its jungle location. The sounds and the feel of the jungle are ever-present. But since it is only 45 minutes by dugout canoe from the city of Puerto Maldonado, the terrain around the lodge (which is a Private Reserve) is all secondary forest: very disturbed, very little wildlife to be seen. Full day excursions (available at an extra charge) can be taken, but none of them take you into the Tambopata Reserved Zone which is much further away.
GUIDING: In terms of care, I would rank it highly. In terms of knowledge – moderate, and in terms of delivery – poor.
OVERALL EXPERIENCE: For a client who seeks an educational experience, including the full on experience of the rainforest and an explanation the ecosystem (the threats, the uniqueness of it, the intricate detail of the fascinating symbiotic relationship of living things in the rainforest) Reserva Amazonica would be a disappointment. It is not that the guides aren’t good. It is just that I feel Inkaterra is not particularly interested in offering an intense educational experience, but rather a “jungle in style” experience. Having said that, I think the excursions are well designed and the trails interesting. Despite the lodge’s poor location, if guides were only trained to offer a more intensely educational experience, the Reserva Amazonica would be a decidedly more attractive destination for clients who, apart from sipping very delicious pisco sours whilst looking at the sunset in the river, are interested in a life-changing experience.
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