Which jungle lodge in Peru?
 

Hi, I am planning a trip to Peru in May and wanted to get an idea of which lodge in the Puerto Maldonado area to book. There are 3 that I am looking at: Posada Amazonas, Heath River Wildlife Center or Reservas Amazonicas. Anyone have any experiences at these lodges?

TIA

Just got back from 2 weeks in Peru. We did the 6 day/5 night trip with Rainforest Expeditions which included 1 night in Posadas Amazonas, 3 nights in Tambopata Research Station, 1 night in Posadas Amazonas. It is a 45 minute bus ride from Puerto Maldonado and another 50 minute or so boat ride to Posadas Amazonas. Tambopata Research Station is another 6.5-7 hour boat ride from Posadas Amazonas. If you want to see the largest macaw clay lick, then you want to go further to Tambopata Research Station. The food at both places was surprisingly good. Cold water showers takes getting used to. Potable drinking water is readily available. Posadas has private baths while Tambopata has shared bath. We liked Tambopata even more than Posadas since far fewer people. The last night there we were the only tourists and the next "big" group was of 14 people. In comparison, they had 45-70 people at Posadas. So, size of the lodge is important. Service was good at both sites. Some of the lodges will give you an idea of the chances of seeing certain animals and birds which you can then use to compare. Monkeys come right next to Posada Amazonas, but, we didn't get to see the giant river otters since they don't go far into where their den is. Check with South American Explorers Club--they also get feedback from travelers as to which one is best. How long it takes to get there, what you want to see, what your budget is, etc. also should be considered. We liked the idea that Rainforest Expeditiosn shares so much of the profits with the local people, and is careful to leave nothing behind.

I had a great experience at Reserva Amazonica, about 30-40 minutes on the river from Puerto Maldonado. they have great itineraries depending on the number of nights. Huts are simple, but have everything you need, except electricity.

I spent two nights at the Posada Amazonas in 2003. I don't know what the others are like, but the lodge was quite open. Rooms have a common roof, but no ceilings, thin walls between rooms, no back wall, no doors, only curtains at the entrance. Bathrooms were normal, flush toilets and cold showers. Beds were comfortable with heavy duty mosquito nets. No hot water or electricity and no real indoor space anywhere.
Food was plentiful and delicious and the guides were wonderful and very attentive toward guests.
The lodge is about an hour or so by boat from Puerto Maldonado and it's a bit of an uphill climb from the river up to the lodge.
We had a cold front when I was there and it was cold and damp the whole time, and not much wildlife was visible. It was an interesting experience.

I stayed at the Explorer's Inn and it was absolutely wonderful. Amazing staff, food and lodging. They'll pick you up from the airport and take you back. All meals and water are included and the area is absolutely to die for. They also take you on jungle treks, night safaris and boat rides.

They're also called Peru Safaris. Biologists have claimed this lodge is the most bio-diverse place on the earth and has set a number of Guiness World Records.

I still keep in touch wiht some of the staff.

Oh yeah, the rooms all have flush toilets and cold water for showers (you definitely won't need hot water) and mosquito nets but I didn't get bitten once. Malaria is not a risk there so you don't even have to worry about mosquitos.

It's extremely humid all year round - dry season is 75% precipitation - nothing is every dry there. Your clothes will be damp even if you never take them out.

There's no light or electricity at this lodge, it's totally reclusive...all I can say it's an absolutely amazing experience - this coming from a city girl who's afraid of animals and insects.

http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/...lorersinn.html

For a more upscale experience I'd recommend Corto Maltes

www.cortomaltes-amazonia.com

The huts have electricity, hot showers and are completely private. The three huts directly on the river are best. You can sit in the hammocks on the porch and view wildlife. The owner is French and the food is very high quality. They also own property with their own clay lick so you can view the birds whenever you want.

RBCal this not directed at you or anyone else in particular, just a observation on my part and no offence is intended.

I don’t see why someone would want to go to amazon jungle and not want to experience the jungle for itself. One of the main attractions about the jungle is experiencing the solidarity and tranquility that it has to offer without the conveniences of modern-day life…it sort of defeats the purpose.

Not to mention the environmental damage caused by bringing services such as electricity. Just us visiting there disrupts the natural harmony but I can only imagine what it does when we cater to tourist wants.

It's hard for me to understand tourist who expect the same level of service and comfort that they would hat home. What's worse is countries who do cater to these wants in hopes to attract more tourist, it takes away from the culture and experience. This is evident throughout Peru and the Peruvians I spoke to (who are not in the travel industry) are not happy about it either.

Most who travel don’t think about this sort of stuff but it’s extremely important for us to responsible tourists. In my humble opinion, part of this would include patroning businesses that are owned by locals, not foreigners who typically exploit the natives by hiring cheap labour and buying out their land. Many Europeans and Americans who have bought land and started businesses in “developing” countries because for them it’s cheap and bigger profits.

Corto Maltes does not exploit the locals. In fact it is a gathering place and supports their culture by having native ayahuasca ceremonies on the grounds.
FYI, Explorer's Inn is owned by Max Gunther who is also not a native Peruvian.

Okay, I just clicked on this thread out of curiosity. Don't jump down my throat, but what does one do after dark in the jungle with no electricity and no where in the room to hang out? Do you get into the mode of going to bed at sunset and getting up at sunrise?

After dark typically you go out on boats on the river to spot wildlife. This is when the capybara and caiman come out.

As a I said RBCal this wasn't directed at you specifically or the lodge you stayed at especially since I haven't done any research on it. However, I'm not sure how you can say with certainty lodge does not exploit or abuse its employees. I'm sure how you would know that information, it's not like it will be publicly displayed. Often this is what people think when they go to all-inclusive resorts in Latin America, little to they know what it's really like, they just go by appearances.

As an FYI, Max Gunther is doctor who has been hosting research for environmental, biological and scientific purposes at his lodge for the past 30 years. He has contributed significantly to his field. I'm also assuming you think he's not Peruvian because you googled his name but he is from Lima...Peru has a vast collection of ethnicities that have immigrated over time...their former president was of Japanese descent.

"The owner, Max Gunther, speaks flawless English and has been a leading figure in Peruvian conservation for three decades."

oceania, Since you state you know nothing of the lodge, why do you assume that they exploit their workers?
At least I stayed there, saw their ayahuasca "church" and interacted with the employees.

Once again RBCal, I'm not saying THIS SPECIFIC lodge is exploiting their employees nor am I saying they are not, but often this is the case with foreign (and sometimes locally) owned businesses.

"At least I stayed there, saw their ayahuasca "church" and interacted with the employees." - sorry but that doesn't prove much

Also, exploitation wasn't the only reason I gave. Support local initiatives helps the natives and their economy, not rich foreigners or corporations.

Anyhow, I think you have totally missed my point and may be taking my comments personally. I only put it out there so people can think about these sort of ideas. Most don't realize this kind of stuff until they hear or see it for themselves - which is not often.

Tourist areas are highly disguised for the benefit of the foreigner...you can choose to take it however you wish.

Personally I think that the Explorer's Inn exploits their employees and destroys the environment.
After all, it doesn't matter that I've never been there. I don't have to know anything about it to give advice on it.

How insightful and mature of you

From Project Fauna Forever

"In 1974, Max Gunther, built the first lodge on the Tambopata River, at its junction with the La Torre River. Obtaining a reserve of 5500 hectares, “Peruvian Safaris” intended that the lodge be a place where hunters could bag trophy animals like jaguar, puma, tapir, caiman and peccaries."

So much for not exploiting the wilderness.

wow, i guess i didn't expect to open up a bad can of worms here...

i ended up booking a 4d/3n tour with manu nature tours and will be leaving on our peru trip on 4/11. will report back when i return.

in the meantime, anyone with comments on manu nature tours would be appreciated.

Quimbymoy, my apologies for contributing to the derailing of this topic. I was just trying put out different point of view.



"Those who occupy their minds with small matters, generally become incapable of greatness". - François de La Rochefoucauld