venturesome4

Hi Fodorites,
Has anyone had any experience at the Tahuayo Lodge?
Thanks,
Evelyn

julies

I assume you are referring to Amazonia Expeditions lodge. We were just there in mid-May for a 6D/5N package, and it was a great experience. We felt this was just about the right amount of time because it allowed us to do all of the things they have to offer in their inineraries (except the overnight camping expedition).

However I have to qualify this by saying that we are former frequent campers, we boat a lot, we are nature/outdoor fans, we've always visited state and national parks, and we like to hike. Perhaps people who aren't so interested in those things might not like the experience as much. We did have our own screened room with a mosquito netted bed and private bath. But, in many ways I would compare this to more of a camping type experience than a hotel/lodge experience. Showers are cold water from the river. There is no electricity; walkways and common areas are lit by kerosene lanterns, and you are not allowed one of these in your room because of fire hazards. For use at the lodge we had a headlamp apiece and a great lantern/flashlight combo we got at REI.

Our favorite thing about the lodge was the opportunity to have our own private guide rather than being with a tour group type experience. We were usually up for breakfast at 6:00 with our first activity for the day leaving at 6:30 and in bed for the night shortly after 9:00. We had full and interesting days, our guide was teriffic, and the food was good. Hope this helps you out.

julies

I forgot to include this link to a trip report about the lodge I wrote on Tripadvisor.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...lace-Peru.html

venturesome4

Thanks Julies,
We just got home and also so enjoyed the Tahuayo Lodge,run by Amazonia Expeditions. We felt that it was well run and that the guides really knew their stuff. Our 12 yr old girl and 16 yr old boy had a great time. We are also quite fit and adventuresome ( enjoyed those Brazil nut grubs even!) and my husband and kids did the survival overnight. I really hate how itchy mosquito bites are and wasn't keen to get more, which is why I didn't go on the overnight, but the group ( which also including a 65 yr old grandfather and his 14 yr old grandson) had a fabulous time and pronounced it a peak experience. We were there 7 days and 6-7 days was great for us. It did rain quite a bit the latter part of the week and we never felt like we really dried out but despite that, it was fabulous.
Evelyn

julies

Glad it went well for you too. I so hate it when something we liked and recommended is not so well liked by others we've recommended it to.

Just curious. Were you really able to do much walking/hiking, or was the area still super wet and mucky from the river levels dropping? Other than the terra firma and the villages, we spent most of our time in the boat and/or dugout.

venturesome4

You know, it had dried out considerably. They had issued us Wellington boots and every so often you would sink deep enough that you had to focus on not losing your footing in the muck, but we walked everywhere. A couple of days it rained hard, then there was a noticeable increase in the depth of the puddles. A lady in her mid 60's fell several times during the hikes so they gave her 2 walking sticks and had a guide following close behind. This took care of the problem.
I'm so glad that we were able to go to this lodge. We stumbled on it by accident while surfing the web as it hadn't really been discussed much on the forum or in the guide books.
Evelyn