Explore Tambopata Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon

The Tambopata – Candamo Reserved Zone was created in 1990 to protect 1.5 million hectares of rainforest and wetlands to the east and south of Puerto Maldonado, in the Amazon basin. It can be visited all year long and is a popular destination for travelers who want to visit its clay licks, which are some of the largest in the world and which attract hundreds of rare macaws and parrots as well as some mammal species. The reserve also possesses various world records when it comes to bird species (545 in only 5,500 hectares) and butterfly species (1122). The area is so diverse that a person can walk a mile along the rainforest of Tambopata – Candamo Reserve without encountering two trees of the same species.

The local wildlife gathers along the riverside and lakes to drink, which is why the boat trips into and out of the park provide some of the best sightseeing opportunities. You can spot caiman and the endangered giant river otters, toucans, heron, and kingfisher. You’ll also catch a glimpse of local life, as there are some traditional riverside estates which farm along the route.

The highlight of any visit to the reserve is the collpas, or clay licks, that are found along the high Tambopata River. Five hours upriver from Puerto Maldonado, you’ll find the Chuncho Clay Lick, and an hour further upriver is the Colorado Clay Lick. They are incredibly attractive for wildlife photographers, birdwatchers, scientists, and tourists. Animals such as monkeys, tapirs, and deer gather here, alongside great numbers of rare macaws and parrots which make the wall come alive noise, movement, and color. They visit the wall for a few hours every morning to feed off the mineral salt, thus providing an unforgettable display that you can’t see anywhere else. As the route to the clay clicks is a little more remote, you have the opportunity to spot capybara or, with great luck, jaguars.

Other possible activities within the park include day and night hikes, fishing, swimming, and camping in the virgin forest. There’s even canopy walks and some ziplines which have been constructed within the park. The walks offer a different perspective on the rainforest, allowing you to observe up close the wildlife that makes its home along the treetops.

Spending a few days in the reserve is preferable, as it allows you to enjoy watching the sunsets over the Amazon and waking to the sound of howler monkeys and parakeets. However, if you don’t have the time for a longer visit to the reserve, many travelers in Puerto Maldonado arrange day trips to Lake Sandoval, which can be reached by a boat ride along the Madre de Dios River and a short hike through the rainforest. Ungurahui palms, giant lapunas, and colorful orchids surround a lake which is home to the noisy and exceedingly endangered giant river otters found only in the Peruvian Amazon and the Guianas. Red howler, spider, titi, and capuchin monkeys add to the excitement, as do the caimans and the strange hoatzin birds, locally known as shansho or anhginga (which means duck-snake).