Yaku Amazon Lodge & Expeditions — Hotel in Fernando Lores

We had always wanted to travel to the Amazon and knew that in order to see the actual Amazon River, we would need to fly to Iquitos. We came to the Amazon in search of animals and wildlife, but at Yaku lodge, we found so much more. We found community, friends, family. The staff at the Yaku Lodge made us feel not only comfortable and safe, but like we truly belonged there. ||Since the lodge only has three bungalows, we received personal attention, private guide, and an itinerary that fit our specific interests. Since we are a family of 5 with three young kids (ages 8, 10, 12), we really valued the personal attention of finding activities the kids enjoyed. Our English speaking guide was truly amazing with each of our kids. He figured out quickly what they liked and was able to make a connection with each of them, knowing exactly how to keep their attention. His energy and enthusiasm was contagious as he truly has a gift connecting with people, making friends wherever we went. ||In our entire experience at Yaku Amazon Lodge, we never felt like tourists, we truly felt like guests. The staff took such great care of us with their multi coarse gourmet meals three times a day, clean & spacious bungalows with animal folded towels, expert boat maneuvering skills, and soccer moves in some friendly competition. We had plenty of drinking water and everyone in our family loved the food. The bungalows and eating area were fully screened. There are lots of hammocks and the most beautiful views of the lake. We didn’t mind that the generator was only on for a few hours a day or that the there were only cold showers…it actually felt great with the scorching heat! ||But what really sets Yaku Lodge apart, is the people. Even though we didn’t know any Spanish, we truly felt a connection not only with our guide, but with our boat driver, the chef, the waiter, the lodge caretaker, the staff who cleaned our bungalows. Most of them all lived in the neighboring village (30 minutes away by boat). We had the unique opportunity to travel with them to their village to meet their families. We also attended a yearly festival with the staff and their community where the boys joined a soccer tournament and the girls made friends with all the kids crammed into someone’s house during a rainstorm. Even though we didn’t speak the same language, we still made friendships and special memories - of course with the help of our friendly, outgoing guide who was always right there with us. It truly is rare to find a place so remote, so welcoming, with no one trying to sell you things or ask for money. ||We stayed at the lodge for six days, five nights and were so sad to leave, especially to say good bye to our incredible guide. Our family is so grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity to develop meaningful relationships in a local community after visiting for such a short time. Thank you Yaku Lodge. ...

Our family stay at Yaku, which is an exceptional eco-lodge along the juat off the Amazon River on the Oxbow Lake, which truly exceeded all expectations. |From the moment we booked with Victor who arranged everything perfectly to when we were picked up at our hotel in Iquitos by Lisser and driven to the Port where we were driven by boat to the lodge and greeted with warm and welcoming smiles, a perfect welcome after the scenic journey down the Amazon rainforest.||The lodge itself is beautifully integrated into the surrounding jungle, constructed with natural materials and elevated walkways to minimize impact on the environment while offering us beautiful views of the Oxbow lake and any wildlife that may pass by. | |Our room was spacious, incredibly clean and cozy, with large screened windows that allowed us to fall asleep to the sounds of the rainforest and wake up to birds and monkeys in the canopy. There was not one mosquito in our room. It is perfectly screened off! ||What really sets this place apart is the service and the activities. The team at Yaku is incredible, Lisser our Guide, Gilter our main driver & the manager on site, Jeison our exploring boat driver, our waiters Alvin & Cristiano, the Chefs Walter & Paolo and also the lovely Reinaldo who were all so attentive and knowledgeable, sharing fascinating insights about the local flora, fauna, and communities. |We went on guided river excursions at dawn, before lunch and at sunset, (amazing naptimes in between) spotting grey and pink river dolphins, macaws, caimans, pigmy Marmosets, fer-de-lance (most poisonous snake in the Amazon), night apes, Hoatzin Bird and even sloths. One highlight was visiting a nearby village to learn about traditional Amazonian culture — a humbling and enriching experience, my children even played football against the women's team! We also fished twice and caught 5 different species of catfish, some of them big enough to eat. ||Meals were extremely delicious, featuring fresh fish from the river, exotic fruits, and thoughtfully prepared local dishes. It was a five star experience! The Pisco Sours were incredible made by Alvin! Everything was so authentic and adventurous, we did not want to leave||This is more than just a lodge; it’s a family and immersive Amazon experience that combines luxury with sustainability and respect for nature. Especially with Lisser as our guide who has a such a driven passion for his Amazon life and family. ||We left feeling not only relaxed and inspired but also deeply grateful for the chance to connect with such a unique and magical part of the world and this team from Yaku who made this the highlight of our 5 week trip Peru.||We highly recommend Yaku to anyone seeking an unforgettable adventure with comfort and soul. |Kathleen Sean and...

I stayed at Yaku Lodge for 6 days / 5 nights and had an excellent time. We had a private experience and tours were able to be catered to our requests.

On our tour we spotted sloths, smaller Caiman, lots of birds (too many varieties to list), nesting birds, mating raptors, monkeys, whip snakes, squirrel, pink & grey dolphins, Caiman lizard, piranha, armoured catfish and other fish plus also a freshwater crab!, big emergent figs and other interesting plants...

The lodge was nice and clean. Our cabin was cleaned every morning and we started looking forward to seeing what fun towel origami creatures we would get. Mosquitos love me, so we selected this lodge as they had both fly screens and mosquito netting over beds and the lodge looked clean and tidy. I felt very safe (from mosquitos) in my cabin. The communal areas had a few mosquitos so I had to cover up during the evenings.

Delicious food was provided each day including fruits and juices. There was a permanent water, coffee & tea station.

Despite being there during the end of wet season (we were there in early May), we only got rained on once during a morning expedition while on the way back to the lodge.

This wet season the high water mark was even higher than expected. This meant there were no land based activities as the forest was flooded. But it did mean we could explore lakes in the area that were not usually accessible.

Much of our tour was via a motorised boat that hummed in the background. A couple of tours were by local wooden canoes which was fun (we had elected to use the local option rather than the tourist inflatable canoes). Lisser was a great guide (he's from Iquitos) and even Jason our boat driver (from the local village of Ayacucho) was amazing at spotting interesting creatures we missed.

The staff were very lovely and attentive, many of them from the local Ayacucho village so this ecotourism employment was very important for them. Apart from our guide, the staff didn't speak much English but we spent many afternoons together trying to converse, us learning Spanish words and them learning some English.

Tips: Bring mosquito repellent with high DEET content. *Bring your best set of binoculars (much of the native wildlife gets spooked when you get close so a good set of binos is key - we had 10x38). Bring quick dry clothes and covered wet shoes suitable for getting wet whilst providing mozzie protection. And bring your swimmers if you're happy to chance it in the oxbow lake (we got the staff to come swim with us to help...