Posada Amazonas — Hotel in Tambopata

My husband and I recently traveled to the amazing country of Peru. As this was our first experience in South America, we took much time to decide on which country to focus on. Soon after our arrival we realized we had made a wise choice.

One of the most amazing travel experiences we have had was traveling into the rainforest outside of the area of Puerto Maldonado. We were greeted by a representative of Posada Amazonas, Rudolfo Arimiya at the airport and he arranged for ground travel to the main office of Posada Amazonas. We dropped off our larger baggage to be stored in a secure office. At which point we then traveled to the local river to board a boat which would eventually arrive at the foot of the stairs to our accommodation.

Once at the lodge, we were met by a variety of staff to welcome us and explain both the history of and lay of the land before we checked in. After a brief tour, we had time to unpack in our room. As this was our first time in such a setting, we adjusted to having an entire open 'wall' leading to the adjacent foliage.

We were paired with one other couple. The first thing we did was climb 140 feet up to the top of their tower to get a panoramic view of the jungle below us. WOW what a beginning to our journey. Rudolfo is an extremely experienced guide and it was obvious with his keen sense of sight and hearing, he easily identified a multitude of wildlife. All of which we have never seen in the wild before. What a thrill. He was very patient with our questions and he brought up his own telescope which we were so fortunate to use and get a close up view, especially of the Capuchin monkeys. Unfortunately my cell phone could not get a clear photo. He carefully placed my phone camera on top of the telescopic lens to get a close up pic. It is definitely one of my favourite photos of the entire trip and I always sent it to friends and family who were interested in our experiences. For some people the climb up was a bit scary or challenging and he was always checking on the group to make sure they were comfortable.

Rudolfo is such a knowledgeable and personable guide. He never made fun of our silly questions. He also has an amazing sense of humour which he is not scared to show. We learned so much from him over our three days together. He was very patient as we walked through the rainforest and some steps were not that easy. He paced our walks ensuring we were not overtired. An unforgettable experience that will rate as one of our very best mainly due to Rudolfo. He is very proud of his country and is a wonderful ambassador and it is obvious how much his coworkers respect him.

At the conclusion of our stay, we were headed back to the town of Puerto Maldonado via the local river. As there had been a lot of rainfall the day before, the usual spot to disembark was too muddy and slippery to climb up the bank. He made a decision to go down a bit further where it was much easier to get out of the boat. As a result, both he and another guide helped to haul up our baggage to the top of the bank. Just another example of him always considering what is best for the travelers.

A HUGE thank you to Rudolfo who made this segment of our trip truly outstanding. Thank you for the amazing...

I was skeptical about spending the night in a room with only three walls in the jungle, but I am so incredibly glad I did! This was an extremely memorable and enriching experience. As someone who normally squeals at the sight of a small bug, I felt completely at ease in this lodge. We booked 3 nights and it felt like the right amount for us.

Our guide, Francisco, picked us up from the airport and was very friendly. From the second we got in the boat, he helped us spot wildlife. We even stopped a few minutes to watch the macaws at the clay-lick and a cayman on the shore. We did almost all the excursions offered and loved every single one. I wasn’t super excited about the botanical garden since I just wanted to explore the jungle, and thought this would be a filler activity but it ended up being one of our favorites! Our guide taught us so many interesting facts about medicinal plants in the garden, talked about the lifestyle of the local community, shared legends/myths/stories from the locals, answered boatloads of questions, and even took shots with us as we sampled the brews made by the community (they were extremely delicious).

We also did the night lectures everyday and I loved them! Would highly recommend attending them. It’s a nice time to relax your body, sit by a fan, all while learning more about the place you’re staying at and about the cool conservation work.

The food was spectacular and so were the snacks and beverages. All the staff were super attentive and kind. I reported a small issue with a toilet button and it was fixed within 5 minutes! I also did get a headache once and had ran out of medicine and they were able to help with acetaminophen, which I greatly appreciated.

This was a truly life-changing experience. Being in the jungle, immersed in the sounds, smells, and beauty was so calming. We did get lucky that it didn’t rain while we were there, but it did get pretty hot towards the end. It was only bad during mid-day, so just nap by a fan and you’ll be fine. It’s part of the jungle experience.

I would definitely come back and recommend to anyone considering this lodge, even if you think you’re too scared of bugs. I became so unafraid that I even held a beetle, let termites walk on my hand, and was willingly bit by an ant just to know what it would feel like (with guide’s supervision).

I loved every second and wish I could experience this...

The concept behind this place is very noble. Unfortunately that concept means it's uncomfortable. For starters, there are 3 walls- the 4th one is open with just a railing... so the temperature outside is the temperature "inside". Considering this is the Peruvian Amazon, that means hot and sweaty 24 hours a day. There is a fan, but even on the highest setting it doesn't do much and the mosquito nets totally block the breeze it creates, so the beds (which have cheap mattress')are a sweat box. If that weren't bad enough the ceiling is a net, so between the 3 walls and no ceiling your neighbors can here every sound you make, so don't come here on your honeymoon. Then there is the bathroom...I don't know who decided it was ok to have inch wide spaces between thin floor boards, but that is the situation here, so heaven help you if you drop anything small enough to go through them. In my case it was the lid to my eye cream, but jewelry, cell phones, and all kinds of other things would also fall theough very easily. If you do drop something its GONE, and your neighbors will hear your angry exclamation and ask through the wall if you are OK. They make you leave your shoes at the entrance and there are poisonous spiders everywhere (I killed one by the toilet paper our first night), so don't try to go get whatever you drop. The slats are also uncomfortable to stand and walk on barefoot. I booked this as part of a larger tour package that didn't disclose any of this (or even the name of the place prior to booking), so if you book this know you are practically camping and you need to be ok with high temperaturesand humidity.

Oh, and I almost forgot...housekeeping walked in on us sleeping at like 6am this morning. They apparently assumed that we were at one of the morning activities (that start at like 5:30 am), didn't knock, and there are no Do Not Disturb door hangers. So they just opened the door, and because it's so hot I was on top of the covers in nothing but panties. Accoeding to my husband they left VERY quickly, but they didn't even bother to relock the door behind them. It was unlocked when we left for breakfast and I KNOW I locked it.

Edit: I wrote the bulk of this just before my last night. When I woke up the next morning something had left a finger sized turd on the floor by my bed, and at that point I remembered somwthing crapped on my hat...