Peru - Tambopata & Puerto Maldonado - Travel Story
Tambopata – Puerto Maldonado
A Long Trip to the Wasai Tambopata Lodge
We arrived in Puerto Maldonado at the tiniest airport I had ever seen. Having had lots to drink on the plane I was in desperate need of the facilities. Tip #1: always bring a roll of toilet paper with you when you visit less modern parts of the world.
Once we had our bags we were flagged down by a friendly little girl sporting a Wasai Lodge and Expedition t-shirt. She was to be our guide for the next few days. We arrived first at their lodge in town (the less rustic and adventurous one) and were greeted with a welcome drink. Once we were settled our guide gave us a little welcome speech about the area and what we were about to experience, handed us a pair of rubber boots (as it gets rather wet in the Amazon) and guided us back to the jeep where we would begin our journey deep into the jungle.
After a bumpy ride in, we arrived at a small dock where a boat was waiting to take us to our lodge. In this area, the only way to get around is by boat, so we hopped in and got ready for the longest 4 hour boat ride of our lives. Somewhere between our pick up point and our lodge we had to check-in since we were entering a protected national park. We were told that if we wanted to we could even get our passports stamped. Thinking this would be an interesting stamp to have in our passports, we headed up to the hut and before we were able to see what the stamp looked like, the gentleman behind the desk brought the large 3" x 4" stamp down onto a full page of my passport. I wasn't sure what the customs policy was on such a wacky looking stamp, but it was too late to undo it so with my newly acquired obtrusively large stamp, which was now bleeding onto the next page, I headed back to the boat to continue the voyage. Every time I travel I now get the strangest look from custom officials as they notice the stamp while attempting to find a blank page to add to the collection!
Arriving at the Lodge
We arrived at the wonderfully remote and quiet Wasai Tambopata Lodge hidden amongst the towering trees and vibrantly colored plants and were in awe of our surroundings. We made our way up to the main building of the lodge where we settled down and waited for our next instructions. Our guide told us everything we needed to know about meals, our expeditions, gave us some interesting facts on the wildlife in the area, and then guided us to our hut. Once we had gotten rid of all the freakishly large insects from our room, we settled down and relaxed for a while, then washed up and got ready for our first meal. The meals here were all taken care of for us by chefs who lived at the lodge. For people with limited tools, they made some truly exceptional meals. After dinner we had some time to wander and relax before getting ready for our first expedition.
Trekking Through the Rainforest, in Search of Wildlife!
I'm not sure how I roped into this one, but armed with a headlamp and camera (both useless in fending off mammoth insects), we headed into the rainforest for our introduction to the ecosystem and to see a few friendly local residents. I'm not a fan of insects or darkness, so you can imagine how I felt amongst the nocturnal Amazonian sized insects. Our guide was so informative that I eventually found myself searching for critters so that I could learn about them. I did, however, hit my limit when our guide asked us to join her inside the large hollow tree trunk where a number of different insects were hiding, including some very large spiders.
Visit to the Macaw Clay Lick "El Chuncho" in the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park.
The next morning, starting bright and early at 4 AM, we had a trip planned to see the largest clay lick in the area (the main reason why we chose to come to this part of the Amazon) where the bright and beautiful Macaws hung out. The trip up river was quite exciting, as the driver skillfully weaved the boat through some dangerous waters in the dark. It rained that morning, so the guide started the day off by warning us that if the weather stayed the way it was there was a chance we wouldn't get to see the birds. Unfortunately for us, she was right. When it rains the Macaws tend to stay in the trees and that morning was both wet and cold. We could see little specks of Macaws sitting in the trees, and a couple of them teased us by flying near the wall, but none of them ventured further than that. After about an hour or so of sitting in the drizzle, feeling defeated and disappointed that our feathered friends had failed us, we decided to call it quits and head back to camp. On our way back we did manage to see some other birds, and there was one in particular that a gentleman in our boat was especially excited about. He 
was a bird enthusiast and told us that this was one that he had always wanted to see. In addition to the birds, we also saw families of Capybaras (guinea pigs on steroids), which are abundant in these parts.
After resting at the lodge and grabbing a bite to eat, we took a small trip across the river to the Cascadas del Gato (Cat Cascades), where we ate some local treats and learned how the locals live from the land.
Cayman Hunting at Night!
That evening our guide took us on a Cayman hunt along the river. She would scan the area with the boat's floodlight, then, when she saw something she would wave her little hand held flashlight around in the area like she was at a rave, and the boat driver would take us closer to that area. We saw plenty of yellow dots that were supposed to be the eyes of the Cayman, and got a glimpse of one small one hiding amongst logs. We also found a small, but deadly Dart Frog. All in all the tour was not as exciting as one would think when they're told that they're going Cayman hunting, but it was pretty neat being out on the water at night, amongst all the nocturnal animals.
Day 3 - our final day in Tambopata. We had our last meal with our young tour guide who was really great and informative through the whole trip. The tours were a little disappointing for the amount of time we spent getting to this area, but as a whole, this was a very interesting experience. One thing you'll notice on the Wasai Tambopata Lodge tour web site is that they have 'zip lining'. The line is very old and runs across what looks like a swamp. Not exactly the experience you probably have in mind!
Though we never got to see the Macaws, it was amazing to just be in this secluded, serene jungle that was accessible only by a 4-hour boat ride. It was one I wouldn't soon forget.
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