Perhaps you read my 10 day itinerary about Peru and were looking for more detailed information, or maybe you just want to learn more about how to have an unbelievable excursion in the Amazon Rainforest. No matter the reason you're here, read on for the adventure!
Traveling to Peru, it was an absolute must for me to get into the Rainforest. The problem was, I had absolutely NO idea how to make this happen. As I've mentioned before, aside from Facebook, social media is still fairly new in my life, but Google has been my friend for years. I googled several companies that would take you on a guided excursion into the Rainforest. The issue came in because I was traveling solo, and these companies charge per accommodation, which is meant for two people. I get it... but... come on! Serendipitously, I stumbled upon a blog post that mentioned Chuncho Lodge as a company that allowed you to join solo, and pay for only yourself. I was in!
Chuncho Lodge:
Chuncho Lodge not only gives you the jungle experience you're most likely looking for (rustic comfy), but is also one of only 3 locally owned excursion companies in the Madre de Dios region of the Rainforest. Jorge Borja (who was my guide) opened Chuncho Lodge in April 2014.
Booking the Excursion:
When booking the excursion, some of it will depend on their tour schedule and start dates. There is one lodge and one guide per excursion, so your dates will need to work with their calendar. There are 2, 3 and 4 day excursion options. These are all separate trips, running on different dates. Before you pay, you must check availability by contacting the company at reservas@chuncholodge.com. The price for booking will cover transportation to and from the lodge from Puerto Maldonado, the entrance fee into Tambopata National Reserve and Park, all of the guided excursions, your accommodation, and three fantastic meals per days.
Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick & Sandoval Lake 5 Days: If you have the time, choose this tour. This will include multiple day time and night jungle hikes, bird watching at the world's largest Macaw clay lick, going above the jungle canopy for nature observing and breathtaking views, a boat ride to Sandoval Lake (with many opportunities to see a variety of monkeys), beautiful lake sunset, and paddling across the lake.
Tambopata Macaws Clay Lick & Adventure 4 Days: This will include multiple day time and night jungle hikes, bird watching at the world's largest Macaw clay lick, going above the jungle canopy for nature observing and breathtaking views, river kayaking, piranha fishing, and visiting the mammal clay lick.
Tambopata Expedition Macaw Clay Lick 3 Days: This tour will include day and night jungle hikes, bird watching at the world's largest Macaw clay lick, and going above the jungle canopy for nature observing and breathtaking views.
Tambopata Expedition Macaw Clay Lick 2 Days: This tour will include day and night jungle hikes, bird watching at the world's largest Macaw clay lick, and going above the jungle canopy for nature observing and breathtaking views.
What to Bring:
Clothing: Light/breathable long sleeve tops and pants for in the jungle Shorts and short sleeve tops Sweatshirt/jacket for early morning and night time excursions Rain jacket |
Bathing suit |
Flashlight |
Insect repellent and sunscreen |
Water bottle |
My Tour Experience:
Puerto Maldonado:
Accommodations: Wasai Puerto Maldonado Eco Lodge , Chuncho Lodge
It's situated among the trees, and has open air balconies to simply sit and listen to the wildlife. There is also a sloth that has taken up residence outside of the balconies, so you can also watch him relax as well.
I should also explain why I came to Puerto Maldonado, and why I was feeling so excited. Puerto Maldonado is a main pickup area for those looking to go into the Amazon Rain Forest. I was traveling by myself, and was really struggling to find a company that would take me as a solo, but not have me pay for two. (Most of the companies charged by the accommodation, which is made for two people.) Because I am not a big social media person, I relied heavily on reading blogs. I finally found one that allowed solo travelers and charged them for one. I was elated and chose the 4 Day Excursion! From Wasai Puerto Maldonado Eco Lodge, I walked over to the Chuncho Lodge office to check in and begin the adventure! It was myself and 8 other guests. They put us into two SUVs and we set off for the boat to take us to the lodge.
Chuncho Lodge is one of 20 lodges in the Madre de Dios (Mother of God) area in the Amazon. You can only access any of the areas in the Madre de Dios by a specific type of boat to ensure you are causing minimal disruption to the wildlife. Chuncho Lodge is one of only 3 locally owned lodges. The owner, Jorge, was my guide, and he gave a truly unbelievable experience.
Once the boat is docked, the first structure you see is a hammock resting area. I won't lie, and I thought at first that we were sleeping there. It's not, although I did hang out up there quite a bit for naps. It's also the one area for the few days that you will have WiFi access to check-in with loved ones occasionally and let them know you're having the time of your life!
You continue walking back a bit further and seeing where you'll actually be sleeping!
We were able to put our bags away and get ready for our first jungle walk. There is a daily itinerary no matter which excursion you choose, but it's a great mix of activity and free time. (Of course, you can always choose to forego an activity and hang back at the lodge, but don't do that!!) Your food is also included in the excursion, and the meals are incredible. But, back to the walk. This first walk, is something I will never forget. The abundance of wildlife was something I never excepted. Within only a few minutes, I looked up in the trees to see two Macaws.
And they were so close! We watched them for a few minutes before Jorge wanted us to continue.
Jorge knows these jungle walks like the back of his hand, and also knows little secrets of where to find unique sightings. He used a small twig to give a simulation of a small rodent to attract this massive tarantula!
It was crazy! It was definitely my first time ever seeing a wild tarantula. Although my camera is fairly zoomed in, I was a pretty safe distance away. We continued our jungle walk, coming across more Macaws, Woodpeckers, Army Ants, and a few little frogs while Jorge gave us so much information about the area. We got back to the lodge and it was time for dinner.
Right near the kitchen at the lodge, whenever they are cooking, there is so much activity from the Squirrel Monkeys.
After dinner, there was time to relax, and then Jorge took us on a night walk into the jungle looking for nocturnal wildlife. Jorge "fished" for another tarantula, and we found several interesting nocturnal insects. The sounds of the jungle at night were soothing and put me right to sleep once we were back at the lodge before a very early morning wake up call.
We got into our boat just before the sun was coming up, and had a stunning boat ride to the World's Largest Macaw Clay Lick.
Different lodges will also be here for viewing, so it's about 30ish people. The clay lick is on the right side in the photo above. You will be on the bank on the left side, which is a perfect viewing area to the birds. You'll sit on the bank, mesmerized as wild Macaws, Parrots and Parakeets fly overhead to the clay lick.
Jorge is right there giving facts about birds and also has several high power telescopes to look through so that you can see the birds as if they're right next to you. He even has a great trick to put your camera phone up to the telescope for awesome pictures are videos.
After viewing at the clay lick, we head back to our boat for more viewing and breakfast.
I had never been much of a bird watcher before, but this was simply incredible. Jorge even provided binoculars for us to share and look through as well.
So. Many. Macaws.
On our way back to the lodge, we were lucky enough to see a family of Capybara.
Once back to the lodge, we ate a delicious lunch while Squirrel Monkeys played in the background. I napped in the hammock until it was time for our long jungle walk.
The next morning was so fun! I had never been fishing in my life, and my first time ever fishing... was in the Rainforest, fishing for piranha!
Jorge gave us these long wooden sticks (for lack of a better word) with string and a hook, and we were ready to fish. This seemed very Tom Sawyer-esque, and I was all in!
We put little pieces of raw meat on the ends of our hooks, and Jorge taught us how to put our fishing line in, and wait. You need to keep it very still, and almost right away, you can feel the piranha eating the meat on the hook! But you have to stay still. Piranha are very intelligent fish and so often, they would completely eat all of the meat off the hook, without ever getting on the hook. You had to wait for the perfect time to pull your line up.
We caught a couple of piranha, but went through the raw meat at a much higher rate. Those piranha were so fast! After a morning of fishing, we went to a calm bank in the water and went for a lovely leisurely swim. And we were no longer scared to swim in waters with piranha, after Jorge debunked the theories that piranhas would be coming to eat us.
For the last full night at Chuncho Lodge, we went for an evening walk to the Canopy Tower, where you can climb several flights of stairs to be above the canopy, watching the sunset and seeing so many types of birds.
We saw more Macaws, Tucans, Woodpeckers, an amazing sunset and a gorgeous moon. It was the perfect last night before a long journey back to Minneapolis.
The final day is breakfast and the trek back to Puerto Maldonado. If you find yourself in Peru, and wanting to have an epic adventure, I urge you to seek out Chuncho Lodge .
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