1. Im using RFE as backup for Inkaterra.

Why are using RFE as a backup for Inkaterra?

Because Inkaterra is more comfortable

Ah ok, I understand. Heres the thing though, RFE had inferior infrastructure to Inkaterra for 25 years.
The owners of RFE were always nature and wildlife oriented so they prioritized great location with
lots of monkeys and macaws and nearby clay clicks. But they did not prioritize comfort. Finally, after
we lobbied for many years, in 2016-2017 they completely reconstructed Tambopata Research
Center. You can now call it a Luxury Lodge. And it’s the only one with an external tub where you can
take a cold bath in the middle of the day while watching tanagers fly above OR you can take a hot
bath in the middle of the night and stargaze. Its also the only one where you are at eye level with the
palm trees because that is where monkeys love to hang out.

2. What is the difference between each lodge?

Lodge differences can be summed up in 3: distance, focus, and wildlife. Whilst most rooms are very
similar, Tambopata Research Center does have two wings of our luxury offerings. So here we go:

At Posada Amazonas (2 hours from Puerto Maldonado) you get to focus on culture and the people of
the rainforest. We operate Posada in partnership with the native community of Infierno (200 families
of Eseeja and ribereno origin). With them we have developed Centro Ñape an ethnobotanical center
where you can learn about medicinal uses of over 20 species of rainforest plants. You can also visit
the communities lake where they will paddle you around in search of giant river otters (about 30%
chance of seeing them) and black caiman. And Posada is also great for kids – they love the canopy
tower and the playground. A typical visit to Posada Amazon will net macaws, two or three species of
monkeys, capybara, agouti and giant river otter

At Refugio Amazonas (4 hours from Puerto Maldonado) you get to focus on science and the
biodiversity of the rainforest. You will take part in a citizen science program at Refugio Amazonas
were 11 guests just like you discovered 11 new species of tiger moths last year. AND…you also get
to choose visits to a canopy tower, a lake, a harpy eagle nest, a macaw clay lick and kayaks from
more than 30 different activities. A typical visit to Refugi Amazonas will net macaws, two or three
species of monkeys, capybara and harpy eagle.

At Tambopata Research Center (3 hours from Refugio Amazonas, 7 hours from Puerto Maldonado)
you get to focus on wildlife and macaw clay licks. You will end up in the uninhabited heart of the
Tambopata National Reserve – perhaps the most special place in the Amazon, that is still accessible.
You will hike trails that delve into primary floodplain, terra firme, bamboo, riverine and palm forests
By the time you leave you will have seen four or five species of monkeys, including spider monkeys,
macaws at two different clay licks, capybara, agouti, herds of 100 white lipped peccary, and with a
little luck (10-20% chance depending on the season) a JAGUAR!

3. Why is Posada Amazonas cheaper?

Simple: because it is closer.

4. What wildlife will I see?

The Amazon is not a zoo, nor is it Africa. Most of large wildlife (think elephants) such as giant sloths
and armadillos were wiped out when humans crossed the Bering strait more than 20000 years ago
and hunted them out. Or maybe it was climate change (there is tons of controversy). Whatever the
case, the Amazon has no elephants or anything that large. The larges mammal is a tapir – about the
size of a small donkey. However, you see lots of stuff. Here is a list of animals you’ve never heard of
that are so amazing they will someday be in Netflix: scorpion-wasps, treehoppers, tiger moths, dung
beetles, hair cutting bees, etc, etc. Millions of different species (no exaggeration). They are all insect
of course. On top of that: antbirds, flycatchers, tanagers, barbets, woodcreepers, hermits, etc, etc.
Hundreds of different species in our backyard (again no exaggeration). They are all birds of course.
And finally you’ve got the mammals and we throw in macaws and eagles in there because they are
our stars. A typical visit to Posada Amazon will net macaws, two or three species of monkeys,
capybara, agouti and giant river otter. A typical visit to Refugi Amazonas will net macaws, two or
three species of monkeys, capybara and harpy eagle. By the time you leave you will have seen four
or five species of monkeys, including spider monkeys, macaws at two different clay licks, capybara,
agouti, herds of 100 white lipped peccary, and with a little luck (10-20% chance depending on the
season) a JAGUAR!

5. Is everything is included in the fee.

Everything is included. You get all the bus rides and boat rides. You get three meals a day cooked to
proud Peruvian standards. You get a college graduated naturalist guide or an Eseeja guide. And of
course you get to stay at one of our signature, open air, walless rooms. Yep you heard us right – our
rooms have no walls. They have three walls to protect you from the intrusive human species, but no
walls to keep you from nature. The only things we don’t include in the fee are airfare and bar tabs.

You know why 😊)

6. Book Now or you will lose space / price.

We do not own huge hotels. Hotels have 24 to 33 rooms. You may find a great deal on our site. That
is because for some reason, there is a week that is not selling that well. Now imagine we get a 10
room booking for a group of 20 people. You will no longer find the deal! Even worse – if you take too

long, you may not even find the room 😊

7. Dont worry if you miss your flight or your flight is late.

We will wait for you at the Puerto Maldonado airport – no matter what time you arrive. We are on top
of all arriving flights and we will be at a the airport when you show up, even if you are late. Out boats
are scheduled to dovetail with your flights. The one caveat to keep in mind is that WE DO NOT
NAVIGATE AT NIGHT. If you arrive to Puerto Maldonado too late to make it to our lodges in the
daytime we will help you find a place in Puerto Maldonado and we will depart the next morning bright
and early.

8. Tambopata, vs Manu vs Iquitos.

Manu is a great location if you have plenty of time to get there. It will take one full day of bus and
another full day of boat just to get to the lowland forests of Manu. To get out, you will need at least
one half day of boat travel and maybe more (depending on your route). If you fly in, beware of the
weather-related cancellations that small bi motor planes suffer. Other than access, Manu and
Tambopata are pretty similar, except for the cloud forest descent in Manu. Driving from Cusco to the
lowland rainforests in Manu will take you through some of the best remaining cloud forest in South
America.

Iquitos is the destination you want if you want to see the Amazon river per se, or take a cruise boat
on it. Because of their much smaller size, Tambopata and Manu carry no cruise boats. Iquitos is also
a large city of several four hundred thousand people. It is teeming with the Amazonian foods and
customs. The forests around it though, hardly have wildlife anymore, precisely because of the large
population.

Finally, Tambopata is your best bet for wildlife combined with access. You can be in howler monkey
territory less than two hours from the airport. And by your second day there, you will be in the worlds

best macaw clay licks. Don’t forget our fancy lodges 😊

9. RFE vs OTAS.

Booking, Trip Advisor, Expedia, etc. We call them OTAs. We have exactly the same cancellation and
booking policies. And if their price is better than ours for some reason, let us know. We will match
them. All roads lead to Rome is what we are trying to tell you.

10. RFE vs Inkaterra (comfort vs nocomfort)

RFE had inferior infrastructure to Inkaterra for 25 years. The owners of RFE were always nature and
wildlife oriented so they prioritized great location with lots of monkeys and macaws and nearby clay
clicks. But they did not prioritize comfort. This earned us the reputation of “less comfortable” than
Inkaterra.
Finally, after we lobbied for many years, in 2016-2017 we completely reconstructed Tambopata
Research Center. You can now call it a Luxury Lodge. And it’s the only one with an external tub
where you can take a cold bath in the middle of the day while watching tanagers fly above OR you
can take a hot bath in the middle of the night and stargaze. Its also the only one where you are at
eye level with the palm trees because that is where monkeys love to hang out.

11. Yellow fever

If you can a yellow fever vaccine then by all means get it. It is a useful vaccine. Countries such as
Brazil and South Africa ask for it upon entry, in certain cases. But if it is too much of a hassle, then
don’t worry about it. Two things to know: all of Peru only had 62 confirmed cases in 2016 and the
district of Tambopata had 1 or 2 of them. Futhermore the further you are from towns and cities, the
less likely you are of getting it. We have operated in Tambopata for almost 30 years and still have to
meet someone that has had it.

12. Walking and Hiking.

Walking and Hiking are options, not necessities. We designed our lodges to be close to the river, so
you only walk about 10 minutes to get to them, once your boat ride is over. All of our main
“attractions” are a short distance from the lodge. Lakes, which we cant move, are 30-45 minutes
away (<3 kms), walking slowly. Wildlife is undisturbed, so you can see monkeys from the lodge, or
you can see them in middle of the jungle after walking 30 kilometers. Doesn’t make a difference.
Same as jaguar – you see those on boat ride. Peccaries mess up our gardens. Macaw hang out at
clay lick on the river banks. Having said that, we do have trails for the hardy, if youre up for that!

13. What are the differences with Lago Sandoval?

The lake we visit from Posada Amazonas is called Tres Chimbadas. The lake we visit from Refugio
Amazonas is called Lago Condenado. We will compare Lake Sandoval with these two lakes.
Lake Sandoval and Lake Tres Chimbadas have resident families of giant river otters which means
you will see them on one out three trips to the lake. Lake Condenado does not.
Lake Sandoval and Lake Condenado are in the Tambopata National Reserve. Lake Tres Chimbadas
is in the Infierno Ecotourism Concession. This means all three are surrounded by protected forests.
This in turn means they will have troops of squirrel monkeys, brown capuchin monkey, dusky titi
monkey, howler monkeys and saddleback tamarins hanging around (you may not get to see them
all).
All three lakes have the same assembly of lake wildlife including caiman, herons, jacanas, sungrebe,
sunbittern, and many more birds. The edge of the lakes have palm trees used by blue and gold
macaws and red bellied macaws.
Lake Sandoval is a longer walk and the trail is overused – it will be 60 to 120 minutes of ankle high
(or more) mud.

15. Segmentation questions

May I ask you your principal challenge in selecting a lodge in the Amazon? A) Making it fit my budget
B) Finding one with all the right activities and experiencies for me C) Finding one with that is
comfortable enough for me D) Finding the one with the most wildlife E) Finding one that I can fit into
my itinerary.

16. Same services and higher prices

When it comes to transportation and food – our services are pretty similar to the rest. When it comes
to location and activities though you really want to make every effort to choose right. In terms of
location be sure you pay to go to a lodge with macaw clay licks (as opposed to just parrots) and
jaguar sighting opportunities (these should be above 8% to be meaningful). With regards to activities
other lodges should be offering visits to clay licks, canopy towers and lakes. These are standard
throughout the region. What is unique to our lodges are river kayaking, jungle biking and my personal
favorite: DISCOVERING NEW SPECIES OF INSECTS. I´m not joking – you can actually discover a
new insect species, never before catalogued by scientists, and pin a name on them.

17. Understanding if the other lodges / or our lodges are better fit for u or not

That is the right question to ask, as different people will prefer different lodges. For example – if
youre up for great nature Tambopata Research Center is for you. If youre the kind that wants to be
pampered be sure to choose a Premium room there. On the other hand if you’ve got kids you may
prefer Posada Amazonas and the activities of Eseeja day. And if youre into science and want a great
intro to the jungle Refugio might be your choice. If you cant afford a Rainforest Expeditions lodge,
consider Centro Nape, fully owned and operated by the native community of Infierno. In any case, do
at least read How to Choose a Jungle Lodge and our blog post on selecting Tambopata, Manu or
Iquitos.