Refugio Amazonas Lodge

This is a fantastic lodge near the Tambopata reserve. We had booked a suite room and it was amazing. There is electricity for 24hrs (pleasantly surprised) and it also had a mini refrigerator. There are juices, snacks, tea and coffee throughout the day. Every family was assigned their own guide. We did atleast 3 jungle walks throughout a day plus lectures in the evening. The staff is amazing too. Tanya is very helpful and generous. Our guide Jarison ( Hey Yari) was not only very good at spotting the wildlife but also taking pictures. I think people who are not happy about this place have not done their research on what to expect.

We spent 3 nights in this beautiful, clean and safe lodge. Our excellent guide, Christian Herrera, led us to wonderful places (Parrot Claylick, Canopy Tour, Botanic Garden and Lake Condenado). He has a huge knowledge and background in fauna and flora and is very motivated. He was always polite and flexible, helping us to get the best views and pictures. We appreciated being in a small group to fully enjoy our excursions. Muchas Gracias, Christian, for wonderful memories!

We only stayed at Rifugio Amazonas for two nights but had a very memorable visit. Our guide was Paul who provided lots of great information throughout our stay. The highlight was an early morning trip to the macaw and parrot clay lick but we also enjoyed the night walk with sightings of snakes, a night monkey, spiders, scorpions and toads. We saw capybaras, aguti, caiman, howler monkeys and dusky titi monkeys while also listening to a jaguar mating calls.. The hotel tries to be environmentally sound and provides nightly lectures on conservation work with wildlife. It’s not cheap but it is worth the cost if you only have a few days to explore the Amazon

A perfect experience in the Amazon. Harry, our guide, made the entire experience very memorable. The food is good, the bar is expensive but good and the support staff were excellent. Tanya, the manager, took care of all our needs and was very supportive the entire stay. Please remember that the rooms are open to the nature and therefore comes with its pros and cons. You wake up with the nature including the mosquitos :) The experiences offered by the Refugio is fantastic and provides a great exposure to the Amazon. Dont miss the Mccaw trip. It is just magical.

We spent 4 days and 3 nights here and had the most amazing experience. The entire staff is friendly, accommodating, and passionate about what they do. Boris (AKA “Jungle Boy”) was our guide, and he was fantastic. He taught us so much about Tambopata and showed us wildlife including the beautiful macaws, capybaras, a 3-toed sloth, and more. The night walk was particularly special, as you see sights you’d miss during the day. It was a beautiful way to connect with the earth, nature, and the local culture. I highly recommend Refugio Amazonas!

Absolutely outstanding - beautiful place and incredible service. Do not hesitate - just go! The accommodation is extremely comfortable. The staff and guides are excellent and the nature is superb. We stayed as a family and there was something for everyone.

Excellent lodge in the heart of Amazon Rainforest. Good facilities and excellent food. The lodge is in the heart of the jungle and well-equipped with facilities like experienced guides, boats, bicycles etc. There is a lot to do. Highly recommended.

Have just returned from a 4 day stay at Refugio Amazonas with my partner. Deeply disappointed by the whole experience. This was also expensive at around $800 per night. When we arrived there was no electricity to our room and no hammock, although both were remedied after we complained. Our guide’s English was poor compared to others we had in Cusco. As a result there was little communication and our guide made little or no effort to suggest itineraries and frankly seemed disinterested in our visit. He also lacked the necessary equipment, for example his binoculars were inadequate and he didn’t posses a telescope. All the others guides we noticed had these pieces of equipment and not having them severely hampered our viewing of the birds on the visit to the Macaw Claylick activity. It transpires that he was a freelance guide and not employed by the lodge. Nevertheless, it is the responsibility of the lodge to ensure their guides are appropriately equipped. There were only 8 guests the first night and as a result there was no menu choice. Food options improved on the second and third night as more guests arrived but the lodge was still less than a quarter full and felt pretty empty. On the wild life front we saw only two mammal species (capybara and 2 monkeys) plus lots of bugs and a few birds. The ‘research’ activities of the lodge are just a pretence. The resident ‘biologist’, who was very pleasant, has some very soft animal ‘research’ projects which were mainly limited to tracking numbers of jaguars. Don’t expect to see jaguars or pumas, the last sighting was over a year ago and made by a guest who was a wildlife enthusiast. The location of the reserve is outside the National Park and surrounded by farms. There were also a number of polluting gold miners on the Tambapata River and rubbish (plastic bottles etc) floating in the river. There is one lodge in the National Park and that is probably a better location and less affected by human activity. Overall we think this offers very poor value for money and the wildlife you have traveled far to see is lacking due to human activity and consequence. We feel quite misled and deeply disappointed. Can’t recommend and will not return.

We had originally booked a different lodge but changed our booking to Refugio Amazonas after receiving poor feedback on the other hotel from family who had visited a month earlier. This was a last minute change and we were apprehensive on what we would find as we had not done our research in this lodge. This is an eco lodge, located about two and half hours from Puerto Maldonado (by bus and boat) in the Amazon rainforest. The lodge is beautiful, blends in with the surroundings and is well maintained. This is not cheap and you can see that money goes to the upkeep. All rooms only have three walls (yes three) with the fourth being permanently open with views of the forest. It is stunning and you can hear the forest at night. A wonderful way to fall asleep. If you can’t stand bugs then this is probably not the place for you. There are mosquito nets over the bed. However, it is important to note that whilst we were in the middle of the forest, very few bugs came into the room, and we were not bitten once by anything. Whilst in the lodge and in the forest it is also important to take precautionary measures as advised by the guides (e.g. socks over trousers, long sleeve tops, etc.). Our stay was very comfortable without any issues. The food is excellent, most of the vegetables and fruits are organic and come from a nearby farm. The activities that the lodge offers are interesting, well organised and guided. Our guide, Carmen was fantastic - highly accommodating, friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. All staff are friendly and keen to assist. So whilst we were apprehensive about the change we made, we have not regrets. We had a wonderful experience.