The Tambopata National Reserve and adjacent Bahuaja-Sonene National Park in the Peruvian Amazon protect the biological diversity of the entire watersheds of the Tavara and the Candamo Rivers and most of the watershed of the Tambopata River.
The declaration and the design of the protected areas includes an underlying philosophy of sustainable development and conservation of forest resources. The parks protect habitats ranging from the Andean highlands around the rivers' headwaters through some of the last remaining intact cloud forests to the lowland rainforests of the Amazon basin.
Over 1,300 bird species (including 32 parrot species - 10% of the world's total), 200 mammal species, 90 frog species, 1,200 butterfly species and 10,000 species of higher plants are protected within this reserve. The world's largest known mineral clay lick, where hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 15 species congregate daily to ingest the detoxifying clay, is also within the reserve, less than 500m from Tambopata Research Centre.
Adjacent the northwestern corner of the reserve is the Ese'eja Native Community, adding its 10,000 hectares of communally-owned and managed Amazon rainforest to those of the Tambopata National Reserve. Within this territory is Posada Amazonas, a community-owned lodge and tourism operation which is an excellent base from which to explore the jungle and the endangered wildlife species within (including giant river otters).
For details of the lodges, click links on your left. If you'd like to discuss travelling to Tambopata, please contact one of our Peru rainforest experts.