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Our trip was, for me, life changing because it fulfilled a lifetime ambition of experiencing the Amazon rainforest, particularly across the canopy (so the tower was very exciting!) - absolute peace despite the constant cacophony of sounds :-) In a funny sort of way, despite having a comprehensive (and very helpful) checklist, I didn't mind what I saw or didn't see as it was the 'being there' which was mind blowing... I probably could have stayed there indefinitely :-). It was wonderful (for us) that there were only four of us; this made it a very special experience indeed. One day the other two went to see the Harpy Eagle whilst we elected for another forest walk with Ivan - what a splendid guide and nature spotter he is! ARCC is beautifully placed to appreciate the ox-bow lake and the river and well worth the extra effort to reach. The lodge staff were lovely people, so happy - we often heard them laughing in the kitchen and they were eager to share when they spotted something of interest. The food was lovely.
K.F. Glamorgan
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Peru's Rainforest Mammals
Tour Code: PER02A 9-day holiday based at Lago Soledad, from where we will look for the area's unique mammals and other wildlife.
£3,995 (Inc flights)
£2,995
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
On this holiday we head to Peru’s most southern Amazonian state, Madre de Dios, in search of a selection of the country’s special mammals, as well as enjoying some of the extraordinary diversity of other rainforest wildlife in this remote region. We’ll be based at Lago Soledad (formerly known as the Amazon Rainforest Conservation Centre) which protects 17,000 acres of the pristine rainforest surrounding the wildlife-rich Lake Soledad and offers some of the best wildlife-watching in the Amazon rainforest. Though the mammals here can be elusive, and many are nocturnal, we’ll be hoping to see a good variety of species, as well as birds, reptiles, plants and insects in this remote and spectacular location.
- Giant River Otter, Black Spider Monkey & White-lipped Peccary
- Hoatzin, Sunbittern, Horned Screamer & Amazon Kingfisher
- 8 species of Neotropical monkey including Red Howler
- Reptiles include Spectacled Caiman & Side-necked Turtle
- Capybara & Tayra possible
- Canopy viewing platform
- Night walk to see or hear Night Monkey, tree frogs, armadillos, & owls
- Tropical rainforest birds such as antbirds, puffbirds, macaws, tanagers & parrots
- Led by expert local naturalist guides
Grading
Day walks onlyPeru harbours some of the richest rainforests in the world, and its most southern Amazonian state, Madre de Dios, boasts many biodiversity world records. In Puerto Maldonado, the capital of Madre de Dios, the river Las Piedras is well known for its abundant fauna and has recently been scientifically proven to harbour over double the mammal densities of surrounding rainforest reserves. Las Piedras is also the longest and remotest in Madre de Dios, meandering 440 miles from its remotest headwaters to its confluence with the Madre de Dios at Puerto Maldonado. Far up river, on the banks of the upper Las Piedras, incredible to us in our microchip world, there are still un-contacted Indian populations hiding in isolation from the rest of the world. These small groups of Mashco-Piros still wander naked, hunting with longbow, collecting fruit, nuts and turtle eggs, whilst living in simple palm-leaf shelters. In 2002 the Alto Purus Indigenous Reserve was extended to protect the entire upper Las Piedras basin beyond the indigenous village of Monte Salvado, 220 miles from the mouth of the river. Half-way between Puerto Maldonado and the Alto Purus Indigenous Reserve, the locally owned Amazon Rainforest Conservation Centre, ARCC for short, was built in 2002 to protect 17,000 acres of the pristine rainforest surrounding the wildlife-rich Lake Soledad. Our tour will be based at the comfortable ARCC, where we will follow our naturalist guides on a variety of exciting excursions. Whilst ARCC offers some of the best rainforest mammal and bird watching in the Amazon Rainforest, mammals can still prove to be difficult to see at times. One can’st expect to see such large or numerous mammals as in Africa due to the low mammal density, the nocturnal habits of the majority of mammal species, and the dense rainforest vegetation. However during periods when mammals are proving difficult to spot, we will be kept entertained by the incredible diversity of other classes of vertebrates and invertebrates. While this tour’s focus and highlights hope to include threatened species such as Giant River Otters, Black Spider Monkeys and White-lipped Peccaries, we will also be looking at the plethora of birds, reptiles, plants and insects of this spectacularly-diverse rainforest.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation: Included in tour price.
- Food: Included in tour price, except lunch and evening meals in Lima.
Reviews
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The ARCC element of the trip was outstanding; a truly memorable experience which was made even more enjoyable by the guides Juan & Jocelyn and the superb staff who catered for us in exemplary fashion. The array of local produce and dishes was wonderful.
H.J. & M.B. West Sussex -
This was an adventure holiday of a lifetime, action packed with each day bringing something new. Never have I had such an exciting time! And that's just the river journey to get there. Add the wildlife and wow, what a wonderful place the rainforest is.
K.M. Essex -
The trip up the river was the most interesting part of the trip. The monkeys were fabulous...The camp is wonderfully designed and the day-to-day running of it is very good...Hot water was an unexpected bonus and much appreciated! The agents were excellent...The staff at the Sheraton Hotel were wonderful to me...The two birding trips run by your local experts in Cusco & Lima were fabulous. I am now investigating joining a bird-watching group.
B.H. London -
I just wanted to say that I had a great time, it was a wonderful experience. Flying over the Andes was worth the trip alone. We were really well looked after by the staff at ARCC. As a vegetarian I have never been so well taken care of. It was nice to eat something other than salad on a holiday. This is the third time I have travelled with Naturetrek and cant imagine travelling with anyone else again. Thank you.
S.W. Gwent -
Local guides were knowledgeable... Extension guide... excellent and knowledgeable. Her enthusiasm for birds & orchids [was] infectious... Enjoyed her knowledge of birds & orchids in the hotel grounds... Great thanks to Angela who sorted out our travel from Manchester.
V.H. Cheshire -
Overall - truly a holiday of a lifetime - fabulous.
E.S. & J.W. Warwickshire -
The whole Naturetrek trip was fantastic - we are used to independent travel but this was the 2nd trip we've taken with yourselves and I could get used to it! Jose Antonio, the guide...is brilliant - very knowledgeable with a good sense of humour. All the staff were fantastic.
A.H. & A.O. South Yorkshire -
Overall an excellent holiday, well organised and very enjoyable – good value as well. Thank you.
G.R. Scotland -
I particularly enjoyed the night walk in the rainforest around the ARCC - marvellous views of a common opossum and lots of wonderful insects and spiders. The oxbow lake is superb - loved the Hoatzins, they are straight out of Jurassic Park!!
S.W. Nottinghamshire -
Excellent and well informed guides, smooth transfers and fantastic wildlife.
Z.M. Dorset -
This holiday was amazing and, after looking at others on offer, proved to be the closest experience to Amazon living that is available. Grateful thanks to Naturetrek, our Amazon guide John, and all staff involved.
Z.G. Leicestershire
Extensions
Machu Picchu
Dates & Prices
2025
2026
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Naturetrek offers a wide selection of long-haul wildlife holidays primarily focusing on mammals. These tours offer an intensive mammal-centred focus, outstanding value for money and top quality sightings. They are led by at least one expert local English-speaking naturalist, and visit countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and more.
Naturetrek Bargain mammal Holidays
These tours are best suited to keen, active mammal-watching enthusiasts – whether expert or beginner – and people looking for an action-packed mammal-focused tour.
Our bargain mammal-watching tours offer:
- An expert English-speaking local naturalist leader
- Outstanding value for money
- Dawn-to-dusk mammal-watching with limited time for rest, relaxation and outside interests
- Enviable mammal lists!
- Focused searches for endemic species, while also looking for non-endemics
Naturetrek’s selection of bargain mammal-watching holidays includes tours to the Americas in Brazil, Peru and Panama. In Africa our selection includes Botswana, Zambia, Ethiopia and South Africa, while in Asia we offer bargain mammal tours to India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Borneo.
Our specialist recommends...
“I’d recommend Ecuador – Amazonian Mammals for a good introduction to South America’s rainforest mammals. In Africa, it’s hard to beat our Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park holiday for its combination of Leopards, other ‘big game’ and first-class accommodation! In Asia, try India – Bandhavgarh National Park for Tigers and other Indian mammals.”
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
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Many of the world’s mammals are instantly recognisable to us. Animals such as Lions, Tigers, elephants and bears capture our imaginations from an early age. At Naturetrek, we take great pleasure and pride in helping people to fulfil their lifelong dreams of seeing these iconic species in the wild. We also enjoy introducing our clients to some of the world’s more unusual mammals, many of which are just as fascinating.
Naturetrek Mammal Watching Tours
Many of our tours have a primary focus on mammals and we offer the widest choices of mammal-watching holidays across the globe, from the poles to the tropics. Our holidays are guided by at least one professional naturalist tour leader and usually benefit from additional guiding by expert local naturalist guides. We have holidays to see an incredible range of the world’s most sought-after mammals, such as orangutans, lemurs, bats, polar mammals, big cats, and mammals of the African savannah. A significant number of tours also targets some of the planet’s more unusual and elusive species, from pottos and pangolins to slender lorises and obscure cetaceans.
Here’s a selection of our mammal tours:
- India’s Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves
- A cruise to Spitsbergen in search of Polar Bears
- A chance to see the ‘Big Five’ and much more in South Africa’s Kruger National Park
- Search for Blue, Fin and Sperm Whales in the Azores
- Close-up views of Brown Bear and Wolverine in Finland
- Enjoy the mammals of Kenya’s Masai Mara, while staying in luxury camps
- Search for elusive nocturnal mammals, such as Aardvark, Black-footed Cat and Aardwolf, in the Kalahari Desert
Bargain mammal selection
We offer a range of action-packed bargain holidays for the dedicated mammal enthusiast, which are exceptional value for money, from Belize to Zambia.
Our specialist recommends...
Paul Stanbury - Operations Manager
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Tour Reports
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
