We stayed at the TRC for two nights and had a wonderful time at the property. The nature is great and the lodge is very nice, but basic. While being there we were guided by Cesar, who is a great guide. He got us very much interested in looking at birds and all the other animals that we encountered. Cesar is punctual, funny and he has great gear to view the animals.

The only point of criticism from us is that the manager (or assistant manager - this was not clear to us) is not friendly. The woman never smiles and treats her guests as if they are a nuisance, rather than paying customers. For example, upon arrival we found out that our room had two single beds rather than the requested double bed. Even though the lodge was almost empty on the days we were there (which was nice!), the manager made a big fuss about giving us a double. Eventually we did go back to her and said 'listen, nr. 11 is empty and it is a double, we're moving in there'...that got her moving, albeit at a very slow and lethargic pace.

Nevertheless, TRC is a great place with wonderful wildlife and also good food!

A+E

I recently stayed here and at the Refugio Amazonas with Rainforest Expeditions for a few nights and everything over exceeded my expectations. The accommodations at both places were so clean, inviting and wonderful I could have lived here forever. If your looking for a great jungle experience this could't fit the bill more. The staff were so friendly and my guide Oscar was the best guide I have ever had anywhere I have traveled.He was so enjoyable to be around and I was so impressed by his honest interest and knowledge of ALL the flora and fauna. As a young wildlife biologist in the United States myself, his knowledge of his own local environment far exceeded what I even knew even of my own and he was just so fantastic. As far as the accommodations and transportation, they were above what I ever expected also. I didn't want to leave. The researchers also incorporate education into your trip at TRC which just adds to the whole experience also. Thank you for the time of my life.

We’d decided before we came out here to do more than the basic three day jungle trip and, as a result, we’ve been to two lodges which were both great. We liked the one further up-river, called the Tambopata Research Centre, the best though. Major attractions of the TRC were the resident Macaws (we may do a separate post about them!), the staff who were super friendly and the fact that relatively few tourists make it out that far (it is about 8 hours in a motorised canoe from the nearest town). On the way we ate locally prepared food wrapped in leaves – it was pretty good and once you’d finished you could chuck the whole lot in the river as it is all bio-degradable.

When I read about the lodges I was a little concerned that the rooms only had three walls – one is open and affords a great view of the jungle! It said that mosquitos were relatively few but there were certainly enough to keep me wafting my arms around like a loony – and there were lots of other bugs too.

The lodges (especially TRC) are pretty basic – cold water only – no electricity in the rooms, with candles and oil lamps only at night. Power for charging camera batteries was only available for about four hours a day in the reception area. But despite everything we had a fantastic time and it really rivals the Galapagos as an experience. I don’t think any of us will forget the friendly staff and fantastic fresh juices we had coming back from rainforest walks.

First of all, I absolutely loved it. My husband who is more the bug-phobia type enjoyed it but not to the same degree. If you are a camper and have always loved the outdoors with everything that goes with it, it will feed a part of your soul that is unforgettable. If you are like my husband who went because he wanted to see it in case it disappears, there was lots he enjoyed but 'feed you soul?'...not going to happen. We signed up with Rainforest Expeditions and Berli was our guide. Berli was very knowledgable and passionate about his career and the Amazon. We stayed on route at Refugio for one night and again for two nights coming back. Tambopata was more rustic than Refugio, and older but still very eco-orientated, beautifully designed with comfortable beds and decent food. If you are looking for luxury this is not the trip for you but if you want an experience that truly makes you feel like you are part of something amazing(even if its out of your comfort zone) than go, see, and lay in your bed early in the morning and just listen to a world that is so filled with life. We have all heard the rainforest soundtracks but hearing it in person is so vitally different. Was my husband awed by it? Not so much. Is he still glad he went? Most definitely, would not have missed it! Would he go back? No. Would I? In a minute! And I'm the one who got stung by a wasp! It is a magical place that may not always be there with what we are doing to this world. Tambopata Research Center , Refugio and Rainforest Expeditions is doing a great thing by offering this kind of holiday. They are educating the public and researching the macaws which will hopefully protect their existence for a very long time. In case anyone is interested we signed up for the Soft Adventure Package. This included kyaking, mountain biking and canopy climbing. We enjoyed it. No matter what the web site says though, you do it all at Refugio, not TRC. Trust them on this, it's better and there are reasons for it. My mountain bike wasn't up to snuff so Enzo (our adventure guide) traded bikes with me. It was not my favourite activity but I do like the exercise. Kyaking was fun. It's a two hour paddle, going up stream first looking for caimens and birds and other mammals, a very fun, short paddle through some rapids, (we did that twice because it was so fun) and then an easy paddle back. The canopy climbing was my favourite but I'm a tom boy at heart and have always loved climbing trees. It could be challenging if you're not very fit or co-ordinated. Possible, just not as fun. Our guide (Berli) timed this so we got up there at sunset. It was a beautiful way to end our final evening in the Amazon.