Island Exploration & Pond

Your canoe lands on the rocky shore with a soft “thump,” and you disembark onto the beach. Just a few minutes from the lodge, this river island is another world. You climb a small, sandy hill, cross the long beach dotted with Cocoi Herons and Side-Necked Turtles, and enter the forest. What will you find during your Island Exploration and Pond Platform adventure? From rare birds to fierce reptiles, you’ll soon discover for yourself.

This excursion is one of our most popular, as the island and pond ecosystem gives you access to wildlife you probably won’t find anywhere else. Just upriver from our Tambopata Research Center lodge, you’ll visit a small island in the middle of the Tambopata River. The island has a rich first-growth forest, including native bamboo groves, that draw in unique wildlife. During your Island Exploration, you’ll also visit a tiny pond brimming with life. From a platform in the middle of the pond, you can watch for fish, frogs, turtles, birds, and even Caiman.

Why You’ll Love the Island Exploration and Pond Platform

• Spot One-of-a-Kind Animals: The island and pond lie in the middle of a rainforest waterway. Due to their location and singular plant life, they attract both water and land animals that are hard to find elsewhere. You have a great chance to see animals like Hoatzin, Caiman, and Oropendola, that you may not encounter on the “mainland.”


• Explore a Unique Ecosystem: Like many islands, the plants that grow here often differ from others farther inland. Accompanied by your knowledgable guide, you’ll learn about the primary forest on the island, with its singular soil, water conditions, and plant life.