Stories
Steve Gettle Tambopata Photography Trip Report
I Steve Gettle just returned from a great trip to Peru where I visited the Tambopata National Reserve, a reserve the size of Belgium with 600 species of birds, 1300 different butterflies, and 300 species of mammals. Not only was this trip productive photographically but it was also an epic adventure. After the flight to Lima, it was just a short flight to Puerto Maldonado where I boarded a bus for the ride to the Tambopata River, where the real journey begins.
Once on the river, I traveled by motorized canoe deep into the Amazon jungle. The destination is a series of three lodges which are located along the river, these lodges served as my base while I explored the area. TRC is the last lodge deep in the jungle is actually a research center and arguably the most remote lodge in all of South America!
The main attraction here is the macaws. The Tambopata contains 10% of the world’s macaw population. And the world’s largest clay lick. Macaws gather at clay licks to ingest the clay where they get minerals that are not available in their jungle diet. While I was there I was able to not only photograph them at the clay lick but also to photograph them as they flew back and forth. Since they usually fly together as mated pairs, this is exponentially harder than shooting a single bird in flight. Now not only do I have the shadows from the other bird to deal with, but I also have two sets of wing positions to worry about getting right.
In addition to the macaws, there were tons of other birds as well as lots of amazing insects and amphibians that I shot on our nightly jungle walks. You can see a gallery showcasing some more of my favorite images from the trip here.
I will be leading a photo tour to the Peruvian Amazon in the fall of 2013. In addition to duplicating this amazing adventure, there will be an optional 4-day extension to Machu Picchu as well.
More information will be coming in an upcoming newsletter.
A special note of thanks to Jeff Cremer of Rainforest Expeditions who served as my host and guide on this trip. We had a great time and an epic adventure.
So, now you want to join a Photo Tour of the Amazon Rainforest with Us? Photo tour of the Amazon Rainforest
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What our guest say
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- Valuation Excellent
- 5/5
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The lodge is located in the middle of the forest accessible only by boat. The experience was very unique and exciting. Service is great, and the fun part are the nature activities and tours the hotel offers for free. We had an amazing tour guide that had a lot of knowledge and was fun to spend time with. The rooms are totally open to the forest which is really cool the struggle is the there is no privacy at all in between the rooms, also food was pretty basic. All together a very unique experience. Read all
This hotel is the perfect blend of comfort and hospitality, with the natural experience. The hotel is reached by a hours boat ride from Puerto Maldonado, expertly organized and accomplished. Most staff are members of the local Esa Ejja community. The food is good and plentiful. Hot water is always available and lovely bedding features mosquito nets. There is of course no air conditioning (one side wall is open in rach room) and the electricity is off for a few hours at night affecting overhead fans, so I was glad to have brought a small battery powered fan for sleeping. But the best of the experience is the wildlife. Our expert guide Oscar Mishaja introduced us to nearly 100 bird species, along with caimans, river otters, poison dart frogs and capybara. A trip of a lifetime. Read all
Excellent experience overall— really kind and welcoming staff at every point of the journey. All transfers were well organized and smooth. Excellent and educational excursions all around the rainforest. Delicious food for every meal. We had wonderful guides- Freet and Alvaro. Enjoyed our time here! Read all
We had a surreal experience at Refugio Amazonas. From the well organized transportation to the warm welcome, hospitality and the experience of living in nature - we loved it all. Huge shout out to our guide Boris who went out of his way to ensure we had a good experience and got to watch all kinds of wild life. The meals and cocktails were delicious. And even though this place is smack in the middle of the jungle there was super fast WiFi available. We made unforgettable memories. Read all
We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. Read all
We had an amazing time in TRC. From the guide, tours, lounge staff, food and room, everything has exceeded our expectation and like an amazing dream came true. This is the only lounge available in Tambopata national park, and this eco lounge takes environment seriously. We highly recommend to directly book with the lounge website, so that you got a private guide for your group. Special thanks to our guide Saul, who made this experience extra special! We were so impressed by his knowledge about all the animals and the rainforest. If you are a natural lover, you can’t miss this place Read all
Excellent and luxurious place, wonderful experience and our guide Boris was first class, he had a unique patience with my 8 year old son. An experience in the tropical rainforest that marks the life of its visitors. In addition to the scientific research that takes place in the place: a whole research center. Rooms: Very comfortable and luxuriou Read all
El mejor hotel para visitar la Amazonia peruana. Hotel eco turístico metido en medio de la selva, equipado para visitar y vivir la selva, su flora y fauna, en todas sus facetas. Todo incluido, con guías preparados y amables, resultó una experiencia increíble para mi familia. Dentro de las opciones no se debe perder el Canopy de 45 metros de altura para observar y escuchar la selva, así como el lago de las tres Chimbadas, lugar único para ver caimanes, nutrias gigantes, monos y aves exóticas. Recomiendo mínimo dos noches!!! Read all
Wunderbare lodge mit freundlichen Menschen. sehr persönliche guides, tolle Tourangebote und super kulinarische Verpflegung ! Wir wurden herzlichst von Caesar empfangen und unser guide JuanJo hat uns phantastische Dinge gezeigt. Wir können die lodge nur wärmstens empfehlen! Read all
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February 27, 2015 Deception in the Jungle: the Ant-mimicking Spider...
Things aren't always as they seem in the jungle. As the sun was setting and we were heading back to the Tambopata Research Center, Chris Johns made a very cool spot. At first, it ...
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October 01, 2016 Animal Collective Nouns...
Can you find a company of parrots on your next tour of Tambopata? One of the guides asked me the other day what a group of frogs is cal...
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July 29, 2013 Tropical Herping Visits Our Amazon Jungle Lodge...
We recently had the pleasure of hosting Tropical Herping, a team of biologists and photographers from Ecuador, at our lodges. Tropical Herping performed an extensive survey of ou...
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