Tambopata National Reserve

The Tambopata National Reserve is one of the true remaining jewels of the Amazon Rainforest. It’s a must-visit destination for Peru travelers and nature lovers from around the globe. Here, we give you some background on the Reserve’s history, ecology, and diversity.

What is the Tambopata National Reserve?

The Tambopata National Reserve is 274,690 hectares (1,061 square miles) of preserved land in Southeastern Peru. The Reserve has many diverse habitats, including lowland Amazon rainforest, riverine forest, and oxbow lakes. It’s crossed by three rivers: the Malinowski, the Tambopata, and the Madre de Dios rivers.

Because of the Reserve’s protected status and secluded location, it’s incredibly biodiverse. The reserve plays host to over 1,000 species of butterflies, 100 species of mammals, around 600 species of birds, and hundreds of species of trees and plants. In fact, this reserve and surrounding region are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet!

In the Tambopata National Reserve, there have been registered:

The Reserve and the surrounding area also have their own cultural background. Originally home to the Ese Eja People, many indigenous families still make their homes in the buffer zone of the Reserve itself. Within the boundaries of the reserve, the only human settlements are a few ranger stations, and our Tambopata Research Center lodge, known as the TRC. The TRC is in the Reserve because the lodge was established before the area received National Reserve status in 1996. This actually makes the TRC the most remote lodge in South America!

How Was the Tambopata National Reserve Created?

Starting in 1990, several biologists and conservationists began lobbying to protect the Tambopata area from development. They were passionate about preserving this area because it was (and is) one of the last remaining and largest areas of pristine rainforest. Specifically, Tambopata is one of the very few areas containing lowland and foothill rainforests and connects to cloud forests at higher elevations and wet savannahs! Even more, very few people were living in Tambopata’s most remote areas. Conservationists realized that the region could act as a major corridor between Manu National Park and Bolivia’s jungles. The area also harbored healthy populations of Tapirs, Jaguars, and other felines, Giant Otters, Harpy Eagles, many types of Macaws, and other animals that had disappeared from other parts of Amazonia.

At first, the area that includes the present-day Tambopata National Reserve and the nearby Bahuaja Sonene National Park was known as the “Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone,” as an earlier form of protection.  While “reserved zone” status did afford the area some protection, it left the window open for changes in land use, so the area was still at risk. Conservation organizations carried out further studies to help give the area a more permanent protected status, which showed that protecting the region was crucially important for biodiversity and could work with local cultures. Those studies helped build a strong case to change Tambopata’s status from a “reserved zone” to a “national reserve,” a more official, permanent protection. The Tambopata National Reserve was born!

Here is an interactive Google Map with the main lodges of the area, our lodges, and how far / close they are to the National Protected Areas

What Else Should I Know About Tambopata Travel?

• Now that you’re more familiar with the Tambopata National Reserve, maybe you’d like to know how to get there from your country or visit during a longer Peru trip. Learn how to get to Tambopata here, and see maps of Peru and the area here!
• Tambopata is a fascinating region with its own history, culture, and ecology. Read all about Tambopata here!
• Tambopata is seasonal, and it has a great variety of lodges and tours. Find our travel tips on when to go and what to see here!
• Finally, Tambopata has become a top tourist destination due to its natural beauty and the rainforest’s incredible biodiversity. Discover some of Tambopata’s top wildlife here!