LEARN Their unique calls

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The Ultimate Guide to Spotting Rainforest Monkeys

Monkeys abound in the trees around our Rainforest Expeditions lodges. But hidden in the dense jungle vegetation, it can be surprisingly hard to find them! So we’ve put together the ultimate guide to spotting monkeys in the rainforest, compiling our favorite tips and tricks to see — and snap amazing photos of — these lively primates.

Step 1: Learn their unique calls

It might seem counterintuitive, but the key to finding monkeys is actually using your ears, not your eyes! Take the time to memorize their calls:

  • The bird-like whistles of Tamarin and Squirrel Monkeys
  • The «whoops» of Dusky Titi Monkeys
  • The grunts of Capuchin and Howler Monkeys
  • The barking «alarm» calls of Spider Monkeys

Once you can pick their unique «voices» out of the rainforest soundtrack, you have a much better chance of spotting a monkey.

Step 2: Visit a Floodplain Forest

Floodplain forests are full of tall trees, close to rainforest rivers. Because they’re so close to rivers, the rainy season floods these forests, depositing valuable nutrients — which foster amazing biodiversity and enormous trees! This means monkeys, lots of them.

Monkeys come to floodplain forests to snack on figs from towering rainforest fig trees, and to find other food and water sources. These forests are some of the best spots to see and photograph monkeys. Lucky for us, our Rainforest Expeditions lodges sits near several floodplain forests, with the most remote, biodiverse one at our Tambopata Research Center lodge.

Step 3: Watch and listen to the canopy

Most monkey life occurs, of course, far above our heads in the tall trees of the rainforest. As you walk through the jungle or ride a quiet boat along the river, keep your eyes and ears on the canopy.

While monkeys are great climbers, they’re not exactly elegant climbers. They jump, swing, and crash through the trees. So listen for that crashing, the rustle of leaves up above, then wait… and usually, a monkey (or a hundred monkeys!) will soon come into view.

 

brown-capuchin-monkey-foraging

Step 4: Tread with caution

Like other rainforest wildlife, monkeys are often easily scared away by loud, bold, or aggressive humans. They’re especially shy in isolated areas of the forest, where they may not be used to humans and their antics. As you walk down jungle paths, keep noise to a minimum and avoid rustling clothing or loud electronic devices.

This goes doubly for snapping good photos. Monkeys tend not to sit still long enough to get a good shot, not to mention the strong back-light of the sky, so getting a decent photograph takes some patience to say the least.

Step 5: Take a guided «monkey walk»

Trained guides are invaluable for spotting rainforest animals, particularly elusive monkeys. A good guide will know the calls of specific monkey species and be familiar with their favorite places, foods, and their typical behaviors. Before booking a trip to a rainforest region — whether it be in Africa, South America, or Asia — check your lodge or tour company’s credentials. Make sure your guides are well-trained, well-compensated, and committed to treating monkeys and other wildlife with respect and discretion. It will make your experience so much more worthwhile!

At Rainforest Expeditions, our highly trained guides lead spectacular monkey walks through the floodplain forests near our lodges in Tambopata, Peru. To find out more about Amazon travel options, feel free to chat with our Amazon experts!

  • What our guest say

    • Valuation Excellent
    • 5/5

Jacob Shama May 2024

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Dreamer627120 March 2024

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

Unbelievable.... Magical Everything I have dreamed of since I was 8 years old but MORE 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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