Refugio Amazonas is a 32 bedrooms lodge of
Rainforest Expeditions, opened in 2005. Its location two hours upriver from
Posada Amazonas is ideal for stand alone three night experiences and for breaking the expeditions to and from
Tambopata Research Center.
Refugio Amazonas is built on a 200 hectare private reserve on the buffer zone of the
Tambopata National Reserve. It is becoming integrated to the communities of Brazil nut extractors that surround it, attempting to extend the benefits of ecotourism to the families that commit to the sustainable use of the forest within this buffer zone.
REFUGIO AMAZONAS – WHO IS IT FOR?
Refugio Amazonas is ideal for three night outings, travel to Tambopata Research Center, or families because:
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It takes over three hours to get there from
Puerto Maldonado and most of your first afternoon is spent on the river. Therefore, you should spend at least three nights at Refugio Amazonas to have time to fully explore the surrounding primary forest.
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The extra two hours of travel time are well paid in increased possibilities to encounter wildlife (the further from Puerto Maldonado, the less people there are, the less pressure on wildlife there is).
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Refugio Amazonas offers all of Posada Amazonas’ activities with one great addition: an authentic Brazil nut trail and camp.
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For those traveling to Tambopata Research Center, it brings you two hours nearer to your final destination (see Tambopata Research Center programs).
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For those traveling with children it offers the only attraction especially made for children, by children, in the Peruvian Amazon – The Children’s Rainforest Trail.
REFUGIO AMAZONAS - INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES
Refugio Amazonas is built using a combination of traditional native materials (wood, palm fronds, wild cane and clay) and architecture and modern day eco-lodge technology. The lodge consists of three wings of 8 rooms connected by raised boardwalks to a central, two story, 20 foot tall common area. This area has distinct ambiences serving as lobby, dining room, bar, shop and lounge. This structure is the heart of Refugio’s atmosphere: it provides great canopy views of the surrounding forest – from a hammock … and a whistle away from a drink!
The entire roof of the lodge is constructed using high quality crisneja palm fronds, whereas the floors are of tropical mahogany. The rooms complex is built of three 32 meter long structures with eight rooms per facility, for a total of 24 double bedrooms.
The rooms are 7 x 4 meters so they can comfortably hold three beds, although most are set up for two. The walls dividing each room are built using cane, and extend from the floor to about 2.5 meters height making each room private. The side that looks out to the forest does not have a wall or screening of any kind, acting as a large window facing the forest. The reason we have been able to incorporate this "luxurious" design into our lodge is because mosquitoes are not really a problem around the lodge clearing and the open section allows for an intimate contact with the rain forest. A second small window on the opposite side, set up very high, keeps the rooms well ventilated. Doors are replaced with drapes. Rooms are not soundproof.
Each room has a private bathroom with cold water only. Rooms and bathrooms are separated by drapes. Each room has beds, mosquito nets, bedside tables and hammocks or lounge chairs.
MEALS:
We provide self-serve three course meals at Refugio Amazonas. Meals consist of soup or appetizers, salad, main course, and desserts combining Peruvian and international cuisine. All fresh fruits and salads are thoroughly disinfected before serving. We also provide at all times unlimited amounts of boiled, filtered, cooled drinking water, coffee or tea and we provide fruit juices during the meals. If any visitor has special dietary requirements, we are happy to make individual arrangements, but please notify us.
COMMUNICATIONS:
Refugio Amazonas is in daily HF radio contact with our offices in Puerto Maldonado and Lima from where we are able to communicate by email, fax or phone with the rest of the world.
LIGHTING AND ELECTRICITY:
Refugio Amazonas has no electricity. Light is provided by numerous kerosene lamps and candles. A generator is turned on once a day to recharge batteries for guests or lodge facilities. At night it is very dark, so we recommend good flashlights.
Recommended by Lonely Planet 2007.
See our jungle programs: