The Amazon jungle is named after the Amazon river, which extends into six countries; Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil. It is one of the richest and most biodiverse areas of the world. The Amazon is home to thousands of species of insects, birds and monkeys, including the giant bee and macaws. You will also find the world’s biggest mammal, the Capybara, and the world’s longest water snake, the iconic Anaconda…

The Chunco Clay Lick adventure begins in a lodge where you are surrounded by Peru’s southern jungle. We will visit a jungle lake by boat where you will spot caimans (reptiles) on the riverbank.
The second part of the adventure will have you back on the river for a beautiful boat tour, which takes you to the campsite, where you will camp for the night. After an early rise in the morning, you will visit the famous Chunco Clay Lick, where the colorful macaws gather to feed on the minerals.

At a Glance

• Lake Visit & Caiman Boat Trip
• Chunco Clay Lick (Bahuaja Sonene National Park)
• River Boat Tour
• Lodge & Camping Site

Itinerary / Day-to-day:

Day 1: Puerto Maldonado – Amazonian Lodge
You arrive at the airport of Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to the southern Amazon jungle of Peru. We will pick you up and bring you by car straight to the Amazon river. Your adventure begins upon arrival, as we take the boat for 1.5 hours to the lodge. On the way, you are sure to spot wildlife, perhaps even the elusive jaguar…

In the afternoon you will arrive at the lodge and get acclimated to jungle life. Before the welcome dinner, we will make our first jungle walk. This night walk is an opportunity for you to spot spiders, night birds and other smaller species.

Enjoy the sleep with the evocative sounds of the jungle birds and howler monkeys all around you.

Day 2: Jungle lake
After an early rising, we will walk 30 minutes to a jungle lake, where we hope to spot the rare giant otters. On the way we will hear and see many species of insects, birds and and of course the many different kinds of monkeys.

Around 10 am we arrive back in the lodge for breakfast. The time after that you can enjoy a good rest in a hammock. In the afternoon we can take a short walk If you want, or can enjoy a rest in the jungle.

Late in the afternoon, we are back out on the boat, on the river, spotting caimans. Dinner will follow.

After dinner prepare for the next day: our visit to Chunco Clay Lick

Day 3: Boat tour & camping Chunco Clay Lick
We start with an early breakfast, before leaving for the famous Chunco Clay Lick. We have a very good chance of spotting many macaws and other species of parrots, feeding off the minerals in the lick, early in the morning. We will camp close to the clay lick. We will go to the campsite via a 6 hour-boat tour.

We leave by 9 am with a one hour lunch break in between. After we get acclimated at the campsite, we can make a nightwalk into the beautiful national park. In the Tambopata National Reserve we might see birds, monkeys and maybe a jaguar or perhaps the tapir. A tapir is a large herbivorous mammal, similar in shape to the pig, with a short, prehensile snout.

Our personal cook will prepare a nice dinner at the campsite upon our return. Then it’s early to bed to prepare for the following day.

Day 4: Chunco Macaw Clay Lick
We have an early rise at 5.30am, so that we have optimal viewing of the birds early in the morning. We will take the boat 10 minutes upstream, right to the Chunco Clay Lick. There we hope to see several species of parrots and macaws feeding off of the mud, where the birds extract minerals to clean their stomachs from poisonous seeds they consume.

We will return for breakfast at the nearby campsite. Then we leave the site around 10 am by boat. On the way back, we will have a picnic lunch at El Gato, a favored place for travelers, as it is a natural place where you can swim, fishing, boat or hike.

We arrive back at the lodge around 2 pm. You will have plenty of time to relax and pack and enjoy your last night in the Amazon jungle.

Day 5: Return to Puerto Maldonado
Today we leave the lodge and return to Puerto Maldonado town by boat.

Indication price USD $690
What`s included: transportation, lodge, food, campingsite & cook, entrances, guiding service

MIND: The trip requires a minimum of 3 persons.

Still one day left but we absolutely love it here! So incredible to see so many different species! A great place for biodiversity and eco-tourism – would recommend to everyone. Two thumbs up!!

Kate & Simon Harvey, Canada, June 2015