Wilds of Tambopata tour, Peru

The lodge we stay at in the Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone was built using local materials and traditional techniques, there is no hot water or electricity – it is a small scale low impact operation. Responsible disposal of waste, recycling and low energy consumption are priorities. Local products are always used where possible, and staff employed at the lodge are from local communities.

The Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone, located south and east of Puerto Maldonado, comprises 1.5 million hectares. The Reserve Zone was created in 1990 by the Peruvian government working in partnership with local grassroots and international conservation organizations including the directors of the Wasai lodge. It protects the biological diversity of the entire watersheds of the Tavara and the Candamo Rivers and most of the watershed of the Tambopata River. This covers a huge diversity of forest habitats and wildlife, including pristine ox-bow lakes harbouring kingfishers, caiman and giant otters, spectacular waterfalls, clay licks visited by macaws, monkeys and tapirs, and rivers with white, sandy beaches.

The lodge is involved in various ongoing projects. The lodge runs courses in eco-tourism and tropical ecology for local schools and businesses. Free courses are made available for some university and school students. There is ongoing research at the lodge on subjects such as biology, tourism and interaction with local communities.

We are also now supporting the UK registered chairty Amantani. As this charity is very much in keeping with our ethos of small scale, targetted help which is educational & sustainabale. HuchuyYachaq is the other main Peruvian charity we support by paying a for a full time teacher. A % of all our income goes to support those projects.