Kids Amazon Holiday

One of our regular naturalist with a feel for kids will be assigned to your groups. If solicited, a separate guide will be assigned to the rest of the family for regular activities.

Upon arrival from Lima or Cusco, we will welcome you at the airport and drive you ten minutes to our Puerto Maldonado headquarters. While enjoying your first taste of the forest in our gardens we will ask you to pack only the necessary gear for your next few days, and leave the rest at our safe deposit. This helps us keep the boats and cargo light.

Skirting Puerto Maldonado, we drive 20 kilometres to the Tambopata River Port, entering the Native Community of Infierno. The port is a communal business.

Next, it’s a two and a half hour boat ride from the Tambopata Port to Refugio Amazonas will take us past the Community of Infierno and the Tambopata National Reserve´s checkpoint and into the buffer zone of this 1.3 million hectare conservation unit. We have lunch on board the boat.

Upon arrival, the lodge manager will welcome you and brief you with important navigation and security tips, and then you settle in, listening to the forest and readying for dinner.

After dinner, we come together and receive our story-telling introduction to the children’s programme. We walk the forest along a path of lights, ending at the circle of fire. Tawa, an ancient healer, lives here in a house filled with magic potions made from local plants. He will tell us all about “Ania” and her life in the forest and will prepare the little ones for their Amazon adventure.

Optional “A la Carte” activities 

These tours are available to add at extra cost. You may have to omit some of the set trips to be able to have time to fit these in.

Night Walk: Experience the sounds of frogs, insects, and other nocturnal animals. 

Piranha fishing: Catch and release of this symbolic species while looking out for otters and caiman.

Build a Jungle Raft: Use traditional techniques to create a working raft.

Giant Otter Search: We look for a family of these adorable creatures in a nearby lake, as well as monkeys, caiman, and birds.

Canopy Tower:  An opportunity to view the rainforest from the heights of the 25 meter scaffolding canopy tower. 

Parakeet clay lick: A dawn visit to a clay lick attracting both parrots and parakeets.

Ese Eja Day: (opening 2023) Learn local traditions, cultures, and history.

Oxbow Lake Visit: We will visit an oxbow lake, observing wildlife from a traditional canoe. 

Birdwatching: More than 600 bird species await on this birdwatching-specific tour.

Ethnobotanical Tour:  On a rainforest trail we will learn about the traditional and medicinal use of local plants.

Children’s Trail: Expert guides bring the forest to life with scavenger hunts and gripping stories.

Farm Visit: We visit a family owned farm growing popular and little known Amazonian crops.

Sunset Cruise: Enjoy the river and its surroundings at sunset.

Circle of Fire: Fireside stories to connect children with nature and the environment.

Rainforest tattoo: A beautiful, artistic, and temporary reminder of your time in the Amazon.

Brazil Trail Nut Trail:  A chance to learn about the harvesting of Brazil nuts.

Ceiba Walk: Hike to some of the forest’s largest Brazil nut trees, some of them jaw-dropping in size.

Night lectures: Listen to the experts explain the rainforest’s secrets.

Tambopata National Reserve Lecture: Nightly lectures on conservation, threats, opportunities, and projects in the Tambopata National Reserve.

KIDS (AM):
The Children’s Rainforest Trail: Ania & The World’s Voice. A short trail designed for children with the help of ANIA, an environmental education NGO.

Kids aged 4-10 hike with a guide through a challenging (but short) trail where they follow maps, solve riddles and find clues that will lead them to Ania’s ‘gifts’. Looking for the lost Brazil nut, finding the city of ants and a host of games and stories provide a great way of learning about life in the rainforest and the need for conservation.

The concept, the story and the trail are trademarked by ANIA, a non profit with the mission of creating 100,000 hectares of’“Tierras de los Niños’ (Children’s Lands) – private protected areas in the management of children.

ADULTS (AM):
Parrot Clay Lick: A fifteen-minute boat ride and sixty minute walk from the lodge s is a clay lick used both by parrots and parakeets. From a blind you will see parrots and parakeets descend on most clear days to ingest the clay on a bank. Species such as Dusky-headed and Cobalt-winged Parakeet descend at this clay lick.

With luck we will also see some or all of the following species in the early morning rush: Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons, Blue-headed Pionus, Severe macaw and Orange-cheeled (Barraband’s) Parrot. We visit the lick at dawn, when parrots are most active or in midmorning or early afternoon, when they are active.

Mammal Clay Lick: Twenty minutes walking from the lodge is a peccary clay lick. These wild rain forest pigs show up in herds of five to twenty individuals to eat clay in the late morning. Chances of spotting them are around 15%, but well worth the short hike. Other wildlife also shows up including deer, guan and parakeets.

Then it’s lunch at the lodge, followed by more activities in the afternoon after the hear of the midday sun has passed.

JOINT ACTIVITY (PM):

Farm Visit:  Five minutes downriver from the lodge lies a farm owned and managed by charismatic Don Manuel from the neighbouring community of Condenado. He grows a variety of popular and unknown Amazon crops – just about every plant and tree you see serves a purpose. It’s a great way to see exotic fruits and plants up close and for the children to understand where and how they grow.

After dinner there is the option of a caiman search (more suitable for slightly older children). We will be out at the river’s edge at night, scanning the shores with headlamps and flashlights to catch the red gleams of reflection from caiman eyes.

Overnight in the lodge.

KIDS (AM):

Rainforest Tattoo: At the lodge we will prepare a paste from the fruit of huito and achiote to draw dark blue and red tattoos on ourselves. They last several days.

ADULTS (AM):
Oxbow Lake Visit: We will paddle around the lake on a canoe or a catamaran, looking for lakeside wildlife such as hoatzin, caiman and horned screamers, hoping to see the otters which are infrequently seen here. You will also be rewarded with overhead sightings of macaws, and then we all meet back up for lunch.

Ethnobotanical Tour: Along this trail we will find a variety of plants and trees that are used by the local population with at least the same variety of purposes. We will learn about the medicinal (and other) uses of Ajo-Sacha, Yuca de Venado, Uña de Gato, Charcot-Sacha, Para-Para, among several others.

JOINT ACTIVITY (PM):

After lunch, it’s the canopy tower for all.

A thirty-minute walk from the lodge leads to the 25 metre scaffolding canopy tower. A staircase – with bannisters – running through the middle provides safe access to the platforms above. The tower has been built upon high ground, therefore increasing your horizon of the continuous primary forest extending out towards the Tambopata National Reserve. From here views of mixed species canopy flocks as well as toucans, macaws and raptors are likely.

After dinner, there is a night walk on offer. You will have the option of hiking out at night, when most of the mammals are active but difficult to see. Easier to find are frogs with shapes and sounds as bizarre as their natural histories.

Overnight at lodge.

After breakfast, we transfer by boat to Puerto Maldonaldo. We retrace our river and road journey back to Puerto Maldonado, our office and the airport. Depending on airline schedules, this may require dawn departures.

Note: The described itinerary many vary according to the weather, season, flight times or personal choice.

Peru is the perfect holiday destination for adventure travellers that want an amazing variety of activity, geography and cultural travel experiences.

The breadth of travel experiences in Peru is breathtaking – from trekking in the Andes to Machu Picchu to the tropical jungle of the Amazon, and plenty in between.

The people of Peru make it a special destination too, with its colourful and traditional street life and friendly locals.

Peru is made up of 3 distinct geographical areas: the coast, the mountains and the jungle.

The costa or coastal region is a narrow ribbon of desert 2,250 km long, crossed by fertile river valleys flowing from the Andes. It takes up 11% of the country and holds more than 40% of the population.

The cold Humboldt current gives rise to a blanket of mist – the garua – which hangs above coastal cities like the capital Lima from May to November.

Heading east, you’re soon climbing above the garua and into the Andes. The sierra, or mountainous region, covers some 25% of Peru’s territory and contains 50% of the population. The sierra inhabitants are mainly Indigenous or Mestizo, and many still speak Quechua or Aymara.

The sierra contains dozens of 6,000-metre snow peaks and volcanoes, including Huascaran (6,768m) the highest mountain in the tropics. The deep valley basins contain most of the towns and arable land; the terracing and canal systems of the Incas and pre-Incas are often still used today.

The eastern Andes are heavily forested up to 3,350m and sweep down into the Amazon Basin.

Peru’s selva or jungle makes up almost two thirds of the country’s area, but holds only about 6% of the population: the only towns with significant populations are Iquitos and Pucallpa.

The Amazon rainforest

Year-round, weather conditions are hot and humid and there is always the risk of rain

There is a ‘dry season’ in Tambopata and Manu between May and October. The average daytime high temperature is between 25°C and 34°C and the average nighttime low is between 16°C and 22°C. Heavy downpours typically occur every few days.

Around 80% of annual average rainfall – approx 2,000 mm in Manu and Tambopata and 1,400 mm in Iquitos – occurs in the wet season Nov-April.

On rare occasions, between May and September, cold fronts from Argentina – ‘friajes’ – can sweep into southwest Amazonia and push temperatures down to 9° C. (Friajes usually last between 1 and 3 days).

Good kit is vital for every trip.

Book with Andean Trails and get 15% off Páramo’s fantastic ethical and high performance outdoor gear.

You can also read our blog about a day in the Amazon rainforest of Peru.

Detailed kit list

• The original and a photocopy of your passport.
• Yellow fever inoculation certificate.
• Good binoculars.
• Tight-weave, light weight long trousers.
• Quick dry socks.
• Rain suit or long poncho (100% waterproof – test before you leave home).
• Long-sleeved tight-weave shirts.
• T-shirts.
• A bottle or canteen to carry water on outings (1-2 litres).
• Sunscreen (factor 30+) and lip salve.
• A broad-brimmed hat that will not come off on windy boat-rides.
• 1-2 pairs of shorts.
• Sunglasses with UV filter.
• A pair of trainers.
• Ankle high, hiking boots.
• Insect repellent.
• Towel & wash-kit.
• Wet Wipes/antiseptic hand-wash cream.
• Head-lamp (plus spare bulb and batteries).
• Personal first-aid kit to include: painkillers, plasters (band-aids), moleskin, anti-biotic cream, general antibiotics (ask your GP), after-bite (tiger balm), anti-diarrhoea tablets, throat lozenges, re-hydration salts & personal medication.
• Cash (small denomination bills) for souvenirs at the lodge, alcoholic beverages, etc.
• A small day pack, 30 litres.
• Camera and film / memory cards (take at least twice the amount you think you will need!).
• Book, e-book, mp3 player/ipod or other to help pass the time.
• Spanish/English phrasebook.
• Extra snacks i.e. cereal bars or favourite chocolate bars.

Please note: Guests should arrive in clothes which they do not mind getting slightly dirty or wet, and should wear footwear that is suitable to walk on a rainforest trail. Sun cream, insect repellent, hat and waterproof clothing should be carried in hand luggage and kept accessible for the journey to the lodge.

You may want to keep your binoculars and camera handy, too.

All bedding, toilet paper etc. is provided at the lodge (or camp, if camping).

Andean Trails has 25 years of experience of putting together the best South America holidays.

We pay a fee to the CAA for every licensable passenger we book since we hold an Air Travel Organiser’s Licence granted by the Civil Aviation Authority. In the unlikely event of our insolvency, the CAA will ensure that you are not stranded abroad and will arrange to refund any money you have paid to us for an advance booking.

We also offer ATOL (Civil Aviation Authority) protected holidays to give our customers peace of mind when booking and travelling.

When you buy an ATOL protected air holiday package from Andean Trails Ltd you will receive a Confirmation Invoice from us confirming your arrangements and your protection under our Air Travel Organiser’s Licence number 6275.

You can read more about ATOL, who is covered and what protections you have if not ATOL-covered, on our ATOL page.

What is ATOL?

The CAA’s ATOL scheme offers protection to your money and your holiday if you book with us. Not everybody is covered (see ‘Who is covered?’ for more), as you must purchase an ‘air package holiday’ with Andean Trails to be protected.

And  ‘air package holiday’ is defined as including a flight and some ground services (hotel, transfer, trek etc). This is also known as an ‘ATOL-protected holiday’.

Who is covered?

To be covered by ATOL, you must book a flight and some ground services with us and be from the UK. If you are from the UK and only book ground services and no flights, you are not covered by ATOL (see below for more on how non-ATOL clients are covered).

If you are outside the UK and buy flights with us, you will be ATOL protected IF any of the flights booked with Andean Trails touches/stops in the UK at any point during your holiday package booked with us.

If you buy your flights elsewhere, please check with that agent if you are ATOL protected. Be careful with online flight purchases and make sure you know what protection you have, if any, before paying for flights.

Not all holiday or travel services offered and sold by us will be protected by the ATOL scheme. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking.

For land only holidays not involving any air travel, in accordance with “The Package Travel, Package Holidays and Package Tours Regulations 1992”, all UK passengers booking with Andean Trails Ltd. are fully protected for the initial deposit and subsequently the balance of all money paid to us, arising from cancellation or curtailment of travel arrangements due to the insolvency of Andean Trails.

I’m not ATOL covered, what protection do I have?

If you are not ATOL covered, any payments you make to us go to a Trust account.

We can only access this money once your tour has been completed, meaning that if anything happens to Andean Trails Limited while you are on holiday, then your money is secure and you can either complete the trip or be able to make it home.

If you pay for your holiday with a credit card, some offer payment protection – please check with your cardholder.

You also should have cancellation protection written into your insurance (which we recommend you have at the time of booking) in case you need to cancel.