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You WILL See Animals in the Amazon!

You are here: Home / South America Travel / Peru / You WILL See Animals in the Amazon!

By Lina Stock on December 12, 2013 • Last updated August 25, 2020 • 8 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our Disclosure here

One of the first questions that come to mind about traveling to the Amazon usually involves:

Will I see animals on my visit to the Amazon Rainforest?

This is a legit question. If you are used to traveling to places like Mexico or the Caribbean, you know that animals are few and far between. The ones that are there are so sparse that you are very lucky to see them during your trip.  You come to accept that the closest you will get to see animals is the travel brochure you read while making your plans.

This was a bit of a concern for me when we’re planning your trip into the Peruvian Amazon. Every single brochure and website I came across was littered cover to cover with bright, beautiful animal photos. Even though we know deep down that we can never be guaranteed to see animals, it was clear the animals were there and I wanted to see them.

To my delight, we saw loads of animals on our 5 days in the Amazon Rainforest. We booked with a company that knew the best places to see them in their natural habitat and gave us plenty of opportunities for viewing. From the minute we stepped off the plane in Puerto Maldonado and arrived at the lodge, the wildlife was plentiful.

Puerto Maldonado

After leaving Lima and arriving in Puerto Maldonado, we settled into our room at the Wasai Puerto Maldonado Lodge for our first night. We were sure what to expect here and we hadn’t originally planned to stay a night here, but too many delays in Lima and a late arrival caused us to miss the boat to the lodge deep in the rainforest.

We didn’t have a choice but to stay a night in town before heading out the next morning. We were both surprised to find wildlife milling around on the property right in town.

Amazon Wildlife Peru
Huge ‘Hormegas colonas’ Ants

 

Amazon Wildlife Peru
Up Close & Personal- Sloth and Baby Climbing a Tree Next To Our Bungalow

Boating on the Tambopata River

The next day we woke up really early and visited a Clay Lick near the lodge on the Madre de Dios River. We saw a variety of small parrots and one chestnut Macaw which we thought was pretty amazing.

The 4-hour boat ride from Puerto Maldonado to the Tambopata Lodge was something I will always remember. Just cruising along and staring out the side of the boat at the vast array of trees and riverbanks was enough to spark your wildest imagination.

It wasn’t long before we started to see signs of wildlife. I was the first one to spot the family of Capybaras that were lounging and swimming on the river banks. We slowed the boat and the guide took us on close for a look.

Strange little creatures and they weren’t the least bit afraid of us. Good thing, because that provided ample opportunity to photograph them.

Amazon Animals Peru
Parrots on the small Clay Lick
Amazon Animals Peru
Capybara Family on the Riverbank

Night Hike in the Rainforest

After taking 4 hours to navigate from Puerto Maldonado to the lodge in the Amazon, it was already evening. We had just enough time to get settled in our bungalows and eat dinner before being briefed about our night hike into the Rainforest.

The goal of the hike is to find nocturnal animals and insects. We had pretty good luck on our hike, spotting many spiders, bugs, a snail and even a snake.

Amazon Animals Peru
Giant Snail Just Hanging Out On The Trail
Amazon Animals Peru
Praying Mantis
Amazon Animals Peru
HUGE Creepy Spider
Amazon Animals Peru
A Type of Amazon Scorpion
Amazon Animals Peru
Really Fast Tree Snake- Almost Missed the Photo Opportunity
Amazon Animals Peru
Not Sure What This is Called- But It Was Beautiful

Around The Lodge

After the night walk, I pretty much kept my guard up whenever I was walking around outside. The Amazon is never quiet, so you know there is always something close to you.

Once I really started paying attention, I found that there were animals everywhere. On several occasions, we heard monkeys, but we were never lucky enough to catch a glimpse of them.

I think the highlight of ‘around the lodge’ was a visit by a beautiful Red Tail Boa. He wandered onto the lodge grounds in search of lunch, which he found in a resident frog.

After his capture, he made his way into the kitchen at the main building and buried himself under the cabinets. One of the staff workers found him and we were able to get a closer look at him.

Amazon Hiking Animals Peru
These Little Guys Were Everywhere!
Amazon Animals Peru
More Bugs! Giant Beetle!
Amazon Animals Peru
Beautiful Red Tail Boa that Snuggled Up in the Kitchen at the Lodge! Photo courtesy of Noha Elhakeem

Colpa Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick

One of my favorite activities was getting up super early, think 3 AM, to visit the clay licks. I know this seems crazy, but those birds are wicked smart and if you don’t beat them to the clay lick, they will fly away when you arrive.

So getting up early is necessary if you want to see those beautiful birds.

We did this twice, once in Puerto Maldonado and again when we were deep in the Rainforest. We had the chance to visit Colpa Chuncho, which is a well-known clay lick in these parts of the woods.

We had an excellent visit that included the opportunity to see loads of Red & Green, Blue, and Scarlet Macaws. We also saw one Toucan and several smaller green parrots.

Amazon Animals Peru
Mr. Toucan WAY Up in the Trees
Amazon Animals Peru
Look At All That Color!
Amazon Animals Peru
Macaws Flying Above the Canopy

Caiman Night Search

Lastly, we participated in a night excursion of cruising down the Tambopata in search of Caimans. Caimans are a type of Amazon River Alligator. The day we went out kayaking we say a huge one swimming upriver.

He passed right between our kayaks and he was easily the size of both our kayaks combined. Sorry, we didn’t snap a photo of that one!

The night search was about finding Caimans on the riverbank. We cruised along in a wooden boat and shined for their eyes. We couldn’t believe it, but the banks of the river were just littered with them at night.

Little shining eyes were everywhere you looked so it didn’t take us long to find a few to check out. The ones pictured below are just young ones. Adult caimans can grow to 13 or more feet in length.

Amazon Animals Peru
Small Caiman Hanging Out Near Shore

Now we certainly didn’t see all the animals that the Amazon has to offer. But we sure got a nice sampling and many reasons for a return visit. So it goes without saying that yes,

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More on Peru:

  • How to Visit the Amazon in Peru
  • Wasai Tambopata Lodge in Peru: Lodge Review
  • Unforgettable Amazon with the Tambopata Research Center
  • Posada Amazonas Where Culture Meets the Amazon

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Article by Lina Stock

Lina is an award-winning photographer and writer that has been exploring the world since 2001. She has traveled to 100 countries on all 7 continents.

Member: SATW, NATJA, ATTA, ITWA

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Courtney says

    July 4, 2016 at 5:52 AM

    Hi – I am heading to Peru in December and would love some more info on where you stayed and what tour company you used?
    Also, what time of year did you travel?
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lina says

      July 10, 2016 at 7:19 AM

      Hi Courtney, Here is the link to the blog post I wrote on the lodge we stayed at: https://www.divergenttravelers.com/amazon-adventure-at-wasai-tambopata-lodge/ We traveled in late March, first few days of April. Peru is a great travel destination and I highly recommend a visit to the Amazon. Enjoy.

      Reply
  2. Dorian @ Objectif Voyage says

    February 6, 2015 at 12:11 PM

    OMG, just amazing! Can’t wait to hit the Amazon to witness all this beauty 🙂
    Planning to go there in 3 months… can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Lina says

      February 6, 2015 at 11:19 PM

      The Amazon is one of the most amazing places in the World! You will enjoy. 🙂

      Reply
  3. Bekah says

    March 8, 2014 at 7:34 AM

    I really enjoyed reading this and loved your pictures! I spent a bit of time in Puerto Maldonado and the Peruvian Rainforest a few years ago and would definitely recommend a trip there, especially for anyone interested in seeing animals where they should be, in their natural environment. Great memories!

    Reply
    • Lina says

      March 8, 2014 at 11:46 PM

      For sure, it was amazing. A lot of people think they need to visit Brazil to get a real Amazon experience but the Peruvian Amazon is nothing short of cool. we were so lucky to see all those animals. If you love birds, the Peruvian clay licks are some of the best in the World.

      Reply
  4. Angela says

    December 13, 2013 at 4:05 PM

    I love reading about your Peru adventures to see the similarities between our trips. Sounds like a great time with plenty of activities.

    Reply
    • Lina says

      December 13, 2013 at 4:15 PM

      Thanks! It’s been fun going through all the photos and putting together posts about it! One of the coolest things we have done. We plan to do some volunteer work at the Research center on our next visit. 🙂

      Reply

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We are David & Lina Stock, a married couple from NW Wisconsin who have been traveling together since 2001. We’ve visited nearly 100 countries on all 7 continents. You can learn more about us here.

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