Conservation in Action at Tapiche Jungle Reserve

location_onIquitos, Peru | Wildlife & Safari Tours
The Tapiche Reserve is a private Amazon rainforest conservation project located 400km upriver from Iquitos, Peru. We preserve primary forest and support local communities with eco-friendly employment opportunities.
Starting at $150 per night
Activity/Tourkeyboard_double_arrow_up
The Tapiche Reserve is a rainforest conservation project focused on preserving primary forest, restoring disturbed areas with native vegetation, and providing eco-sustainable job options to local people in an area dominated by logging and poaching. Your visit funds local salaries and helps us protect this precious place.

We don't catch, domesticate or otherwise manipulate wildlife, and when we fish we keep only enough for sustenance. We believe wild animals belong in the wild, and we use binoculars and telescopes to observe animals in their natural habitat from a respectful distance.

Accessible only by waterway, the Tapiche Reserve is situated 404 km up river from Iquitos, Peru. The day-long journey into the jungle takes you through increasingly remote areas, away from touristic centers, and into territory seldom traveled by outsiders. The trip from Iquitos to the Reserve includes navigating up the Amazon, Ucayali, and Tapiche Rivers.

Typical Daykeyboard_double_arrow_up
Day 1. The journey to the reserve begins early in the morning, traveling 3 hours up past the Amazon River to the Ucayali River, arriving in Requena for lunch. Then we navigate up the Tapiche River for another 4 hours. The Tapiche is a narrow river with a unique landscape, giving us the chance to observe wildlife on the river side, such as herons, several species of toucans, macaws, egrets, wild ducks, storks, grey dolphins (Sotalia fluviatilis) and pink dolphins (Inia geoffrensis).

Day 2. Light breakfast at 05:00, then embark on a 10km trek through the terra fime forest deep into the Reserve, where we will marvel at gigantic centenary huimba (Ceiba pentandra) trees. We may encounter South American coati (Nasua nasua), saddleback tamarin (saguinusfuscicollis), common squirrel monkeys (saimiri sciureus sciureus), and other land mammals. Second breakfast will be picnic style around 09:00, providing the fuel we will need to complete the trek and return to the lodge for hot lunch around 13:00.

After our long morning hike, you can relax in a canoe that your guide will row silently along the edge of the jungle, looking for animals that come to the water to catch the warmth of the last sunlight. Return to lodge for hot dinner.

Day 3. Light breakfast at 5am followed by a 12 km trek along the Chambira creek, where the giant otters (Pteroneura brasiliensis) make their home during the dry season. The hike will take us deep into a different side of the Reserve through an amazing ciliar forest. Second breakfast will again be picnic style. There is a great concentration of mammals in the area, including the rare red uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus rubicundus) and red howler monkeys (Alouatta seniculus). Along the way, we will also discuss medicinal plants growing in the wild and learn about their preparation and use. Return for hot lunch at the lodge around 1pm.

In the afternoon we will take the canoe again along the Tapiche River to what we call "dolphin corner", a spot where the pink dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) and gray dolphins (Sotalia fluviatilis) come every afternoon to hunt. Return to the lodge for hot dinner.

Day 4. All day out. Light breakfast at 05:00. We will travel by canoe along stunning primary Gallery forest to arrive at the Garza Lagoon. Second breakfast is picnic style. On the Lagoon it is possible to observe the great black caiman (Melanosuchus niger) in broad daylight. We will fish for our lunch, which is often red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) grilled fresh over an open fire. After enjoying views of the expansive lagoon with lunch, we will continue canoeing into the swampy areas of the reserve, which is the territory of more black caiman, dusky titis (Callicebus moloch), large groups of red howler monkeys, and all kinds of eye-catching jungle birds. Return at sunset for hot dinner at the lodge.

Day 5. Full breakfast at the lodge. Return transport to Iquitos.

Doble room ensuite, insect proof.
Doble room ensuite, insect proof. (enlarge)
Rates & Availabilitykeyboard_double_arrow_up
(All rates in USD $)
Trip type
Rate per person per day
5d/4n Shared guide rate pp/day
145

Solo transport fee applies for single travelers








Shared guide options begin at USD 145/day per person
Private guide options begin at USD 180/day per person for a group of 5



Hammock insect proof house
Hammock insect proof house (enlarge)
Age range, type of groupkeyboard_double_arrow_up
Recommended for those who enjoy rustic conditions of the outdoors and wish to venture deep into the jungle. No age restrictions, but guests should consider their own health and physical abilities. Due to our remote location, we do not recommend the trip for those with serious health limitations or for very young children. Travel and participation is at each traveler's own risk.

Canoeing
Canoeing (enlarge)
Sleeping and mealskeyboard_double_arrow_up
Trip packages to the Tapiche Reserve include transport, meals, lodging, and guided activities.

Afternoon boat lagooon visit
Afternoon boat lagooon visit (enlarge)
Policies & Restrictionskeyboard_double_arrow_up
We limit our shared guide visitor groups to 6 to maximize wildlife viewing and reduce environmental impact.

We ask that all guests refrain from smoking at the reserve.

We design our sightseeing programs to cover several types of habitats within a short distance. Guided activities have been developed to allow you to see as much as possible during your visit. While experiencing ayahuasca is a popular touristic activity in the Peruvian Amazon, we do not perform ayahuasca ceremonies at the Reserve. Our goal is to share nature, wild life, and local knowledge of the jungle.

Floded forest canoe trip
Floded forest canoe trip (enlarge)
keyboard_double_arrow_up
The Reserve is located in primary rain forest, and it is our mission to coexist with the jungle environment without disturbing its natural processes. We have ongoing efforts to save a species of river turtle known locally as taricaya (Podocnemis unifilis), which can live to 60 years of age and plays a crucial part in the region's ecosystem. We have also been monitoring our populations of red uakari monkey (Cacajao calvus), which is nearly extinct in Peru due to hunting and the destruction of its habitat.

We create projects that provide work for local people, offering them eco-friendly income alternatives to logging, poaching and prostitution. Recent projects include cultivating acai palm trees for future eco-friendly harvest and building a 35m canopy observation tower.

By choosing to visit the jungle with us, you are directly helping us maintain and protect these projects, the Reserve and the local people. Your presence on the trails and in the creeks helps us maintain the area. Your financial contribution pays for lodge and boat maintenance and the local people's salaries.

We'd like to highlight two main areas of concern with regards to conservation in our area: the illegal animal trade and the illegal logging trade. Both are booming business sectors that have been deeply entrenched in the local psyche and economy for years. Yet, like all businesses, they are driven by demand. And who is doing the demanding? Tourists, clients, customers, buyers...basically you. You can help change the landscape of the market simply by making conscious decisions about what you spend you spend your money on, regardless of whether you're buying experiences, food, souvenirs or furniture.
Other Informationkeyboard_double_arrow_up
Group discounts, custom itineraries and specialized activities (birdwatching, mammalwatching, sport fishing, animal tracking) available, please inquire
Nearby Attractions and Serviceskeyboard_double_arrow_up
Description Distance
Pacaya Samiria National Reserve
100 km
Map & Directionskeyboard_double_arrow_up

Ricardo Palma 516, Iquitos, Peru 1600

Points of Interest

animals

Reserva Tapiche Real Jugle Experience

Tapiche river 404 km from Iquitos
hotel

Green Track Hostel office

Ricardo Palma, Iquitos, Peru
Host's Infokeyboard_double_arrow_up

Tapiche Jungle Reserve
When you sign up to go to the jungle with us, you're not just going to experience one of the purest, most pristine primary rainforests on earth. It's not just about witnessing wild animals of the air, land and water in their natural habitats, undisturbed, like you've probably never seen before. Thos...
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Ricardo Palma 516
Iquitos, Peru 1600

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Tapiche Jungle Reserve
Tapiche Reserve
Ricardo Palma 516
Iquitos,
Peru


Listing # RA-1277203








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