The Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick is one of our signature tours. We have designed this program to offer you the most and the best of the Tambopata National Reserve.
Tambopata is rich in biodiversity, home to over 1500 distinct species of butterflies and 650 species of birds. Eight species of Macaws, including the Scarlet Macaw, inhabit Tambopata.
Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick or Tambopata Clay Lick is a unique experience. Hundreds of brightly colored Macaws, parrots, and parakeets fly to the cliffs to eat clay. The clay in Chuncho is rich with a distinct salt that helps these birds flush out toxins from their bodies.
Tambopata, named after the emblematic Tambopata River, rises above 3,900 meters in altitude in the snow-capped Pelechuco mountains that dominate the Peruvian-Bolivian highlands. It then flows down to the Peruvian Amazon. In Quechua, “Tambo” means resting place, and “Pata” means “high place.”
The Tambopata Rainforest is also home to the “Ese Eja” community, a group of indigenous natives who have lived there for decades. The Ese Eja are known as jungle people, and their communities, Sonene and Infierno, are part of this tribe.
The main sources of income for the Ese Eja are fishing, farming, and hunting. However, they have gradually begun participating in tourism activities. At Palotoa Amazon Travel, we employ Ese Ejas as boatmen and chefs, giving them an opportunity to become familiarized with the world outside the Amazon Rainforest.
We will be picking you up from the bus terminal or Puerto Maldonado Airport and will transfer you to our office. We will then give you a short briefing on what to expect on your three-day Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick Tour.
If you are carrying any heavy luggage, we recommend you leave it at our office while you are on the tour.
We will then drive you for an hour to the boat pier. Here we will board our motorized boat to our lodge deep in the Tambopata National Reserve. During the trip, we will make a stop for a walk in the primary forest to try to see the biodiversity of this place. After walking for a while, we will reach a very high observation tower. From there, we will be able to see the ecosystem and the Amazonian plain. Continuing the boat trip, we will arrive at our lodge. The lodge staff will extend a warm welcome to you.
We will accommodate you in an ensuite room. Afterward, a typical Amazonian meal will be served for lunch. After lunch, we will hike one of the interesting trails through the forest to see different animals, mammals, snakes, and insects.
After the tour, we will return to the lodge where dinner will be served.
Our second day begins early at 04:00 AM. We will embark on an hour and a half boat ride to see the Chuncho Macaw Clay Lick. This is an unmissable sight in South America.
The boat ride from the lodge to Chuncho is interesting. You will spot many mammals and animals on the riverbanks, including Capybaras, the world’s largest rodents.
After the Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick experience, we will return to the lodge for breakfast and spend the morning relaxing in the hammocks amidst the world’s largest rainforest – the Amazon. After lunch, we will hike on one of the trails through the botanical garden.
On this tour, you will be able to see different species of plants, flowers, and fruits. Our local expert will share insights into these plants and their uses among locals. We will then continue the trail to spot more animals and birds.
After witnessing the sunset, we will return to the lodge for dinner. After dinner, we will embark on a short night tour to spot nocturnal animals and insects.
Another early day of the three-day tour. After breakfast, we will leave at daybreak to explore more biodiversity in the Tambopata forest. After the tour, we will return to the lodge to relax.
We will then check out from the lodge and take the motorboat back to the boat pier, where our driver will be waiting to transfer us back to our office.
Depending on your flight or bus time, we can transfer you to the airport or bus terminal.
The size of the group is 9 people per guide; if we have more than 10 to 14, we send a second guide (not an assistant). If there are more than 14 people, we divide into 2 totally independent groups both with their own cars, boats, guides, and cooks.
Yes, the boats have roofs that will protect them from sun and rain. This does not ensure that you do not get wet during the navigation because it could get wet on the sides.
We request that hikers bring their own water the first day, since the containers with water will be accessible at dinner time. The rest of the trip, we will provide bottled and purified mineral water that we bring from Cusco.
Our meals are varied and tailored to the taste of our hikers. In addition, they are foods that last the heat and humidity of the rainforest. Breakfasts consist of omelettes, scrambled eggs, pancakes, etc.
To be comfortable, we provide tents with capacity for 4 people, for 2 people. We also provide comfortable mats. The tents do not need a mosquito net because they carry mosquito nets at the door. It is necessary to take a sleeping bag to the Camouflaged House, which you can replace with a thin blanket or, if you prefer, you can rent it with us for $2.00 a day.
The dry season is a good season to see these birds. The reason is that birds in some stations migrate to places of fruit production or, in some cases, eat only seeds per season. The seeds are toxic in general to prevent birds from eating them; however, if the macaws eat them, they increase the poison in their stomachs, and to neutralize the acids and poisons that are produced in their stomachs, they eat nutritious clay.
In the rainy season, there are many fruits until the beginning of the dry season, which is May. Then the macaws eat fewer seeds and fruits that are less toxic and feel less need to eat the clay. This means that there are few macaws present. At midday of the dry season, there could be the presence of 100 to 150 macaws present in a morning, unlike only 10 to 50 at the end of the rainy season.
The first night at Rainforest Lodge (600 m.a.s.l.) the temperature is around 27°C. In the low forest of the Manu, the temperature at night is normally around 27°C, and during the day about 35°C. As always, cold winds from Patagonia could reach the Manu area, and the temperature could drop around 10°C. These “Friajes” are very common in the southeast of the hemisphere, during the wind season (between April until the end of August).
There are not many walks in the sense of going far. All walks are done slowly. This is because most of you will find vegetation in the forest and be available to see the animals, giving enough time to see the surroundings and also hear it. The first day of the tour, we have afternoon walks around 2 hours. The second day is more to observe birds and animals along the Alto Madre de Dios River, with fewer walks than the other days.
The Tambopata Macaw Clay Lick 3 Days tour was definitely a memorable experience. The highlight was witnessing the vibrant macaws at the clay lick—an unforgettable sight! The boat rides through the river were peaceful, and we spotted plenty of wildlife, including monkeys and exotic birds. The lodge was comfortable, though quite basic, and I think a bit more attention to detail in the amenities would have made the stay even better.
While the tour offered incredible nature experiences, it felt a bit rushed at times. I would have loved a little more time to explore the surrounding areas and enjoy the wildlife. The guide was knowledgeable, but I feel that a deeper exploration of the ecosystem would have enhanced the experience.
L’excursion de 3 jours à la découverte de la grotte d’aras de Tambopata a été une expérience inoubliable. Le point culminant a été l’observation des aras colorés sur la grotte d’argile : un spectacle inoubliable ! Les promenades en bateau sur la rivière étaient paisibles et nous avons pu observer une faune abondante, notamment des singes et des oiseaux exotiques. Le lodge était confortable, quoique assez basique, et je pense qu’un peu plus d’attention aux détails aurait rendu le séjour encore plus agréable.
Bien que l’excursion ait offert des expériences nature incroyables, elle a parfois semblé un peu précipitée. J’aurais aimé avoir un peu plus de temps pour explorer les environs et admirer la faune. Le guide était compétent, mais je pense qu’une exploration plus approfondie de l’écosystème aurait enrichi l’expérience.
