THE AMAZON

If you fly above the Amazon, you will see clouds and an endless emerald blanket of vegetation, interrupted only by the muddy squiggles of jungle rivers. Because there are very few roads in the Amazon basin, you will travel by motorized dugout canoe, which is one of the best ways to see toucans, tanagers, and other rainforest birds. The forest is strangely hushed and dark underneath the rainforest canopy, which rustles as troops of monkeys pass overhead. The tropical sun comes back in full force as you paddle over the waters of an oxbow lake. Near Iquitos, gateway to the Reserva Nacional Pacaya-Samiria, it is common to see pink river dolphins and lily pads the size of dinner tables. Around Puerto Maldonado or Parque Nacional Manu you have a good chance of seeing giant otters.

Strange animal sighting: Whether it’s the giant otter, the pink river dolphin, the taricaya turtle, the prehistoric hoatzin, or the German shepherd–sized capybara rodent, you are likely to encounter something odd. (read more)

World’s best birding: The Amazon attracts serious birders hoping to catch a glimpse of a laughing falcon or yellow-ridged toucan. But you won’t even need binoculars to witness dozens of brightly colored macaws, parrots, and parakeets—they swarm about clay licks, or collpas, early each morning. (read more)

Fishing for piraña: Dunk a hook and a piece of meat into even the most recommended swimming hole and you are likely to feel the aggressive tug of a palm-sized, knife-toothed piraña. (read more)

Nighttime caiman search: It’s simple: Shine your flashlight along the shores of the river until you see two red dots, which are the eyes of the alligator-like caiman lying in the mud and wondering if you could be dinner. (read more)

Canopy Walks: Getting high into the canopy, whether by ladder or ropes, is the only way to understand that most everything in the jungle happens a hundred feet off the ground. (read more)

The Best Amazon Lodges

Explorer’s Inn: With a comfortable, worn-in feel, the oldest eco-lodge in Puerto Maldonado offers the best combination of convenience, price, and biodiverse rainforest. (read more)

The Tambopata Research Center: Located on the Rio Tambopata, this is the only lodge near the Parque Nacional Bahuaja Sonene. It’s also just 500 meters away from the world’s largest macaw clay lick. (read more)

Reserva Amazónica: This most luxurious, and most romantic, lodge in the Peruvian Amazon is on the Río Madre de Dios. (read more)

Tahuayo Lodge: The most acclaimed lodge of Peru’s Northern Amazon offers access to the extraordinary Reserva Nacional Tamshiyacu Tahuayo, the habitat of the rare red uakari monkey. (read more)