Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica

Stayed for 3 nights during our trip to Peru. It was fantastic. Boat ride to the resort was a great start. Be mindful that you can only bring 10kg luggage. There's room for storage of your remaining luggage. We stayed in cabin 38 which was river front which provided the most fantastic views ( the best TV alternative). Cabin provided everything you need but do bring a hairdryer if you need one. The shower was great and much needed many times throughout the day c/o humidity. The food was fantastic and such a good standard. Waiting staff were so friendly. Our guide (Henry) was great and so funny. You don't mind the early starts as there's so much to see. An experience we'll never forget.

First, the lodge and the cabins are fabulous! We were comfortable the entire time, even without power at night (not too hot or cold). We appreciated that someone lit the lanterns in/near our cabin each evening and set up our mosquito net. The hammocks in the room are fun (just relax and listen to the numerous birds), and the overall atmosphere was super cool. Next, the food was out of this world! I couldn't believe we could dine like this in the Amazon, including white table cloths, candles, cocktails, and even a special stool for my hat and camera! Lastly, the excursions were OK overall (some highs and some lows). Yes, we saw monkeys, turtles, birds, and a cayman on our Lake Sandoval excursion, but we only saw a tiny speck in the far distance (giant otters - which are considered a main attraction). I understand that no one can control nature, but it was slightly disappointing. We did see a sloth and capybara on the lodge grounds, which was fun. The most disappointing thing was this... My main reason for choosing Tambopata over Iquitos for the Amazon experience was because I wanted to see the Macaws at the clay lick. Inkaterra Reserva offered an Ornithology excursion at a (very sizable) extra cost to see the clay lick, and I signed up for this as soon as I arrived. I asked for confirmation several times, and kept getting evasive non-answers. Then, the night before the 4:00 am excursion, I was told that only one other person signed up, and this wasn't enough, so it was cancelled. My husband even offered to pay for a seat (though he had no interest in going), essentially giving them payment for 3 people, but they hemmed and hawed and said this wasn't enough. At one point they said they needed 3, then it changed to 4. Why weren't they up front about this from the beginning? I could have spoken to other guest on earlier excursions to see if anyone else wanted to go... Why couldn't they collaborate with other lodges/hotels to pool guests and honor this offering? It became clear that they simply didn't want to do this. Very disappointing and frustrating! For a lodge of this caliber, I would expect them to try harder to make offered excursions available.

If you want 5 star luxury that is comparable to the remote but luxurious African camps in the Serengeti or Maasai Mara, then this isn’t it. We were expecting similar but it is a 3-4 star camp at best. The main thing is it is NOT al a carte excursions as it advertises. Rather they offer you a standard suggested itinerary and you can join the excursions in a group as you see fit. All the groups seem to have exactly the same itinerary no matter when you arrive. There wasn’t much to cater to children at all. We travelled with our 10 year old son and I wouldn’t recommend this place for children - they can only take so much of learning about plants and walking for hours without seeing any animals and there was no real inclusion of a child in the tours. The cabanas are nice - we had one with a plunge pool, but there’s evidence of wear and tear especially in the roof where during a storm our whole bed got wet due to the holes in the thatch. The food - again I think our problem was that we compared it to what we experienced in the remote plains of Africa. The food is pretty ordinary to say the least. It consists of possible 5 different cuts of meat and sauces that they dress up as different dishes for the whole 4 days. Lunch was exactly the same menu. Dinner was pretty much the same as lunch just dressed differently. It got boring pretty quickly and some of the food had gone bad (the mashed potatoes were definitely going a bit rancid). My mum got severe gastroenteritis as well. The food situation really needs to be checked. Your bar would need to be set pretty low to even consider the food any kind of fine dining or even decent dining. Also the person that designed your dining room chairs clearly hated people. I’ve never had to deal with such heavy, cumbersome and uncomfortable chairs. The workers do work hard to try and look after you and should be commended for that, but clearly the management is failing in running the place like they advertise in their marketing. It’s a bit of a scam to be honest. The guides are informative however but the groups are big so it’s not very intimate. Also there’s not much wildlife. A few animals here and there but pretty disappointing overall. The worst part about all of this is the location and the rubbish that you see along the river banks. It’s so sad that this part of the Amazon is being destroyed by so much plastic and there appears to be no pride or effort in keeping it clean. There’s washed up plastic bottles and rubbish everywhere on the river banks. It definitely did not feel remote, untouched or with nature. I wouldn’t come back here again. If you’ve been to the luxury camps of Africa, this doesn’t even compare in terms of hard/soft product and also of the nature and care for the place. If you come with pretty low expectations then you may be pleasantly surprised. Otherwise be prepared for disappointment.

Great stay at this Inkaterra property. Comfortable lodges, excellent service from all the staff and great trips into the jungle with knowledgable staff.

We absolutely loved our 4 night stay at Inkaterra Amazonica. The lodge and rooms are beautiful - elegant and not over-the-top. The guides are terrific - Mitchell was our guide and he was simply amazing at spotting animals on all of our excursions - we never would have seen the caymans, sloths, bats and some monkeys that Mitchell found. Our family loved all of the excursions offered - we loved the variety of ecosystems and animals in each one. Given how hot it was, I was very grateful for the leisurely pace of a morning and afternoon/evening activity to allow for down time, nap time, lunch etc. It was a welcome, leisurely pace after a hectic time in the mountains. Highly recommend.