The Tapiche Reserve is the most remote and the newest of the sites that we visit. Located 400 km south of Iquitos on the Tapiche tributary of the Ucayali River, It received formal conservation status for ~40,000 acres (>16,000 ha) from the Peruvian government in December 2025. Getting there from Iquitos is a 10 to 11 hour marathon starting with a 5 AM (sharp) bus departure from the city center, followed by two boat rides. That early departure means you have to be up by 4 AM.

The distance, time, and associated fuel costs also make this one of the more expensive places to visit in the Peruvian Amazon. So why go? Let me count the reasons:

• large black caimans and numerous spectacled caimans

• three species of beach-nesting river turtles along with a very successful river turtle conservation program

• endangered red uakari monkeys (along with 12 other primate species!)

• five species of macaw

• waterbird colonies - agami herons, boat-billed herons and many more

• tapirs, white-lipped peccaries, tamanduas and more (and jaguars too, but you’ll be pretty lucky to see more than footprints

• giant otters - several families inhabit the reserve

• harpy eagles - the holy grail of birders

• fantastic intact swamp forest

Much more information can be found at the Tapiche Reserve website