Region

Established 1981

The Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve

Amazonia Expeditions has exclusive access to the Area de Conservacion Regional Communal Tamshiyacu Tahuayo (ACRCTT), over 1.1 million acres commonly known as the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo reserve, which provides you with the opportunity to experience an unmatched variety of wildlife. The site has more species of monkeys than any protected park or reserve in the world. Scientists have also documented the greatest diversity of species of mammals and birds of any site studied in the lowland Amazon basin.

1 Million Acres of Biodiversity

The most mega-diverse region in all of the Amazon may be the Area de Conservacion Regional Comunal de Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo (ACRCTT), which is also known as the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo reserve. Only Amazonia Expeditions has tourist facilities with access to this magnificent reserve.

The Trail Grid

Nestled within the ACRCTT is Amazonia’s scientific trail grid, the largest grid in the Amazon itself. This trail grid spans over 1000 acres, covers 4 separate ecosystems and is used by students and researchers alike to study more about the region and biodiversity within.

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Scientific Observation in the Amazon

The Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve was originally designated by the Peruvian government in 1991 to protect the range of the rare red uakari monkey, an orangutan-looking monkey with a bright red face.

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Maps of Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve

The Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve was originally designated by the Peruvian government in 1991 to protect the range of the rare red uakari monkey, an orangutan-looking monkey with a bright red face. Amazonia Expeditions played a major role in the development of the reserve. Subsequent scientific research has found one of the world’s richest variety of plants, amphibians, reptiles, and birds.

Seasons in the Amazon Rainforest

Maps

Amazon Research Center Trail Grid

The Amazon Research Center Lodge (ARC) is formally recognized by the Peruvian Governmental organization CONCYTEC (Consejo Nacional de Ciencia, Tecnología e Innovación) as an official Research Institution. The centerpiece of the ARC research facilities is the Trail Grid system. Located behind the Research Center Lodge, it contains 55 miles (75 km) of trails laid out in a grid of transects, that spread spread over more than 1000 acres (2200 ha) and slicing through four different ecosystems. It is the largest scientific trail system offered in the Amazon. Many more miles of trails radiate out from the grid. Twelve species of primates have significant populations on the grid. Some 50 additional species of mammals are found, including apex predators such as jaguar and puma. While about half of all research takes place at the ARC on the trail grid, other research opportunities utilize the many lakes and rivers, native communities downriver and other unique ecosystems found near the main tourism lodge.

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Saki Monkey Project

We are investigating a possibly undescribed species of saki monkey that lives in flooded forests along the Tahuayo River. All our guests who visit the Research Center are invited to participate in this research by sharing any photos you are able to take of the saki monkeys.
Our biologist Malika Gottstein works fulltime on the project observing saki groups in the trail grid and along the rivers around the Tahuayo River Amazon Research Center. Sakis are among the least studied monkey genera worldwide and the exact species classification, as well as ecology and behavior are not yet known. Our research projects seeks to resolve the taxonomical uncertainty of saki monkeys in the Northern Peruvian Amazon by conducting genetical and morphological analysis of the saki population. We are first to investigate feeding ecology of the Monk Saki, as well as movement patterns and social grouping.

We are putting together a photographic atlas of the sakis to document the facial patterns of these monkeys because this will help us to figure out if we have a species that hasn’t been reported in this area before. Photos also help us to document how many individuals are in each group, the identity of these individuals and any demographic changes in the groups (such as the birth of babies, departure of maturing offspring, or changes in male or female membership).