Five Days in the Peruvian Amazon

The lodge was three hours upriver from Puerto Maldonado, deep in the Tambopata Reserve. No roads, no cell service, no electricity after 10 p.m. Just the jungle, the river, and the sounds of things moving in the dark.

We arrived at dusk, just as the howler monkeys started their evening chorus. It's a sound you feel in your chest, low and guttural, like the jungle itself is growling. Our guide, Carlos, grinned. 'Welcome to the Amazon.'

The days followed a rhythm: wake at 5 a.m. for the dawn bird walk, breakfast at seven, a boat trip or hike in the morning, lunch and siesta in the heat of the day, another excursion in the late afternoon, dinner at seven, and a night walk after dark.

We saw more wildlife in five days than I've seen in my entire life. Macaws at the clay lick, their colors so bright they looked fake. Caimans on the riverbank, eyes glowing red in the flashlight beam. A family of capybaras, the world's largest rodents, grazing like cows. A sloth, moving so slowly it seemed to be meditating.

The jungle is loud. At night, lying in bed under the mosquito net, I could hear frogs, insects, birds, and things I couldn't identify. It was overwhelming at first, then soothing. The jungle doesn't stop for you—it just keeps going.

If you're thinking about this, go in the dry season (May to October) for better wildlife spotting. Bring long sleeves, long pants, and good insect repellent. Bring a headlamp and a sense of adventure. And leave your phone in your bag. The jungle is better without it.