Birding & Beyond

The high jungle, just outside your door.

Kantu sits on the edge of a biodiversity corridor that runs from the cloud forest of the Alto Mayo down to the Amazon basin.

Hummingbirds at first light. Mangrove canoes at noon. Hot mineral water at the end of the day.

Within an hour of the lodge

Waqanki

A hummingbird and orchid sanctuary, fifteen minutes from the lodge.

Peru's most-photographed hummingbird feeders sit at the edge of an orchid trail run by a local family. Twenty-two hummingbird species visit the feeders — booted racket-tails, sword-billed hummingbirds, golden-tailed sapphires — out of more than four hundred bird species across the sanctuary's 104 hectares. The orchid garden documents over 250 wild species native to San Martín. Best in the early morning. We can pack you a breakfast.

Plan a morning at Waqanki →

Within reach

Five places to spend a day.

Mangrove journey

Tingana Eco-Reserve

Glide silently under a flooded mangrove canopy by dugout canoe — one of the Alto Mayo's most pristine ecosystems, less than two hours from the lodge.

Cloud-forest cascades

Wasserfälle

Hike through cloud-forest understory to turquoise plunge pools fed by jungle waterfalls. Bring swimwear — the water is cold and clean year-round, the deepest pools well over your head.

Awajún culture

Bosque de Las Nuwas

Spend an afternoon with the Awajún women who steward a forest of traditional medicinal plants — weaving, plant knowledge, and conservation across generations.

Hot mineral springs

Aguas Termales

Soak in stone-walled thermal pools fed by mineral-rich underground springs. Open 5 am to 8 pm — best at first light or sunset.

Hummingbird & orchid sanctuary

Waqanki

Twenty-two hummingbird species visit Peru's most-photographed feeders, beside an orchid trail with over 250 wild species. Best in the early morning.

For the birders

A serious birding region with an easy approach.

Moyobamba sits at the gateway to the Alto Mayo Protected Forest — one of South America's most species-dense protected areas. You don't need to leave the property to start a list.

From the gardenTanagers, motmots, oropendolas, occasional toucans
40+ species
Within 15 minWaqanki hummingbird trails — closest hotspot
20+ hummingbirds
Half-day excursionTingana mangrove canoe — herons, kingfishers, hoatzin
60+ species
Best seasonYear-round; peak Sept–Nov for resident + migrant overlap
All year
Bring your own guide?Yes — many returning birders do; we host them happily
Welcome

More to do

A wider catalog of half-day and full-day excursions.

Butterfly conservatory

A short visit to a working butterfly farm on the outskirts of Moyobamba, with dozens of native Amazonian species in flight under mesh canopy.

Morro de Calzada

A steep hike up a pyramidal limestone hill that rises 575 m from the Alto Mayo valley floor. Protected biodiversity reserve with a 360° summit view over Moyobamba and Rioja.

Native bees sanctuary

A working stingless-bee apiary where you can taste the honey and meet its keepers.

Pottery workshop

A hands-on afternoon with a local master potter, working in the regional clay tradition.

Art workshop

Watercolor and natural-pigment workshops inspired by the plants of the garden.

Caves & river

A day exploring the underground river system of the Alto Mayo valley.

Plan your days

Tell us what you want to see.

Birds, water, ceremony, or a slow walk through the garden — we'll build a day around what matters to you. A short note is enough to start.

Begin an inquiry