Kelly, USA
Before I went to Peru with Tamandua Jungle Expeditions I had not gone on more than a few cruises and a weeklong trip to Germany with my school. Needless to say, I was not much of an explorer of vast and untouched jungles. I thought that my inexperience would really prevent me from fully enjoying my trip into the Peruvian Amazon. I was wrong; Paul did an excellent job of having us integrate into the new environment. He taught us basic survival skills; I was actually surprised how second nature some of them were. Paul’s staff really made me like I was in good hands during the trip. I was able to get my hands dirty and see, touch, smell, and even taste things that I never thought I would in my entire life. Paul is a kind, passionate and friendly person that doesn’t mind just hanging out with you to play cards after a long day of anaconda hunting. After my month long trek into the Amazon, I can safely say that my eyes have seen a part of this earth that a small fraction of westerners have ever seen. I feel privileged and humbled by my experience and I would strongly encourage anyone who wants an adventure to choose Tamandua Jungle Expeditions!

Sara, USA
I will never be able to thank Paul and everyone else involved in Tamandua Expeditions enough for my incredible experience in the Amazon Rainforest. Everyone needs to experience this once in a lifetime unique opportunity. One of Tamandua’s greatest aspects is that each volunteer works closely with the indigenous people to help protect the rainforest. The natives have tremendous knowledge on every aspect of the rainforest, and are more than willing to share their understanding with everyone.

What makes Tamandua Expeditions unique is that the guides are100% committed to making sure he does everything in their power to make sure each individual gets to see the animal or plant they wish to see. I told Paul that ever since I was five, my dream has been to see a green anaconda in the wild. Paul made sure our group would have many chances to explore their habitat in hopes of spotting one. Eventually we came across a 17ft, 400lb anaconda, and Paul was just as thrilled as I was to have my childhood dream come true!

I highly recommend that everyone takes advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. There truly is something for everybody, and there is no other place that will offer you as much hands on activity with wildlife as Tamandua does.

Fredrick, UK
Difficult to express in words what I experienced during my 4-week Tamandua expedition. Wrestling an 18-foot giant anaconda, catching caiman with my bare hands, exploring the floating forest, getting to know a completely different culture, forgetting Western farmacies and intead healing ailments through plants and traditional medicine, forest and wildlife preservation by stopping poachers and illegal wood-cutters, walking up streams in waist deep water looking for coral snakes, waking up at sunrise to the amazing sounds of the jungle, spear and line fishing, seing more wildlife than anywhere else on the planet, rafting, macheteing my way through the dense forest, and going for daily swims in the Tambopata river.
These are just a handful of memories that make up my incredible experience For those of you reading this; If your looking for adventure, if you want to see the real jungle up close, then this is your thing. Paul Rosolie and Juan Julio (JJ) Durand are amongst the most competent, enthusiastic, fun and sharing people i've ever met.
A true eye-opener

Kelly, France
When researching Amazon expeditions from my flat in
Paris, France, I came to realize that the task was going to be trickier than expected. It was proving rather difficult to find an experience that ticked all the right boxes. I was looking for an authentic, educational and somewhat unbridled trip to take me out of my comfort zone into the wild. I couldn't believe my luck when I stumbled upon Paul's website. In fact, it is only when we met in Puerto Maldonado,
that I dared trust that I was in effect embarking on a month-long adventure deep into the land of all my wildest dreams. Retrospectively, I couldn't begin to seize just how great a trip it was going to be. I got to see everything I set out to spot and so much more. From tapir, peccary, tayra, tamandua, coati and porcupine to anaconda, bush master, caiman and fer de lance. I won't even begin to list the vast number of stunning butterflies (the giant Blue Morpho is a wonder to behold),
insects, arachnids, amphibians and other reptiles we saw.In addition, we got a hands-on experience in forest preservation when we prevented illegal loggers from destroying kapok and ironwood trees.   All I wish to say to anyone reading this is go for it. Paul is truly a cut above the rest. Very generous, passionate, a great explorer. His partner in crime, Juan Julio a.k.a JJ, is also superb.  Together they
are very much set on not offering just another jungle tour. These trips are very different and quite unique.

Vive le Tambopata! Vive Las Piedras! Vive l'Amazonie! Et
vive Tamandua Expeditions! 

Heljä & Joonas, Finland

On our 5-month trip through South America, Amazon was one stop, and we had a chance to experience it in a very special way with Tamandua Expeditions. Now that we look back to our time in the South America, it’s easy to say that it was the most memorable and deeply touching experience on our trip.
Paul is truly inspiring leader for this kind of trip, and his enthusiasm encouraged everybody else to take part – whether it was about catching caimans , climbing the trees, handling snakes and other animals, mud slides and baths, trying local specialties, swimming in the Floating Forest, making jewelry, fishing, or wrestling;) If you only came up with an idea, we could do it! You can experience the wild in a way that we feel is very rare and unique for today’s people –if you only let yourself go and are ready for that! Paul & JJ love to share their knowledge about the Amazon, its plants, animals and people, and their stories made the jungle live in a whole different way. They also let you experience the things for yourself, freely, which was wonderful.
The jungle is unbelievably beautiful, fascinating, exciting. In a very contradictory way, it feels alien and strange world, but at the same time the most natural place to be in. Amazon remains as a very special place for us and we really hope and believe to return there someday.

Mohsin Kazmi USA
It is easy to assume that ANY trip to a foreign country is exciting, enriching, and inspiring. For me to describe my expedition with Paul using the same words would not do justice to the experience I had this past year while on a Tamandua Jungle Expedition. I was immersed into a culture and environment that is rarely seen by human eyes. I traveled down a river that has still remained largely untouched by humans. In a world in which humans have touched most everything, this is a truly unique experience. Paul treats you as his family and will never reject a request that you may have to make your experience more enjoyable. I can recall another member of the group who enjoyed fishing; Paul got fishing line and took him fishing by himself just so he could have a better experience.  Examples of Paul’s accommodative nature are countless. I must say, this trip is not for the faint of heart. You must really want to have an adventure and be fully committed to living in the jungle to really get the most out of this experience. I felt safe knowing that Paul is very close to the people who live in the area and he has experienced guides who take us into the jungle. I am a photographer, and traveling to the Peruvian Amazon was a dream come true. There was not a tree that was not examined for wildlife that I could take a picture of.  Paul and his team KNOW where to find plants, animals, and insects and will not hesitate to find them. I was able to get many incredible pictures that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I highly recommend traveling to this incredible place and allowing Paul to share his passion with you.  I cannot wait to go again!

Mark (June 2010)

It is difficult to completely articulate the sensation that overcomes you when first entering into the rainforest jungle, that is unless you are left entirely unspoiled by the conveniences and luxuries provided by everyday life in the urban jungle (or even the more rural area's of modern societies) - but really who at this point has not almost completely come to take for granted the planes, trains and automobiles that have made life so simple. In fact all the splendors of the jungle can now be brought right into your home with the magic of hd TV, blu-ray, and 1080p quality streaming footage online. So why even go? Because those things can't hardly duplicate the experience. Nothing can compare to that first peek of the rainforest caught from your plane, thousands of feet up in the air: a dense carpet of matted treetops that ends only when it meets the horizon, and through it all an abundance of winding rivers snake their way through the land - tributaries that, like the great roads of Ancient Rome, all lead to the mighty Amazon. Once inside, Dolby could never reproduce for your home stereo the ubiquitous symphony of chirps and calls sung by the thousands of species of fauna - many yet to be discovered - that call the jungle their home. And that variety is truly a sight to behold - more trees than you knew even existed can be passed by in a ten minute walk, vines dangle left and right, plants with leaves larger than an average sized human being are commonplace, and butterflies come in more colors than crayola has crayons. Easily. The Amazon is an alien world, full of sights and sounds and creatures that resonate within the most innate aspects of our being, and remind us of the world we live in at its most natural and pristine, as it was long before we got here and as it will return to once we are gone. It's disheartening to think that most people in the world neither know nor care about the natural wonderlands that are the world's rainforests, and what most people do know of these rapidly disappearing ecosystems is slight and insufficient, but I think its safe to assume that if you are reading this then your curiosity for the natural world has at least introduced you to what is out there, and I can wholeheartedly say from personal experience that no matter what you've heard, you cannot completely begin comprehend that world until you have visited it, and even then it's still a lot to wrap your head around.

Chantel (May 2010)

I want to thank the Tamandua team over and over and over again for everything,,, your professionalism.... your knowledge.... your kindness... your awesomeness... your ways that is so down to earth... your willingness to help where you can... you really became like my family and I will treasure you guys always... me and belinda had a blast of a time !!!!!!!!! It really was the most beautiful experience of my life. The nature is so breathtaking you can’t but help to shed a tear for it... I will miss everything about every thing... take good care of my rainforest... mabe one day my road will take me there again.... until then I can only dream.... Much respect, strongs, and good luck to you and the rest of the family. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Belinda (May 2010)

Upon arriving in Puerto Maldonado... my heart started skipping beats! The most memorable day for me, was when we journeyed on a couple of hours walk toward the Floating Forest! When we arrived there, I could not believe what I was seeing! It was Amazing! It really floats on top of the water! Its like walking on a waterbed! And we found an Anaconda Skeleton, caught some Caimen, explored and at night ventured back to camp. Every night you go for night walks, mornings again, and in the afternoon. Mapping, researching, learning about fauna and flora. Meeting the Natives and learning from them. It was a dream I had all my life! And this experience was nothing short of what I had dreamt! I truely recommend this breathtaking, exhilirating adventure and journey to anyone!

I can't wait to return and join Tamandua in the quest for saving the Rainforest!

Chris (May 2010)

Writing an account about a place that transcends description seems like a lost cause to me.  I will, instead, touch on the profound impact the time I spent in the Amazon with Tamandua Expeditions had on me personally.  I’m a city kid born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.  I have the sense of entitlement and bring it on attitude that most New Yorkers’ possess; often to a fault.  What better place to test my mettle than the Amazon Rain Forest?  So, with limited knowledge of the strange place I was headed and the people I would be with, I made the trip to Peru.

Paul Rosalie and Juan Julio Duran are the guides who transform a wonderful experience in a unique and beautiful place into a true jungle adventure. Both men are extremely knowledgeable and have a love for the jungle.  You get a sense that they know of all the treasures that lurk in the lush jungle, and want nothing more than to share the goods.  It isn’t a tour guide/tour group dynamic. You are being led on an adventure with knowledgeable and fearless leaders.  I was called upon to step outside the box that becomes constructed around us in our routine and regimented daily lives.  The guides are there to inform, facilitate, and encourage your journey.  Ultimately, however, it becomes a personal journey.  Without being pushed I was simply asked:  Do you want to touch that, climb that, eat this, pick that up, go there, and try this?  Over time I found the answer coming from within, “well, why the hell can’t I do that?”  This is an attitude I have carried with me out of the jungle.

The pictures and descriptions of the Amazon do little for me.  There are certain images and instances that are permanently embedded in my head and heart, and I couldn’t describe them if I tried.  Now that I am back in my concrete jungle, I’ve brought the logic that while my surroundings are different; the possibility for adventure is not.  It is so easy in our daily lives to get a sense of security from the routine and easy.  We do what we know and rarely challenge ourselves to realize our true potential.  Not until I was challenged to do something that was completely new and foreign to me did I realize my full potential; a potential that I continue to tap into.  Put yourself into a challenging situation, see how you respond, and discover what you’re capable of.  There are things that I now do on a daily basis because I am confident enough to know that just because something isn’t usually done, does not mean it can’t be done.  In fact, I delight in the enviously confused reaction this behavior elicits from others. 

I hope to one day return to the beauty of the Amazon Rainforest.  I know that there is much more to be discovered in the treasure chest.  A heartfelt thank you to all the guides, local Peruvians, and fellow adventurers is in order.  I will never forget any of you.

Benjamin Muller (Dec 06 - Jan 07)

I was a participant on the Tamandua Jungle Expedition from December 2006 to January 2007. Under the professional guidance of Juan Julio Duran and Paul Rosolie, I benefited from an unparalleled experience in the Amazon jungle. With myriad opportunities to assist in rainforest data collection, conservation efforts, and hands-on work with Amazon bio-life, I can honestly say this was a life-altering experience. You will not find a more breathtaking location in the rain-forest, run by a professional and dedicated team. I continue to recommend the Tamandua Jungle Expedition to my friends and family, and wish JJ and Paul the very best and continued success at what they do best.

Norm Rasmussen (Dec 08 - Jan 09)

How to describe my experience in the Amazon - my one friend asked for how it was in three words and all I could say was "lusciously simple beauty".
This is an amazing experience for anyone, of any age. Whether you sit back on the hammocks and enjoy the sound of a distant thunderstorm, or decide to get dirty and see the amazing treasures the jungle has to offer, this is a life-changing experience no matter what you do.