May

With the beginning of the dry season which lasts until October, the waters of the Tambopata tend to go back, exposing several beaches along its current. This improves our chances of observing wildlife associated to riparian habitats.
The brown color of the capybaras (Hydrochaeris hydrochaeris) camouflages well with the sand. They are very well adapted for a semi acuatic life with their webbed feet and having their eyes, nose and ears all at the same level on the head. So if they jump into the water, they will be able to swim with almost their entire body submerged, but still able to see, hear and smell to detect a predator. If they are observed they are seen on the river banks eating grass or just resting in big families of 3 to 12 individuals. Sometimes even more!.
On the other hand, we can find caimans on the beaches of the Tambopata. During the day we can observe them taking a sunbath whereas at night they should be in a hunting position. Best chances of seeing caiman have visitors going to Refugio Amazonas. The longer journey on the river brings guests further away from Puerto Maldonado. After dinner on one of the nights there is a caiman search activity to spot caimans on the beaches.

Tarantulas are probably together with macaws and monkeys, among those animal species that most people would relate to the Amazon rainforest. During the dry season there are more tarantula nests observed than in the wet season. Specially those belonging to the species known as the chicken spider. Interestingly, these nests are made only by the females as males are nomadic.
Tarantulas are nocturnal creatures that can be seen with some luck during our night walks in any of our three lodges. They are called chicken spiders because their offspring will follow the female tarantula everywhere as like little chicks do.

Transition months between seasons, are months with a high activity.
In May we can see both flowers as well as fruits. Primates are on the move, altering between the different fruiting trees. One of them, which is a treat to see considering its habits, is the night monkey, also known as owl monkey (Aotus sp.). This species of the genus Aotus are truly nocturnal monkeys and thus have big eyes adapted to capture as much light as possible. This way they can hunt for some insects and some small vertebrates, or feed on fruits and nectars.
With luck, we might see this small monkey species at dawn (when they go to sleep and we become active), dusk or during the night walks.
Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris) on the other hand are terrestrial and large. They are the biggest land animal in the neotropics. These elusive mammals walk the same trails several times a week. With less fruiting trees around, they have to walk greater distances. The trails that we use for our activities at the lodges are criss-crossed by these tapir and deer trails. Although being one of the most difficult mammals to spot, we have several sightings a year at the Tambopata Research Center and increasingly at Refugio Amazonas. Most of them occur during the night, when tapirs are usually active.