The World's Ultimate Outposts

Hundreds of eco-lodges have been built amid tropical jungles, cloudforests, and remote savannas since the early 1980s. In selecting some of the finest, Audubon used several criteria: Wildlife and wilderness must be plentiful.

The accommodations should be clean and comfortable, whether they are rustic open-air cabins or modern luxury hotels. And above all, the eco-resorts ought to prove that nature tourism is not just good for business but good for the environment, the native population, and the local culture as well.

Posada Amazonas, Peru A two-hour boat ride up the Tambopata River, in southeastern Peru, takes you to this remote thatch-roofed and clay-walled enclave, which is jointly owned by Lima-based outfitter Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese´eja Native Community of Tambopata. The Ese´eja helped build and staff the 24-bedroom facility, and members are on hand to share their knowledge of the surrounding 3.7 million-acre Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone.

Visitors learn about wildlife tracking, the vast rainforest´s medicinal plants, and the Ese´eja´s spiritual beliefs about nature. University trained scientists help identify the remarkably diverse fauna, which includes 1,200 species of butterflies, 90 species of frogs, and more than 1,300 species of birds -- among them 32 types of parrots. These creatures frequent the world´s largest known clay salt lick (about 1,500 feet long and 65 feet high), which is a three-hour trip up the river from the lodge. Kurt Kutay, president of U.S. outfitter Wildland Adventures, says the lodge has financially benefited the Ese´eja and inspired them to preserve clay licks and an oxbow lake where giant river otters have become a major attraction.

Posada Amazonas – Audubon