Type: Jungle lodge and expedition programme
Operation: Amazon Action Yanayacu Lodge, Loreto, Peru
Co-founders: Arturo Laime and Marco Schneider
Location: San Juan de Yanayacu, Loreto — five hours by speedboat from Iquitos
Capacity: 10 cabins, up to 40 guests
Visitors: Hundreds of guests from Germany, Spain, the United States, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Peru and across Latin America
Expeditions: Pacaya Samiria National Reserve and remote zones of the Loreto region
PROJECT STATEMENT
Amazon Action Yanayacu Lodge was a jungle field base and expedition programme co-founded by Arturo Laime and Marco Schneider on the banks of the Yanayacu River in the Loreto region of Peru — one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet. The lodge sat within a recognised biodiversity hotspot, where species density exceeds that of entire continents. Loreto alone is home to over 600 species of birds, more than 200 species of mammals, and thousands of plant species, many of them found nowhere else on Earth.
The lodge was conceived not as a commercial tourism operation but as a self-financing base for the community and environmental work of Amazon Action Cultural Association. Visitors came through direct contacts and word of mouth, and were encouraged to participate in the association’s programmes alongside experiencing the forest. The facility operated with a clear environmental ethic — no motorised boats during nocturnal forest visits, no animal handling for entertainment, and a sustained effort to educate both visitors and local operators about responsible conduct in fragile ecosystems.
THE LODGE
Built entirely from organic materials — wood, palm roofing and mosquito netting — the lodge complex consisted of ten guest cabins, each housing up to four people, a large communal dining maloca, and a traditional kitchen. All structures were raised one and a half metres above ground on wooden stilts, following traditional Amazonian building practice for flood-prone terrain. The cabins were connected by covered wooden walkways through the forest canopy, with the surrounding trees left entirely intact. Guests shared the space with the forest — occasional visits from monkeys, bats and other wildlife were not uncommon.
Minimum stays were three days, with most groups remaining five to seven days. Programmes were tailored to the interests of each group, ranging from wildlife observation and botanical walks to cultural exchange with local communities and thematic programmes on Amazonian spirituality and traditional medicine.
EXPEDITIONS
Beyond the lodge, Amazon Action offered multi-day wilderness expeditions into some of the most remote areas of the Peruvian Amazon. Destinations included the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve — one of the largest protected wetland areas in South America — as well as amber fossil sites unique to the region. Expeditions lasted between five and fifteen days and were led by Laime alongside local expert guides whose knowledge of routes, flora, fauna and animal behaviour was irreplaceable in terrain inaccessible to conventional navigation.
All travel in remote areas was conducted by canoe and on foot. The use of motorised boats was avoided wherever possible, both to minimise environmental disturbance and to allow genuine immersion in the soundscape of the forest.
PROGRAMMES & EXPERIENCES
The lodge offered a range of experiences designed around the natural and cultural richness of the region:
- Wildlife observation — dawn bird watching, nocturnal canoe expeditions, forest fauna tracking
- Botanical walks — guided visits to identify medicinal plants, trees and ecosystems with local expert guides
- Fishing — traditional methods in river and lake environments
- Shamanism & traditional medicine — sessions led by Don Jorge, the traditional healer of San Juan de Yanayacu, covering Amazonian spiritual practice, medicinal plant knowledge, and forest blessing ceremonies, with interpretation by Laime
- Photography expeditions — specialist programmes for wildlife and landscape photographers
- Scientific visits — programmes for researchers and university groups
- Voluntourism — structured participation in Amazon Action’s community and environmental programmes, including reforestation, medicinal garden creation, and community outreach
- Partner visits — excursions to Pilpintuwasi, the butterfly farm and wildlife rehabilitation centre in Iquitos
School groups from Lima also participated in exchange programmes, contributing to reforestation and habitat restoration activities alongside the Amazon Action team.
IMPACT
Over seven years, Amazon Action Lodge received hundreds of visitors from across Europe, the Americas and beyond, offering an experience of the Amazonian ecosystem grounded in environmental respect and cultural authenticity. The lodge served as the operational base for all of Amazon Action’s community programmes, making the two activities mutually sustaining. The programme demonstrated that responsible, small-scale ecotourism — conducted without environmental compromise — could finance meaningful social and conservation work in one of the world’s most remote regions.
In January 2012, the Loreto region was struck by the most severe flooding recorded in fifty years, leaving over 200,000 people displaced across the region. The lodge sustained significant structural damage. The investment required for reconstruction was beyond the means of the association, and Amazon Action closed its operations in 2013. Laime and Schneider relocated to Germany, carrying the experience of seven years in the Amazon into the next chapter of their respective work.
Open to collaborations with cultural institutions, NGOs and organisations working at the intersection of art, nature and social change.
Arturo Laime 2024
