Thirty years may seem like a short time for an Amazonian forest. The trees that now dominate the Tambopata canopy were already here long before lodges, roads, or reserves existed. The macaws continued to visit the clay licks every dawn. The giant otters continued to roam the lakes. And the Ese Eja families maintained a deep connection to a territory that their ancestors had protected for generations. However, in the history of a community, three decades can change everything. Posada Amazonas was founded in 1996 as the result of a shared vision between Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese Eja Native Community of Infierno: to demonstrate that the forest could create opportunities for people without ceasing to be a forest.