DAY 1
PUERTO MALDONADO - POSADA AMAZONAS
Upon arrival from Lima or Cuzco, reception and transfer to the
Tambopata river port in Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is situated at
the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers
(map) and is a bustling, booming
tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut
collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and ecotourism. After a brief
survey of the town we will depart on a 1 hour ride via Infierno road,
followed by 30 minutes boat journey by motorized canoe to Posada Amazonas
Depending on the arrival time of the plane we will have a boxed lunch aboard
the boats or have lunch upon arrival at
Posada Amazonas.
During our voyage we may see bird species typical of the river or forest
edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied Lapwing, Capped Heron, Jabiru Stork,
Roadside Hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers.
When we arrive at Posada Amazonas we will unpack and unwind. Posada Amazonas
is a comfortable yet unobtrusive 30 room lodge owned jointly by Rainforest
Expeditions and the Local Community of Infierno. We will receive a short
orientation and a complete briefing on the lodge and the Ecotourism Project
before our afternoon activity : the canopy tower. In this activity, we will
visit a 35 meter scaffolding tower that is 15 minutes walking from the lodge.
The scaffolding tower is built so that you safely climb using the internal
staircase with verandas on each side, and rest in platforms present every 2
meters. From the top you not only get spectacular views of the river and the
surrounding forest but also excellent opportunities to observe birds from
the canopy including parrots, toucans and macaws. A video about the forest
of Tambopata will be displayed after dinner.
(L, D)
DAY 2
POSADA AMAZONAS
We will be up at dawn for a visit to the Tres Chimbadas oxbow lake.
After an early breakfast we depart, fifteen minutes from Posada Amazonas by
boat and a 30 minute walk take us to the lake shore. From here we take a
long, easy canoe ride around it. We will look for giant river otters,
turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. The giant river otters that are seen in
Tres Chimbadas belong to a resident family of nine. Then we will return to
the lodge for lunch before embarking on our afternoon outing. In the
afternoon we will visit the community’s ethnobotanical center. From this
little shop, the community has been registering the uses of medicinal plants
from elders and planting, producing and distributing them for over ten years.
We will hike the trails around the center with one of the residents who will
explain to us the everyday uses of forest resources in medicine,
construction, food and fiber. We will return to Posada Amazonas for dinner
and overnight. After enjoying our popular happy hour and refurbishing your
spirits with ours, you will be up for an optional night walk to look for
amphibians and insects.
(B,L,D)
DAY 3
POSADA AMAZONAS - PUERTO MALDONADO
After an early breakfast we will visit a clay lick. This clay lick is
also a ten minute walk from the lodge, but next to the river. Amazingly, the
variety of parrots that visit this clay lick is considerably different than
the one inside the forest that we will visit later in the day. Some of the
large macaws, like the red and green macaw, and larger parrots, like mealy
and yellow crowned Amazons visit this lick, as well as the smaller parrots
and parakeets. From the blind we have constructed next to this lick, even
the amateur photographer can take good pictures of these wonderful birds. We
will also have a great opportunity to spot other spectacular wildlife,
active at this time of the day, like scarlet or blue and glod macaws and a
great deal of other birds. When the activity dies out we will visit a small
parakeet clay lick that is a 45 minute walk away. Dozens and sometimes
hundreds of Blue Headed Parrots, Orange-Cheeked Parrots, Cobalt-winged
parakeets, and sometimes even the rare Rock Parakeet congregate here on
clear days to ingest clay. This congregation creates a riotous and colorful
wildlife spectacle where the greens, oranges, reds and blues of the parrots
dance around the bank as each individual parrot competes for their choice
beakful of clay. At times, this spectacle lasts for hours. After lunch, we
will have a walk through a trail on primary forest with a community member
and our naturalist guide who will explain general aspects of rain forest
ecology and natural history, each with their own contrasting viewpoint. We
will return to Posada Amazonas where you will be able to reminisce on the
happenning of the past three days enjoying our happy hour’s amazonian
concoctions.
(B,L,D)
DAY 4
POSADA AMAZONAS-PUERTO MALDONADO
After an early breakfast we will return to Puerto Maldonado for our flight back to Lima or
Cusco.
(B) |
Waiting for a prey
|
Cusco &
Machupicchu 
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