Regional travel in Peru – Travel program PTW-IQU005-en
Bird watching at Explorama and ExplorNapo Lodge
8 days / 7 nights
Observing birds – more than 500 different species of birds have been observed at the Explorama Lodge – along the rivers Amazon, Napo and Sucusari, on the suspension bridge in the treetops (canopy walkway), at the black water lakes and in the primary jungle. The guides are at home in this area and know the local birds well. This program can start on any Saturday.
Saturday: Arrival in Iquitos
•
Arrival in Iquitos and transfer to the hotel El Dorado Plaza in the center
of Iquitos. Arriving early, you can observe the first birds in the Amazon
region while taking a walk along the boulevard.
• Lunch.
• Dinner.
• Overnight at the hotel El Dorado Plaza in Iquitos.
Sunday: from Iquitos to Explorama Lodge
• Breakfast.
• Transfer to Explorama boat dock. Approximately 80 km long boat trip downstream on the Amazon to the Explorama Lodge.
• During an initial tour around the lodge,
numerous birds of the tropical rainforest such as the black-fronted
nunbird and the
thrush-like
wren can be observed. Close to the stream, where the bar «La Tahuampa» is
located, can perhaps already be admired sunbittern and blue, yellow or red
parrots.
• Lunch.
• After lunch, a hike on the «Camino de la Cocha» to look out for the silvered antbird and the pale-legged hornero.
• Dinner.
• Overnight stay in the Explorama Lodge.
Monday: Explorama Lodge
• Early morning tour of the nearby forest on solid ground where the largest variety of trees per square hectare has been found in the world. With a bit of luck we will spot a flock of different birds feeding on an ant colony. The flocks can consist of more than 40 different species of birds.
• Breakfast.
• After breakfast return
to the same path to watch golden-headed manakin and
golden-collared
manakin on their excursion.
• Lunch.
• In the afternoon boat trip along the banks of the Amazon, where you can see, among other things, black-collared hawk, capped heron and three species of amazon kingfisher. We also keep an eye out for freshwater dolphins.
• Dinner.
• Overnight stay in the Explorama Lodge.
Tuesday: from Explorama Lodge to ExplorNapo Lodge
• Breakfast.
• After breakfast, boat trip on the rivers Amazon, Napo and Sucusari to the ExplorNapo reserve. The reserve's paths are sometimes flooded and sometimes always on solid ground, offering the opportunity to observe birds from almost all of the natural habitats of the tropical rainforest. This is the best place in the world to scout for rare birds such as nocturnal curassow and black-necked red-cotinga.
•
Lunch.
• In the afternoon, boat trip in search of caimans and frogs and a little later listen to the nightly sounds in the jungle. When the weather is clear, the lush starry sky of the southern hemisphere can be admired.
• Dinner.
• Overnight stay in the ExplorNapo Lodge.
Wednesday: ExplorNapo Lodge
•
Early morning walk to spot and listen to birds.
• Breakfast.
• Boat trip to one of the black water lakes, often covered with the giant Victoria Regias and the elusive hoatzins are also often found here.
• Lunch.
• In the afternoon, boat trip on one of the tributaries of the Napo river to look for other birds, sloths, fish for piranas or simply swim.
• Dinner.
• Overnight stay in the ExplorNapo Lodge.
Thursday: Canopy Walkway, ACTS Research Station
• Walk around early in the morning to look for birds.
• Breakfast.
• In the morning hike to
the ACTS research station (Centro Amazónico de Estudios Tropicales) and
the suspension bridge in the treetops (Canopy Walkway) for a very
extraordinary experience. The suspension bridge reaches a height of 35 m,
stretches for a length of 500 m and offers a completely different and
privileged
position for observing the surrounding nature, including birds, mammals,
reptiles and insects that do not set foot on the earth during their entire
life. The bridge is suspended from 14 of the largest trees in the
ExplorNapo Reserve and is one of the longest of its kind in the world. It
is accessible to everyone and does not require any special equipment or
skills.
• Lunch.
• In the afternoon, hike along the “Trocha medicinal” (medicinal plant trail), with explanations from the guide about the use of medicinal plants.
• At sunset you can watch on the suspension bridge the birds returning to the treetops to sleep. At night it is possible to spot some of the bridge's residents.
• Dinner.
• Overnight stay at the ACTS research station.
Friday: Canopy Walkway, boat trip to Ceiba Tops Lodge
•
Awaiting the sunrise high up on the suspension bridge in the treetops.
Watching the formation of mixed flocks of birds is an unforgettable
experience. Motmots, woodcreepers, antcatchers, drongo flycatchers,
barbets, toucans and even red-throated caracaras join the flock.
• Breakfast.
• After breakfast, walk to the Sucusari River to take the boat to Ceiba Tops Lodge (120 km, 2¼ hours), where rooms with air conditioning, private toilets and hot and cold running water lead back to civilization.
• Lunch.
•
After lunch, visit to some islands in the Amazon, which are the only
habitat for some species of birds that always live here.
• On the way back you can see freshwater dolphins and, with a bit of luck, the sunset on the Amazon.
• Dinner.
• Overnight in Ceiba Tops.
Saturday: Return to Iquitos
• Breakfast.
• Morning bird watching hike through the primary forest to the gigantic ceiba tree that gives the lodge its name.
• If time allows, boat trip on the Amazon.
• Lunch (if departure permits).
• Drive to Iquitos and transfer to the airport or hotel.
Included
• Airport transfers in Iquitos. • Accommodation. • Private land and water transportation throughout the program. • Food outside of Iquitos. • Local, multilingual (Spanish/English) nature tour guides. • Coffee, tea and drinking water are available at all times in all lodges (self-service). • Entry to Canopy Walkway.Not included
• Arrival and departure to/from Iquitos. • Meals in Iquitos. • Alcoholic and bottled drinks in the lodges. • Tipping.
Program extensions
• Arrival and departure to/from Iquitos. • Additional overnight stays in Iquitos. • Connection to a round trip «Peru Experience». • Additional programs in other parts of Peru, e.g. Machu Picchu, Cusco, Lima, Lake Titicaca, Colca Valley, Arequipa, Cajamarca, Trujillo, Chiclayo, Manu, Tarapoto, Chachapoyas, Huaraz, Pacaya-Samiria, Paracas, Ica, Nasca.
Note: In order to adapt the various activities to the specific circumstances, as well as for climatic or organizational reasons, changes in the schedule can be made.
