Description:
Located deep in the northern Peruvian Amazon is the Explorama Jungle Lodge and the Explornapo Jungle Lodge. We spend two days at Explorama hiking and canoeing through the rainforest, while learning about the ecology and wildlife of this amazing part of the world from our expert local guide. For days 3 and 4 we travel up river to Explornapo, home of the Canopy walkway, a 500m (1650 ft) suspended bridge reaching a height of over 35m (115 ft) above the jungle floor, where we can spot a variety of wildlife including monkeys and exotic birdlife. Other activities include fishing for piranha, canoeing an oxbow lake and a night canoe trip to spot caimans.
Activites:
Hiking and canoeing
Itinerary:
Day 1
You will be transferred from your Lima hotel to the airport for the flight to Iquitos. Upon arrival at the airport we transfer to the Explorama dock with a brief city tour on the way. A fifty-mile journey down the Amazon, in large aluminum speed launches, leads to the Explorama Lodge. Afternoon hike along the "Lake Trail" through lowland rainforest which is seasonally flooded. During the high water season, this excursion is done by open boat. After dinner, there is a chance to visit the Lodge's "Bar Tahuampa" where local musicians play guitar and flute music or guides will also be pleased to have you invite them to share some of the local legends.
Day 2 Explorama Lodge – ExplorNapo
After breakfast we take a boat ride down the Amazon and up the Napo River to the 250,000 acre Amazon Rainforest Reserve and Explornapo. Upon arrival we visit the ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden located next to Explornapo and tended by a local shaman. This garden is used to show visitors rainforest plants used in modern medicine as well as examples of native plant remedies, which science may utilize in the future.
Afternoon excursion to a black water oxbow lake formed when water from the Napo River became separated from the main flow of the river. These lakes are often covered with giant Victoria Regia water lilies and sometimes offer a glimpse of the elusive Hoatzin bird. Evening excursion by open boat along the Sucusari Stream in search of caiman and to enjoy the night sounds and stars of the Southern sky.
Day 3 ExplorNapo
Morning hike to the Canopy Walkway, a 500m (1650 ft) suspended bridge reaching a height of over 35m (115 ft), connected by tree platforms. Here you observe a "bird's eye view" of part of the rainforest rarely seen by man but accessible without any type of climbing skill or equipment. In the afternoon we take a boating excursion along one of the many Napo tributaries stopping along the way for bird and sloth sightings. A stop is included for a try at river fishing with cane poles or a chance to swim.
Day 4 ExplorNapo – Explorama Lodge
We take a morning excursion to visit a local Ribereños village where your guide will show and explain a way of life that is dominated by the movements of the great river. In the afternoon we have a boat trip back to Explorama Lodge passing the town of Francisco de Orellana, where a statue is erected to the intrepid explorer who became the first European to see the Amazon River in 1542.
Day 5 Explorama Lodge – Iquitos
In the morning we take a walk along a local river trail to visit a local Yagua Indian Village where you may purchase or trade for local crafts, see the local sugar cane rum factory and visit our resident American medical doctor in her Rotary Club sponsored river clinic. Afternoon river transfer to Iquitos and transfer to the airport for your evening departure flight.