Regional travel in Peru – 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
Saturday: Arrival in Iquitos
Sunday: from Iquitos to Explorama
Lodge
Monday: Explorama Lodge
Tuesday: from Explorama Lodge to ExplorNapo Lodge
Wednesday: ExplorNapo Lodge
Thursday: Canopy Walkway, ACTS Research Station
Friday: Canopy Walkway, boat trip to Ceiba Tops Lodge
Saturday: Return to Iquitos
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.
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