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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 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 the 2 hour boat trip 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 24 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 verandahs
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. We will
return to the lodge's trails in time for a visit to a small
parakeet clay lick. 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. 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 return to Puerto Maldonado
for our flight back to Lima.
B
INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge accommodations based
on double occupancy. All scheduled land and river transportation.
All transfers. All scheduled excursions with English-speaking
guide services. Meals as specified in the itinerary, B=Breakfast;
L= Lunch; D=Dinner.
NOT INCLUDED: International or domestic airfares, airport
departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional
nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic
beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind,
laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, reconfirmation
of flights and items of personal nature.
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