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Extend
your stay in Peru with a 4-days/3-night visit to the
Tambopata jungle reserve, including the Chuncho Macaw lick. You
can fly to Puerto Maldonado from either Cuzco or Lima. (Start
Cuzco or Lima on day 1 / End Cuzco or Lima on day 4).
This
tour takes you right into the heart of the Tambopata Reserve, a
pristine area of Amazon rainforest, with excellent opportunities
for wildlife watching. Among several highlights is the overnight
visit to the Chuncho macaw lick in the neighbouring
Bahuaja-Sonene National Park.
The
Tambopata Candamo Reserved Zone, located south and east of
Puerto Maldonado, covers 1.5 million hectares of extremely
diverse habitats and fauna, including pristine ox-bow lakes
harbouring kingfishers, caiman and giant otters, spectacular
waterfalls, clay licks (collpas) visited by macaws, monkeys and
tapirs, and rivers with white, sandy beaches.
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Outline
Itinerary
Please
bear in mind the specific guided activities vary with the
weather, season and what is happening in the field during your
stay.
q Day
1: You fly from Lima or Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado, a jungle
town of 20,000 inhabitants on the confluence of the Madre
de Dios and Tambopata rivers. A motorized canoe takes you up the
Tambopata river into the Tambopata Candamo Reserve. En route,
look out for caiman, turtles and riverine birdlife. The lodge is
reached after about four hours. After lunch, there’s an
introductory afternoon walk in nearby forest with your
naturalist guide. After dinner there’s the chance for an
evening forest walk to observe and listen to nocturnal wildlife.
(1 night jungle lodge, all meals)
q Day
2:
Today we wake early
(4 am) and travel up the Tambopata River for 1½ hours to the
Bahuaja- Sonene National Park. You see a magical sunrise and
have a great opportunity to see animals such as capybaras,
tapir, jaguar, and deer in the surrounding virgin forest. We can
observe (from a safe distance) one of the greatest spectacles of
the rainforest: Hundreds of parrots, parakeets and macaws of
various species, enjoying their diet of mineral salts on a river
bank.
We
have a hot drink and a snack whilst bird watching and go for a
short walk to look for animals such as monkeys and then return
to the lodge to have a late breakfast and rest. After lunch we
enter the verdant jungle on a special trail to observe wild
life. We then enter the territory of peccaries, deer and other
mammals, with the possibility to hear them or see their tracks.
We might even discover a troop of monkeys travelling through the
canopy in search of food. Time permitting, we will be able to
enjoy a relaxing swim in the waterfall.
Those
who feel energetic can go on another trip through the jungle in
search of caiman. Or of course you can simply relax in the lodge
surrounded by exotic nocturnal sounds.
(1 night jungle lodge, all meals)
q Day
3: You head
downstream to Puerto Maldonado and check into bungalows. After
lunch take the motor launch to the Madre de Dios river and go
downstream to a clearing, then walk a trail to the beautiful
Sandoval ox-bow lake. The palm-fringed lake is explored by
dugout canoe, with excellent opportunities for close-up
observation of the bird life (including the uniquely weird,
flightless hoatzin), monkeys and, hopefully, a giant otter
family that occupies the lake. There’s an opportunity also to
fish for piranhas and swim. After enjoying sunset here, it’s
back to Maldonado for a balmy evening in town.
(1
night Puerto Maldonado lodge, all meals)
(Note
that activities between days 1 and 3 may vary with weather,
season and what is happening in the field during your stay).
q Day
4:
Transfer to the airport and fly to Lima or Cuzco where
the trip ends.
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What’s Included
Return
flights from Lima or Cuzco to Puerto Maldonado, all land and
river transfers, all meals from lunch on Day 1 to breakfast on
Day 4, three nights accommodation: jungle lodge 2 nights, Puerto Maldonado lodge 1 night, English-speaking
natural history guide.
Equipment
& Health
Humidity
and insects mean rainforest expeditions are not always
comfortable. But with the following kit, you should get the most
from the trip:
Binoculars
(imperative), Strong torch with spare bulb and batteries,
Daypack & waterproof lining, Long trousers and long-sleeved
shirts (fairly thick, baggy fabric to protect against
mosquitoes), T-shirts, shorts/bathing suit, towel, sweater or
light jacket, 1 pair of hiking boots and 1 pair of light shoes
or sandals, long cotton socks, rain gear, rubber boots (only in
the rainy season – provided locally), sunhat, sunglasses,
sunblock, Insect repellent (with at least 25% 'deet'), ‘afterbite’,
plastic bags (to keep things dry), water bottle, passport,
Yellow Fever vaccination certificate, money for soft drinks,
beers and handicrafts.
Health Advice:
There is a (small) malarial risk in the Tambopata area. Malarial
prophylaxis is essential, as is insect repellent and effective
clothing to reduce risk of being bitten. You must also have
evidence of a Yellow Fever vaccination.
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