Day 1 – Saturday, March
1
USA / LIMA
Our adventure begins this evening in Lima, Peru where we are met upon arrival and assisted to our hotel for the night *D
Day 2 – Sunday, March 2
LIMA / IQUITOS
Lima is quite the cosmopolitan city and one of Latin America’s most interesting.
It’s on the Pacific Coast but in a desert. After a morning overview session,
we depart for a tour of this fascinating city. Its premier parks, gardens and
private residences give evidence to how a major Latin American city in the desert
manages to keep much of its environs beautiful and green. Early this evening,
we depart from Lima and fly to Iquitos, a lively frontier city on the banks of
the Amazon River. On arrival we meet our guides who remain with us for the remainder
of the week. This isolated city, 2,300 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, is the
most inland port navigable by ocean-going ships on the Amazon River. It is our
port of embarkation to the Amazon adventure that awaits us. We are transferred
to our hotel for the night. B, L, D
Day 3 – Monday, March 3
IQUITOS / AMAZON RIVER/EXPLORAMA LODGE
After breakfast, our guides take us on a morning walking tour of Iquitos including
a special visit to the lively Central Market. Once a wealthy town fueled by the
rubber boom of the nineteenth century, Iquitos is colorful and aromatic with
vendors whose products reflect the diverse yield of the Amazon. We discover “Rainforest
Remedies” with the medicinal herb vendors. They display a variety of tropical
plant medicines. This jungle drugstore provides many of the remedies frequently
used by the local people. Soon we get our first view of the mighty Amazon, the
backbone of the largest river system in the world. From Iquitos we travel by
boat fifty miles downriver to our first Amazon lodging facility, Explorama Lodge.
Our journey takes us past island after island, some several miles long. We follow
the meandering course of this jungle-lined “river sea,” which even
this far from its mouth is over two kilometers (1.24 miles) wide. The Amazon
is composed of over 1,100 tributaries with several million miles penetrable by
boat.
We appreciate the sheer size of the river on this initial journey. Our boat trip
provides opportunities to observe local life along the great river and watch
for interesting animals and birds—a kingfisher perched patiently on a partially
submerged tree, dolphins arching through the churning waters, or perhaps a lone
sloth hanging from a high branch.
Soon we arrive at Explorama, our lodge accommodation nestled in the lush rainforest.
This is a well-established jungle lodge with thatch roof rooms and light is
provided by oil lamps. There is time to settle into our rooms and enjoy the
lodge’s amenities before the jungle drums call us to dinner. This evening
we have a welcome dinner and meet our faculty and local hosts. After dinner,
Dr. Linnea Smith provides insights into community medicine and cultural considerations
involved in running a clinic in the Amazon. Later, you may enjoy an evening
of local music and dancing at Explorama’s La Tahuampa bar. B,L,D
Day 4 – Tuesday, March 4
EXPLORAMA / Downriver LODGES (NAPO & ACTS)
Mornings at the jungle lodges awake you with the exotic sounds of a dawn wildlife
chorus. Expert guides lead an optional early morning bird and nature walk at
each lodge site during the week. Coffee, tea, and hot chocolate are always
available in the dining room. At Explorama Lodge, one of the more extensive
and spectacular of the rainforest trails is the Bushmaster Trail. Botanically
speaking, this area has been designated the richest place on Earth by researchers
from the Missouri Botanical Garden. They have identified more than 300 species
of trees in a single hectare (2.471 acres). You can discover many interesting
species of plants, including many medicinal herbs, as well as leaf-cutter ants
and dart-poison frogs. The electric-blue flash of the incredible morpho butterfly
seems to illuminate the shade of the forest, which is intensified by the luxuriant
tangle of lianas.
After breakfast we visit the Amazon Health Clinic near the Explorama Lodge
run by Dr. Linnea Smith. Dr. Smith is an American internist who relocated to
this remote area of the jungle following her first visit here. The clinic,
built and partially supported by Rotary International, is one of the few medical
facilities available to the indigenous Indians in the area. We then depart
on a boat ride downriver to the NAPO Lodge. About seven miles downstream, the
Amazon is joined by the Napo River, the largest of the Peruvian tributaries.
Here is the village of Francisco de Orellana, named for the man who, in 1541,
crossed the Andes and sailed down the Napo, becoming the first European to
see the Amazon River. As we pass, we may glimpse the statue erected to this
intrepid explorer. Piranhas are abundant in these waters, but we soon dispel
the myth of these fish as the “Jaws” of the Amazon as their diet
is composed mainly of fruit. We pass Yanamono Island where we are likely to
observe river dolphins. The downstream end of the island is usually an excellent
place to observe freshwater dolphins as they cavort in the shallows.
Two species occur in the Amazon—the gray dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis)
travels in small family groups or pods and is likely to be seen leaping out
of the water. The pink river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) is larger with a pronounced
bulge (melon) on its head and instead of a dorsal fin it has a dorsal hump.
The pink dolphin is a more solitary animal and is not as acrobatic as the gray
dolphin. Also of major ecological importance to this area is the dynamic change
of water level, depending on the season. The water level of the river varies
as much as 40 feet between high water and low water. This is a result of snow
melt from the Andes as well as rainfall on the Guyana shield, well to the north
of Iquitos. There is no distinct rainy season in the Amazon.
Our boat journey continues to the Sucusari River, a serpentine darkwater tributary
of the Napo River. A short distance up the Sucusari we arrive at the NAPO Lodge
nestled in remote rainforest on the boundary of the Amazon Wildlife Reserve.
An area of 250,000 acres of primary rainforest, the reserve was established
in 1991. The area around the NAPO Lodge provides myriad opportunities to explore
the rainforest environment. These include nature walks, boat rides, fishing,
swimming or a blackwater lake visit. The expert guides reveal many different
plant and animal species. The understory along the trails swarms with butterflies
such as Satyrs and Morphos, typical of undisturbed forest. This area contains
over 4,000 species of butterflies. Colorful Poison Dart Frogs scramble along
the forest floor, and the air vibrates with the sound of the jungle’s
teeming wildlife. The guides can show us how to catch Piranha, which are abundant
in these waters and provide a tasty meal. Early evening and morning visits
to the world-renowned Canopy Walkway are available via a 30-minute walk through
primary rainforest to the lodge at the Amazon Conservatory for Tropical Studies.
(ACTS). After dinner, a walk or boat ride uncovers secrets of the rainforest’s
nocturnal inhabitants. B,L,D
Days 5 & 6 – Wednesday & Thursday, March
5 & 6
NAPO / ACTS
During the next two days, faculty and guides lead interactive sessions at
the rainforest sites as we discover the links between the rainforest environment
and healthcare issues. You may join the pre-breakfast birding hikes or a boat
ride. You might also try catching your lunch or dinner in the form of a piranha
or one of the over 1000 species of catfish found in the Amazon.
Scheduled Field excursions at the lodge sites include:
Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS) Research Facility
This facility serves as a base for scientific study of the primary rainforest.
The trail to ACTS passes through primary forest and rolling terrain. Away from
the main river, this forest is never flooded and contains wildlife not found
close to the riverbanks. It is located along the Quebrada Grande and the boundary
of the Amazon Biosphere Reserve.
Canopy Walkway
This renowned walkway provides an unforgettable experience and certainly one
of the high points of the expedition. A short walk from the ACTS facility through
giant trees brings you to the initial stage of the walkway platforms. The suspended
walkway is spread between 14 of the area's largest rainforest trees and is
one of the longest canopy walkways in the world. Wooden steps ascend from the
forest floor to the beginning of the multilevel system of aerial pathways and
platforms that are securely suspended by ropes and cables. As you ascend the
walkway to a height of over ten stories, you eventually emerge above the top
of the seemingly endless canopy and experience a sight few have ever witnessed.
Here is an unexplored world where over 2,000 epiphytic plants may cling to
the branches of a single tree. In the forest canopy it is estimated that 20
million insect species may exist, 80 percent as yet unknown to science! Early
morning and evening are the busiest times for wildlife on the walkway and provide
the best opportunity to see canopy creatures.
ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden: Site of Shaman Healing Ritual Demo
The ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden, located adjacent to the Napo Lodge, is
a teaching garden for the medicinal and useful rainforest plants of the area.
The garden is tended by a local shaman and his apprentices who are always interested
in explaining the uses of some of the over 240 species of plants now preserved
in the garden. Many of these organic remedies are used in modern medicine and
many more may be utilized in the future
Optional Field Excursions:
Blackwater Lake
Explore one of the most unusual habitats in the Amazon Basin, a blackwater
lake. Lakes of this type, known as oxbows, are formed when a section of river
becomes separated from the main stream; the water becomes black due to the
leaching of tannins from rotting vegetation. Here the still, mirror-like waters
are often crowned with giant Victoria regia water lilies, the leaves of which
can exceed seven feet in diameter and support the weight of a toddler. The
sharp hook-like spines on the undersides of the leaves deter herbivores. The
vegetation surrounding the lake provides an excellent habitat for primitive-looking
birds called hoatzins that build their nests there. Hoatzins build their nests
on limbs overhanging the water and the young will drop from their nest into
the water whenever a predator appears. The young hoatzins swim quite well and
they also have a unique adaptation, a claw on each of their wings that helps
them climb back up to the nest once the predator has departed the area.
Local Village Visit
Orejone Village provides an opportunity to see a community that has little
contact with the outside world. This village differs from others who have taken
a more opportunistic approach and are doing quite well from tourism. There
are various levels of agriculture practiced and some even have ethnobotanical
gardens of their own. Bananas and manioc are staples as well as fish.
Day 7 – Friday, March 7
NAPO / EXPLORAMA / CEIBA TOPS
Following breakfast, we depart for our excursion back upriver to Explorama Lodge. The trip provides more opportunities to observe local life along the great Amazon River. After lunch at the lodge, we are treated to an Amazon Cultural Fair. We gain insight into the culture and lifestyle of the people of the Amazon. Local villagers and naturalist guides host this cultural event devoted to the demonstration of crafts and tool making, art works, cooking, blow-gun construction, hunting, and the skills needed to live and succeed in the forest. Amazon artifacts are available for purchase form the artisans. After the fair, we depart for our boat trip upriver to Ceiba Tops Lodge. We have time to settle into our air-conditioned rooms before a walk in the forest to see the immense ceiba tree that is the outstanding feature of the area. Later, we can enjoy a refreshing swim in the large pool before our farewell dinner this evening at the lodge. After dinner we recap our week with the entire faculty, applying lessons learned in the Amazon to healthcare practices- from the local to the global. We celebrate our last night in the rainforest with dance and song provided by our talented musical guides. B,L,D
Day 8 – Saturday, March 8
CEIBA TOPS LODGE / IQUITOS / LIMA
We have time this morning to prepare for our trip home, take another walk through the forest or just relax. This afternoon we return to Iquitos and fly back across the Andes to Lima where we have dinner before our flights back to the USA.
Day 9 – Sunday, March 9
LIMA / USA
Flights from Lima arrive early this morning in US gateway cities where travelers clear customs and connect with flights back home. *B
B-Breakfast; L-Lunch; D-Dinner; S-Snack; *In-flight Meal
