The itinerary below is a sample itinerary. Depending on the group and travel times, the actual itinerary may vary in day-by-day content and total number of days. Call us (1-877-627-1425) for specific details.
Day 1. Depart for Peru & Arrive in Lima.
After departing the U.S., we arrive in Lima. Depending on your flight schedule, you may spend the night at a hotel in Miraflores, an upscale neighborhood in the capitol city, or you may head directly onto Iquitos.
Day 2. Arrival in Iquitos, Peru and Travel to Explornapo Lodge
This morning, we catch a connecting flight to the friendly, bustling jungle town of Iquitos. We climb aboard motorized boats, our primary means of transportation for the week, and head off down the Amazon River for a spectacular ride. A few hours later we will arrive at Explornapo Lodge, our rustic and cozy home for the next two nights. After settling in and enjoying lunch in the open air dining area, we explore a nearby blackwater lake teeming with life. We return to the lodge for dinner and discussion and then head out to experience the rainforest by flashlight.
Day 3. Rainforest Exploration: Medicinal Plants and Ecology
We begin our day at dawn with a short excursion to look for, listen to and identify some of the many birds in this area of the rainforest. After breakfast a local shaman (healer) shares with us his knowledge about the plants he uses and how he prepares them to treat illness. We spend the afternoon hiking slowly through the forest as we learn about the web of life that makes this ecosystem special. We have a chance to see with our own eyes many of the lessons we learned as we prepared for this expedition. We might observe a leaf-cutter ant colony in full swing, monkeys feasting on a fig tree heavy with ripe fruit, dropping and dispersing seeds as they move through the canopy, or a well camouflaged katydid or stick insect. It’s impossible to say exactly what we’ll see but it is safe to say that we will have a chance to experience the diversity for which the tropical rainforest is famous!
Day 4. Travel To ACTS: Canopy Explorations and Ethnobotany
Today, we hike to the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies Field Station (ACTS). Built in 1993, ACTS is home to the famous canopy walkway. After exploring the canopy from this amazing vantage point we hike along the “useful plants trail” learning about the many ways people in local communities use plants in their everyday lives. Among other things, we will learn about plants that are good for eating, building houses, making dyes for handicrafts, keeping insects away, and making blowguns and the darts that accompany them. Later, we head out into the forest for another night excursion—it’s amazing how the rainforest seems to come alive when the sun goes down!
Day 5. Explorama Lodge and the Yagua Community
We head by boat today to Explorama Lodge where, after lunch,we head to the nearby Yagua community for a visit. In the community, we have the unique opportunity to catch a glimpse of what life in the rainforest is like for the people who call it home. We are warmly invited to visit a home, walk through the village and barter for handicrafts. Don’t forget to bring lots of tradable items! In the evening we enjoy a presentation from Dr. Linnea Smith, a North American physician who moved to the region many years ago to begin a rural health clinic. She is a wonderful doctor with many fascinating stories to share.
Day 6. Community Service Project
Today we visit a community school and conduct a community service project. This may very well be the highlight of the week for many participants. Service projects might include school painting, building a community garden, working on a thatched hut, tree planting or building community awareness of environmental issues. All projects are conducted alongside community residents. This is our opportunity to make a big difference!
Day 7. Biodiversity Blitz and Celebration
After an early morning bird walk, we spend a few hours getting our hands dirty as we conduct our own mini research projects to study the biodiversity of different areas of the forest. We use techniques developed and used by scientists working to catalog the diversity of life in rainforest areas to help conserve them. After lunch, we conclude with a final activity related to conservation and tropical ecology. We finish the evening with a jungle celebration!
Day 8. The City of Iquitos
This morning we pack up our things and say goodbye to the rainforest. In the afternoon, we head into the bustling city of Iquitos, where we have the opportunity to get to know a little bit about this historic and fascinating city and do some last minute shopping. We’ll spend the night in Iquitos in a hotel.
Day 9. Iquitos Market, Travel to Lima and leave for U.S.
After an early morning visit to the local market, we head back to Lima and then on a flight to the United States.