ECOLOGY PROGRAMS - PUERTO MALDONADO

EP2- Puerto Maldonado Reserve - Rainforest -Posada Amazonas (3D 2N)

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 al Posada Amazonas.

During our voyage we may seebird species typical of the river or forest adege 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 luxurious yet unobtrusive 24 room lodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese’eja Native Community of Tambopata. We will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing of the lodge and the Ese’eja Ecotourism Project before our afternoon activity : Ethno botany, In this activity, we will hike the trails around Posada Amazonas with an Ese’eja native, who will explain to us the everyday uses of forest medicine, construction, food and fiber. At some point in our walk, we will visit a small parakeet clay click. Dozens and sometimes hundreds of Blue Head 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. 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, hoatzi and wading birds. The giant river otters that are seen in Tres Chimbadas belong to a resident family of nine. Then we will return to the lodge for lunch before embarking on our afternoon outing. In the afternoon we will visit a native community slash and burn farm. Slash and burn agriculture systems are often thought of as wasteful because the fields are burnt, cultivated for a few years and then abandoned. Many resident studies, however, have shown that this is far from the truth. The secret of their success is mixed planting in small patches , so that the crops are not decimated by disease and pests spreading through monocultures, the use of a mixture of herbaceous and woody crops and the genetic diversity of their crops. After our visit, we will return to Posada Amazonas for dinner and overnight.

Optional night walk to look for amphibians and insect 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 or Cuzco (B)

Note : Possible harpy Eagle Visits

Over the past two years of work in the Ese’eja Native Community, the combined efforts of scientist Renzo Piana and the Ese’eja Community members have discovered seven active large eagle nesting sites, four of them belonging to harpy eagles. If one of these has a chick, we will offer the option of visiting this largest of Amazonian avian predators. Since chicks remain in their nest for over a year, you can consult with Rainforest Expeditions or your travel Agents for the current status of nest activity.