Day 1: Iquitos, Amazon River
After your flight to the capital of the Peruvian Amazon, our guides will meet you at the Iquitos airport—waiting for you with a sign with the name of Jungle Experiences. We will then go to the Doubletree by Hilton Iquitos Hotel, the meeting point, to receive your first briefing about the trip and where you will enjoy a delicious welcome lunch. You will then be transported by a private vehicle to the main dock of the city of Iquitos to board El Zafiro, your home for the following four nights. While El Zafiro begins its initial navigation, you can enjoy the most fantastic panoramic views from the observation area that is elegantly equipped for your enjoyment and located on our third deck. Enjoy the fantastic panoramic view from our elegant indoor and outdoor lounge that is also located on the third deck. Our bartender will be waiting for you to serve you an exotic cocktail prepared with fruits from the region and pisco, the national liquor of Peru.
Before the welcome dinner, your naturalist guides will give you an overview of the travel program, activities, routes, important moments, wildlife and vegetation, the geographical and historical background, and other useful details. If you have any questions or doubts, our guides will always be readily available to help you. After dinner, we invite you to the third deck where you can a spectacular view of the stars as we enter the depths of the Amazon rainforest, or relax with live music by our band on board and enjoy a varied repertoire of Amazonian, national, and international music.
Day 2: Amazon River - Yanayacu of Yacapana - Amazon Birth Place - Nauta Creek - Puerto Prado Community - Maranon River
Before breakfast, we will take part in our first activity: Birdwatching. We will travel aboard our comfortable expedition boats to the native reserve of Kukama (Yanayacu de Yacapana): an exotic place with around 17 blackwater lakes, abundant wildlife and home to the indigenous communities of Ayacucho and San Juan. Life-jackets, rain ponchos, rubber boots, and lots of cold water are always available aboard the expedition boats. During this activity, you can observe all kinds of birds such as herons, swallows, macaws and more. On this excursion we will also have the opportunity to see another type of wildlife such as the monk monkey, lion monkey, iguanas, sloth, mama vieja and we will
learn more about nature.
We then return to Zafiro where our breakfast buffet offers a wide selection of traditional dishes, Peruvian specialties, homemade baked goods and freshly prepared fresh juices. After breakfast, we start to explore the Yanayacu area of Yacapana or Isla de Yacapana, better known as Isla de las Iguanas. We will be ready to identify different species in this area. We continue the expedition to the confluence of the Marañón and Ucayali rivers; where these two rivers join giving rise to the birth of the great “Amazon River”. Here we can see the famous pink dolphins. After lunch we will have a talk on Amazonian philosophy. Our guides will present us with the idiosyncrasies, beliefs and deep thoughts of the
Amazonian population.
In the afternoon, we will leave in the expedition boats towards Nauta Creek inside the Pacaya Samiria reserve. We will discover the jungle of the mirrors and sharpen our senses to locate toucans, parrots, macaws, iguanas, sloths and monkeys on the top of the trees. We will go on ahike through the community of Puerto Prado, where we can admire the largest aquatic plant in the world, giant water lilies, or “Victoria Regias”. Later, enjoy the colours of the sunset as they fall over the waters on the way back to Zafiro. Once on the boat, we can enjoy a live music concert held by our local band accompanied by an exquisite cocktail. At nightfall, opt to take a boat ride that allowing you to enjoy the constellations while the naturalist guides look for alligators, tarantulas and snakes.
Day 3: Yanayacu De Pucate - Laguna de Japon - Yanayaquillo - San Regis - Amazon National Park
Today we will visit various lakes and lagoons aboard our expedition boats. The guide will use his expert eye to point out all the biodiversity of the region to reach the Laguna de Japón. Here we will have our picnic breakfast and enjoy one of the best preserved and protected areas of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. This area is popular for watching pink dolphins. Before returning to Zafiro, we will take a hike and continue the exploration towards the Yanaquillo Ravine, which crosses towards the Marañón River where we will search for toucans, camungos, blue-billed herons, kingfishers, gray herons, parrots and more. In the afternoon, enjoy a small presentation about geographical orientation in our indoor air- conditioned lounge. Learn about the hydrography of the rivers to explore sustainable species according to the natural resources of the area. Later we will take a short walk through the forest and the hanging bridges of the Amazonian National Park full of colorful birds, where you can admire the beautiful jungle from the canopy of the trees that make up the bridges.
Day 4: Maranon River - San Regis - Shiriyacu
After breakfast we will visit the community of San Regis. We will meet the genuine and welcoming inhabitants of this Amazonian community through our guides, who will act as interpreters. After we have the opportunity to buy homemade crafts we will walk through the jungle to meet the shaman of the community and learn about the complementary medicine of the Amazon and the ancestral traditions. After this experience, we will participate in the tree planting ceremony and contribute to the environment. After lunch we will explore the Shiriyacu stream. We will discover this hundredyear- old lake that houses an ample supply of good fish, including red-bellies and freshwater sardines. We will look for a space to fish for the famous piranhas while using local equipment and techniques.
Day 5: Nauta - Manati Rescue Centre - Airport
Early this morning we head towards the city of Naura. Together with the guides, we will visit the market and learn how to trade in the area, as well as learn about the different important foods and ingredients we use in the Amazon. Later, on the way to the airport, visit the Amazon Rescue Center (CREA), where biologists and volunteers take care of the endangered species of manatees that the authorities have rescued. See how the manatees are cared for, and prepared for their reintroduction to their natural habitat.There are also other animals that have been rescued from captures with the intention of turning them into pets and other dangerous conditions.
