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PERU TRAVEL PLANNER
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TWO ECOSYSTEMS 4 DAYS AND 3
NIGHTS TOUR
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2012 Rates |
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Fixed Departures From Monday to Friday, except Wednesday
Per Person Prices:$872 based on Double occupancy
Per Person Prices:$1029 based on Single occupancy |
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Note: We require minimum two passengers traveling together If single
traveler ask for the supplement. Includes Visits the Puerto Maldonados’
closest larga macaw clay lick (from a comfortable floating blind) at the
Heath River Wildlife center (HRWC) – visit the extraordinary biodiverse
Pampas del Heath (Savannah). Accommodations, full board, excursions and
visit to an Indian community.
The lodge offers an array of options almost too numerous and varied to be
taken on one visit. We may spot wildlife along the lightly-used trails of
this remote forest, and perhaps stake out one of the lodge’s mammal clay
licks, in hopes of sighting an elusive Lowland Tapir, the Amazon’s largest
mammal. We can visit the abundant birds and monkeys of a secluded oxbow lake,
travel upriver and float stealthily downstream with the engine off, and walk
or bicycle through the astonishing change of environments to be experienced
on the short journey from the river to the Pampas del Heath – an excursion
that also takes in a rare nesting site of the Red-bellied and
Blue-and-yellow Macaws. We may also pay a visit to the village of Sonene,
one of the surviving communities of the Ese’Eja indigenous people. |
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Duration |
4 Days & 3 Nights |
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Departures |
Daily departures |
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Airfares |
Not included, available upon request |
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Customizable |
YES, feel free to ask for extra
services |
DAY 1 - PUERTO MALDONADO TO HEATH RIVER WILDLIFE CENTER
Staff welcome you at Puerto Maldonado airport and we drive through this
bustling Upper Amazon Basin city to the Tambopata River boat dock. Here we
board a powerful motorized dugout canoe and set off to the nearby confluence
of the mighty Madre de Dios River, where we head downstream for
approximately three hours to the Peru-Bolivia border at the mouth of the
remote Heath River. Even beneath the vast sky of this major Amazon tributary
we glimpse the diversity of the riverine environment, with its forest-capped
red-earth cliffs, alternating with low banks thick with Cecropia trees and
giant grasses. Now, after brief frontier-crossing formalities, we motor for
about two more hours up narrower and wilder waters, suddenly enjoying the
intimacy of mysterious forest looming close on either side. Occasional views
of native villages and children splashing by the banks, are interspersed
with long, quiet stretches where we may spot herons, hawks, cormorants,
Orinoco Geese, and perhaps a family of Capybaras -- the world’s largest
rodent, weighing up to 55kg./120lb, and looking like an enormous Guinea Pig.
We reach our simple, charming and comfortable quarters at the Heath River
Wildlife Center in time for dinner. (Box lunch, D)
(Please note that the lodge is located on the Bolivian shore of the Heath
River, so passports are required to clear Bolivian passport control.)
DAY 2: HEATH RIVER WILDLIFE CENTER
Today we make an early start to visit the lodge’s most spectacular feature:
the Heath River parrot and macaw lick. Here these colorful birds gather to
eat a type of clay from the cliff-like river banks that neutralizes certain
toxins in their diet. They congregate early each morning, sometimes by the
hundreds, jostling and squabbling over the best eating spots on the clay
lick. This noisy and unforgettable show can go on for two or three hours,
and may begin with up to five species of parrot and two varieties of
parakeet, followed by Chestnut-fronted Macaws and their larger, more
boisterous cousins, the Red-and-green Macaws. This extraordinary wildlife
display occurs at only a handful of sites in the Upper Amazon Basin, and
nowhere else on the planet.
Our floating hide platform provides comfort and complete concealment, so
that we can eat a full breakfast here during pauses in the bankside
spectacle. For ultra-close-up viewing, our guides carry a tripod-mounted
spotting scope, which can also be used to get telephoto pictures with even
the simplest camera.
On our return we can land partway downriver and walk back along a section of
the lodge’s extensive network of forest trails. We encounter numerous
gigantic Brazil-nut, kapok and fig trees, along with the scary strangler fig,
whose life strategy is as sinister as its name suggests. Our guide will
point out and explain the medicinal and commercial uses of dozens of plants
and trees, while we keep our eyes and ears open for birds, or one of the
eight species of monkeys found in this region. We might come upon a small
herd of White-lipped or Collared peccary – two kinds of wild pig that are
quite common in this area. For purposes of territorial marking they deploy a
“stink gland” so potent that they are often smelled long before they are
seen.
After lunch we typically hike or bicycle along a major trail to a point
where the forest abruptly gives way to the spacious plains of the Pampas del
Heath, part of Bolivia’s Madidi National Park. This unique environment --
the result of very poor soils, plus an extreme seasonal cycle of dryness and
flooding -- is the largest remaining undisturbed tropical savannah in the
Amazon, and is home to rare endemic birds and mammals, such as the
Swallow-tailed Hummingbird and the highly endangered Maned Wolf. Shortly
beyond the edge of the forest we can climb a raised platform that allows us
a grand view of this vast expanse of grassland and shrub, studded with palm
trees.
We can continue another hour or so to a swampy area thick with Mauritia
flexuosa palm trees, whose oil-rich palm nuts and hollowed-out dead palms
provide vitally important food and shelter for nesting pairs of Red-bellied
and increasingly rare Blue-and-yellow macaws. We aim to arrive toward dusk,
when the macaws are returning from their day’s foraging to congregate in
this very special breeding site.
We return to the lodge by night, using our flashlights, and perhaps pausing
here and there in total darkness, to listen to the ever-changing orchestra
of animals, frogs and insects, and to experience the magic of the night-time
rainforest. We may come upon such bizarre nocturnal creatures as camouflaged
frogs disguised as dead leaves, toads the size of rabbits, hairy tarantulas
peering out of their dirt holes, night monkeys lurking among the tree
branches, and a seemingly unpredictable array of other nightlife.
After dinner some guests may choose to visit one of our mammal lick hides,
in hopes of seeing a Lowland Tapir, the rainforest’s largest mammal. Hardy
adventurers can choose to camp here with their guide, in order to experience
a full night in the heart of the rainforest and increase their chances of a
major wildlife sighting. (B, L, D)
DAY 3: HEATH RIVER WILDLIFE CENTER
Our second full day at the lodge allows us to choose from a wide range of
activities available in this exceptionally diverse tropical environment.
Many people choose to make a second visit to the macaw clay lick. Later we
can take a canoe tour around Cocha Moa, an oxbow lake that lies a short way
downstream from the lodge.
The reeds, fallen trees and forested shoreline of this lake teem with birds
and other wildlife. Red Howler Monkeys may peer at us through the branches
of the giant trees above us, while herons lie in wait among the fallen trees,
cormorant-like Anhingas watch from the forest branches, and an Osprey may
circle overhead. Flocks of brilliant Red-capped Cardinals gather on dead
branches, and a colorful, primitive bird, the Hoatzin, hops its ungainly way
along the swampy water’s edge.
In the afternoon we may travel an hour or so downriver to visit the Ese’Eja
native community of Sonene, where we can meet these descendants of nomadic
forest tribes, and catch a glimpse of those traditional ways of life that
they manage to maintain in the modern world. We can also purchase their
handcrafts, made from a wide range of seeds collected from the forest.
After dinner we can board our canoe once more, for an evening of spotting
for caiman, the Amazonian cousin of the alligator. This region is home to
the endangered black caiman, and we nearly always pick out a few with our
powerful spotlight as we patrol the river. (B, L, D)
DAY 4: TRANSFER OUT
We leave at dawn for the return trip downstream. This is peak hour for
wildlife so we keep a sharp eye on the riverbanks, often spotting families
of Capybara, and perhaps being rewarded with a rare jaguar sighting, or a
tapir swimming across the current. We reach the Madre de Dios River,
re-enter Peru, and set off upstream for Puerto Maldonado, where we are
transferred to the airport for our flight to Cusco or Lima.(B)
Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your
wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and
experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.
END OF OUR SEVICES |
Click to Enlarge
Journey by the river
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Otters |
Macaw clay lick |
Madre de Dios River |
INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge accommodations based on double or single
occupancy. All scheduled land, lake and river transportation. All transfers. All
scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services. All entrance fees.
Meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE
Tambopata National Reserve entrance fee. International or domestic airfares,
airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights
during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic and non-alcoholic
beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls,
radio calls or messages, reconfirmation of international flights and items of
personal nature.
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Mon-Fri 9 Am - 6 Pm ET
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Published articles and reviews about us
Testimonials
Jeanie Nowicki
Date : Thursday, April 26, 2012
I just wanted to thank you for your assistance with
my recent trip.
It exceeded all my expectations. Everything was flawless. I will
certainly....
Nadia and Ben
Date : Monday, April 16, 2012
I just wanted to let you know what a great time we
had on our trip. We felt taken care of every step of the way and
appreciated the care that your agents took from meeting us at the
airport...
Marcy and Bob Maiorana
Date : Sunday, March 18, 2012
We just returned from our travels in Peru, and had a
wonderful time. I want to thank you very much for all your help,
especially ...
Lill Tove Hansena
Date : Friday, Feb 5, 2012
We are no back in Norway. We must thank you for
making so wonderful trip for us in Peru. All ...
Angela
Date : Thursday, January 5, 2012
Thank you so much for your help. You made it
practically seamless. It was nice of you to make last minute
changes for us. I will be...
Mary Ann G. Smith
Date : Thursday, January 5, 2012
I just wanted to thank you for everything you did to
make our tour so wonderful. It exceeded our expectations...
Amanda Cavalcante
Date: Sunday, October 23, 2011
I would like to thank you for all your suport! You’ve
done an excellent ......
Patrick
Date:
Thursday October 13,
2011
First I wanted to
say I had a great time in Peru- it is beautiful- thank you for all
of the assistance!!! Secondly, I would like to plan ...
Quan
Date:
October 2011
We had a great time
in Peru. Thanks for putting the package together for us.
Costa Hanegraaff
Date:
Monday, Sep 26, 2011
I would like to
thank you for a superbly organized tour, we were taken care of in
every way possible and had a...
Karl
Date:
Thursday, Sep 22, 2011
Just a quick note
to tell you how much we enjoyed our trip. The trek was wonderful,
and ...
Patricia Henderson
Date: Wednesday, Sep 21, 2011
Thank you soooo
much for a wonderful trip The accommoda-tions and the
guides...
Linda
Date: Monday, July 18, 2011
We just got back
from our holiday in Peru and would like to thank you for organizing
it so well...
Gabriela
Date: Tues, 21 Jun, 2011
Thank you for the great vacation u arranged for me!
It was more than beautiful and most probably ...
Kaye and Denis
Date: Fri, 21 Jun, 2011
We had a magnificent tour of Ecuador Galapagos Machu
Picchu and Santiago in May thanks to your ....
Ruth Schap
Date: Fri, 3 Jun,2011
I wish to thank you for the travel
plans.
The only problems were the
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Date:
Thursday June 2, 2011
We
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Michelle Chisholm
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2011
I just wanted to
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Inca Trail...
Thanks again!!
Chris
Date:
Monday May 30, 2011
We
had a great time in Cusco MachuPichu. All the arrangements and
connections worked very well. The Gateway to Peru agents
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Peru Viajes
