Amazon Riverboat Exploration
Location
Peru: Iquitos
Description
Research Mission
Help conserve and protect Amazon dolphins, giant river otters, monkeys, turtles, fish, giant river otters, and macaws and other birds.
Situation Report
Lago Preto, Yavari River and Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Samaria River, Loreto, Peru --The vast, relatively untouched Amazonian forests of northeastern Peru harbor an incredible diversity of wildlife. River dolphins and caimans still swim the rivers, while extraordinary birds fly through the canopy. Uakari monkeys abound in Lago Preto and manatees swim in the lakes of Samiria. Rare giant river otters occasionally can be seen cavorting along lakes and rivers. In this remote and isolated region of the Amazon, scientists Dr. Richard Bodmer, Pablo Puertas, and Tula Fang are doing a comprehensive survey of the area's biodiversity to develop sustainable conservation strategies for the region and the people who inhabit it. Illegal timber companies, pet traders, and hunters have decimated wildlife in other areas of the Amazon, lending urgency to the conservation of this near-pristine area.
Meals and Accommodations
The Ayapua is a recently restored 33-meter three-deck boat, with eight double cabins, one single cabin, and one triple cabin. Each cabin is air-conditioned and has an en suite bathroom with shower. After mornings and afternoons in the field, you will be treated to an array of local delicacies as well as familiar offerings like roast beef and freshly-caught fish, in the air-conditioned dining room. Mid-morning coffee and afternoon tea (and cakes), are served daily, and beverages are available at the bar on the upper deck
Highlights
On the Expedition
From the Ayapua, a vintage boat from the Amazon's rubber boom period, you will work with a team of skilled Peruvian biologists to collect information about the wildlife populations in one of two river areas, Lago Preto or the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, depending on the season. Volunteers rotate between aquatic surveys for dolphins, manatees, giant river otters, fish, and river turtles from motorized canoes. You will also count macaws and conduct land surveys of peccaries, tapirs, deer, monkeys, and game birds. At night, you will do spotlight surveys for caimans. With expedition staff, you will meet and talk to local people about their fishing, hunting, and conservation efforts, and practice some Spanish. In your time off, you can peruse the well-stocked library, enjoy a selection of Amazon-themed films on movie nights, or simply relax with a glass of wine on deck in one of the Earth's greatest wild places.