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10 Days Amazon Voyage: The Greatest Voyage in Natural History Tour Package
Tour Itinerary Day 1 U.S. / Lima Fly to Lima, Peru, the nation’s capital and largest city, and transfer to our hotel for the night. (D Aloft) Day 2 Amazon Riverboat We fly over the Andes Mountains to Iquitos, where time permitting we take a brief city tour before boarding our riverboat, home for the coming week. Tonight, we cruise slowly up the Amazon, looking at the stars of the northern and southern constellations. (B,L,D) Day 3 We awake this morning on the Amazon, seeing some of the ever-changing panorama of jungle life as the boat continues upriver. Small villages dot the shoreline, and channels weaving through island mazes provide close-up views of a variety of marsh birds. The confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers is famous as the beginning of the Amazon River. Amazingly, we are about 2,400 miles from where the river flows into the Atlantic. The river drops only about 350 feet the entire way! We turn into the Río Ucayali, where we’re apt to find gray river dolphins and Amazon pink dolphins cavorting near the boat and along the shoreline. Later we take an excursion into the surrounding rainforest in search of giant water lilies and elusive wildlife such as monkeys and sloths. As dusk approaches, fishing bats begin their night’s foraging. (B,L,D) Day 4 We explore a small tributary of the Ucayali in search of piranha, which are very common in the slower-moving water. With luck, we may catch red-breasted, white or black piranha, and feast on our catch this evening. We look for animals including primates, sloths and an enormous variety of birds. Our ship continues upriver to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. This afternoon, an excursion into this largest wetland reserve in the world provides the opportunity to see primates, including monk sakis, red howler, saddle-backed tamarin and squirrel monkeys. We explore Caro Lake, connected to the river by way of a very small stream, where we may find flocks of greater ani, often seen following monkeys in search of insects disturbed by the monkeys’ foraging. We enjoy a nighttime boat excursion for a chance to find caimans, capybaras, common potoos, frogs and other nocturnal wildlife. (B,L,D) Day 5 We spend the day exploring this flooded realm, seeing wading birds such as herons, wattled jacanas and horned screamers. Parrots are common, including the endangered scarlet macaw. We’ll watch for giant river otters, which have become increasingly rare but still may be found within the reserve. We may also see massive black caimans and manatees. We enter a varzea (seasonally flooded forest), where plant life is very different from what we see along the main course of the Amazon, and walk through the forest. (B,L,D) Day 6 After an early breakfast, we board our excursion boats for access even further into the heart of these vast wetlands. Along the narrow waterways we’ll find birds such as canary-winged parakeets and spectacular blue-and-gold and scarlet macaws. Primates also are fairly common, including noisy squirrel monkeys. We arrive at a ranger station, where we may take a short hike to explore the forest. After a picnic lunch, we gradually make our way back to our riverboat through the maze of waterways. (B,L,D) Day 7 This morning we head back downriver, with a morning wildlife or other activity. This afternoon, if conditions permit we explore the narrow Tapiche River and look for wildlife. After dark we’ll go out in our excursion boats to listen to the sounds of the rainforest and look for nocturnal wildlife. (B,L,D) Day 8 This morning we visit a village along the river, with the chance to learn about the lives of the “Ribereño” people who live there. We continue downriver towards Iquitos, with time to complete our checklists, and enjoy a farewell dinner. (B,L,D) Days 9 & 10 In the morning we disembark in Iquitos and fly to Lima. We tour Lima, seeing the Cathedral and Plaza Mayor, then enjoy lunch at a distinctive Peruvian restaurant. The rest of the afternoon is at leisure, with dayrooms reserved at our hotel, before we transfer to the airport for our flight to the U.S. We arrive Sunday and connect with flights home. (Day 9: B,L; Day 10: Meals Aloft) Note: Because conditions at the time of our visit and new opportunities always determine what is possible on the Amazon, our itinerary is flexible. The itinerary shown is a guide to what we may do, but it’s always subject to change.Highlights
Save time, money and stress! For reservations: Fill out the vacation planner to be contacted by our Amazon River Cruise vacation specialist. Contact : Travelwizard.com 12/09 |
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