Day 1

After arriving at the Iquitos International Airport, you are greeted by Yaku Amazon staff and transferred to the Iquitos port or travel by highway to the San Joaquin port. We then board a comfortable boat with a powerful, new engine to navigate the longest, widest and most voluminous river in the world – the mightiest river “Amazonas.”  We then navigate a tributary of the Amazon the Yanayacu River to reach our lodge. Upon arrival, passengers will be welcomed with a typical tropical drink and shown to their respective bungalows.

Lunch

Walk behind the lodge in primary and seasonally flooded forest to learn about the biodiversity of the flora and fauna.  Find medicinal plants and learn the many uses, including treatments for headaches, stomachaches, arthritis, prostate cancer, tuberculosis, etc.   Taste the water from a wooden vine known as cat’s claw, Uncaria tomentosa.  Cat’s claw is a traditional medicine used by indigenous people to treat asthma, inflammation, arthritis, cancer, and AIDS.

Discover different species of monkeys, such as squirrel monkeys and the red howlers who are the heaviest primates in the rainforest and the loudest land animal in the world whose deafening roar can be heard many kilometers away.   Also, search for birds (the wattled curassows – believed to be extinct 40 years ago, parrots, trogons, fly catchers, antbirds, etc.), insects, reptiles, amphibians, tamanduas, jaguar tracks and much more!  While searching, listen to the distinctive noises of the rainforest from insects, birds, monkeys, frogs, and possibly the roar of a distant jaguar.

Dinner

A night tour by boat on Corrientes lake to find caimans – one of the predatory species of the Amazon, fishing bats, night herons, tarantulas, different species of amphibians, potoos, nightjars, fireflies, arahuana or dragon fish, etc.

Gaze and marvel at the stunning stars creating the constellations of the Southern Hemisphere.  Visible is a band of white light arching across the night sky – an awe-inspiring view of the Milky Way.

Day 2

Depart the lodge for a 30 minute boat ride to travel to the village of Junín.  Here we take a long walk, approximately 5 hours round trip, to explore a seasonally flooded primary rainforest and sandbanks that are rich in the biodiversity of the rainforest flora and fauna.  Observe primary trees in Igapo forest (blackwater flooded forests) and restinga (an area that does not flood and gives the appearance of firm ground).  During the walk, the search includes ring-tailed coatis, capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, tamarin monkeys, marmoset monkeys, birds – ibis, small toucans parrots, parakeets, horned screamers, herons, cormorants, woodpeckers, hawks, wood rails, tinamous, reptiles – lizards, liana snakes, fer-de-lance snakes, whip snakes, insects and jaguar tracks and much more!

Breakfast is served onboard the boat before the walk.  It may include fruits, hard-boiled eggs, sandwiches, cookies, hot water for tea and coffee, water, depending upon any dietary restrictions.

Be immersed in the local culture of the Amazon by experiencing lunch in one of community homes of Junín.  You will be introduced to their way of life, how the locals make dugout canoes, their reliance on the resources of the rainforest and crops cultivated, along with the opportunity of sharing questions and answers.  Perhaps even a game of soccer with the men, women and children of the village!  The family and staff are trained in sanitation in preparing the food, and drinking water is provided for cooking and drinking.

For this unique adventure, the day beings at 6:00 a.m. and the return to the lodge is around 2:00 p.m.

Dinner

A jungle night walk shares the nocturnal wonders of the rainforest.  Be surrounded by jungle sounds, while finding unique and diverse creatures.  Find beautiful tree frogs, cane toads, night monkeys, tarantulas, scorpions and other arachnids, insects, sleeping birds, snakes, lizards and more!

Day 3

Breakfast

Travel to the black water lakes Corrientes and Ojé by boat, and then explore these lakes rowing in a wooden canoe.  Search for iguanas, three-toed sloths – the slowest mammals of the planet, squirrel monkeys, cormorants, herons, kingfishers, parrots, horned screamers, blue and yellow macaws, black collared hawks, great black­ hawks, vultures, toucans, etc.

Lunch

After lunch, depart for an afternoon and evening adventure along the lakes Corrientes, Purura and the Yanayaku tributary.  It starts with a boat trip in search of birds:  horned screamers, tapaculos, horneros, parrots, muscovy ducks, cormorants, jacanas, blue and yellow macaws, etc.

Disembark the boat for a walk in Igapo forest, seasonally flooded primary jungle, to find land animals.  Our search includes the pygmy marmoset – the smallest primate in the world, tamarin monkeys, titi monkeys, and other species of monkeys, reptiles – lizards and snakes, small frogs and large bullfrogs – favorite food of anacondas, bullet ants – the most painful ant sting on the planet, tarantulas and other spiders, scorpions, crickets and other insects, porcupines and jaguar tracks.  With luck, our search may include seeing a jaguar or hearing its roar in the distance.  They have the strongest jaws and most powerful bite of any cat species with 2000 pounds of force!  This is enough to break a turtle’s thick shell or easily puncture and crush bone.

While walking, you will be amazed at the huge size of the kapok or Lupuna tree Ceiba pentandra as it towers over the other rainforest vegetation.   The kapok tree can reach up to 60 meters in height and grow as much as 4 meters per year.  This large tree is known for kapok, which is cotton-like, water-resistant fiber, harvested from the seedpods.  At one time, kapok was popular for being used to stuff mattresses, life jackets, and pillows. 

After the walk, we board the boat to observe the beautiful Amazon sunset!  The sky begins to illuminate a spectrum of colors from violets and blues to oranges and reds.  We then slowly navigate the water to search for caimans, night herons, potoos, fishing bats, nocturnal fish, insects, and capybaras – the largest and heaviest rodent on the planet, an adult male can weigh up to 60 kg! 

Dinner

Relax and listen to the night sounds of the forest.

Day 4

Breakfast

Full day boat excursion on Corrientes Lake, Yanayaku tributary and the Amazon River searching for iguanas, many species of birds in the seasonally flooded Igapo and Varzea forests such as roadside hawks, black collared hawks, great black hawks, kites, cormorants, terns, skimmers, stilts, caracaras, cuckoos, woodpeckers, woodcreepers, nunbirds, etc.

Walk in the terra firma rainforest along the Amazon River in search of different species of poisonous dart frogs, mimicking toad-like frogs, leaf toads, cane toads, leafcutter ants, antbirds, pygmy owls, fruit crows, squirrel monkeys, tamarin monkeys, bullet ants, etc.

Experience lunch with a native family in the community of San Pedro during high water season.  If you visit the Amazon during low water season, lunch is along one of the Amazon beaches with a beautiful view.  Both are unique experiences!  Lunch will include chicken barbeque, potatoes, fruit, and drinking water. 

Continue exploring on the boat to observe birds along the beaches of the Amazon, such as stilts, sandpipers, skimmers, terns, egrets, cormorants, wood storks, jabirus, sand colored nightjars, migratory birds etc.

Observe one of the most beautiful species of the Amazon River, the grey and pink dolphins.  While the dolphins are nearby, you may swim in the river.

Using a hydrophone and speaker, listen to the low-frequency sounds from the dolphins.

With the breeze and the boat floating in the current of the river, it is a special moment to make a toast to your adventure in the Amazon!

After a beautiful, extraordinary day, we return to the lodge.

Dinner

Relax and listen to the night sounds of the forest.

Day 5

Half-day adventure inside the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Reserve along the Yanayaku tributary and the lakes Corrientes, Purura, Sapote and Mohena.   Search for three-toed sloths, titi monkeys, night monkeys – the only nocturnal primates in the rainforest, capuchin monkeys – the smartest primates in the world, squirrel monkeys, other species of monkeys, turtles, and many birds – blue and yellow macaws, parrots, vultures, toucans, wattled curassows – believed to be extinct 40 years ago, anhingas, trogons, tanagers, pigeons, doves, anis, capaculos, cuckoos, fly catchers, woodpeckers, nunbirds, different species of kingfishers, anacondas, and much more!

Fishing for the most ferocious and aggressive fish of the Amazon – the piranhas!  You may also catch cichlids, oscars, catfish, etc.

Breakfast served on the boat.  It may include fruits, hard-boiled eggs, sandwiches, cookies, hot water for tea and coffee, water, depending upon any dietary restrictions.

Lunch

Walk along and around the Ipahuantillo Lake in search of the prehistoric looking Hoatzin, the only species of bird that is ruminant with a multi-chambered digestive tract.  This digestion causes a strong, foul odor, giving them the nickname “stinkbird.”

Also, view one of the largest aquatic plants in the world, the Victoria Regia Water Lilies.  The gigantic floating leaves can measure up to 3 m across.

Visit the native village of Ayacucho to learn of their culture, folklore, and life in this part of the world and exchange culture by visiting the school (March to December) promoting mutual understanding. We encourage you to bring supplies (pencils, colored pencils, crayons, pens, notebooks, metric rulers, art supplies, puzzles, books, toothpaste, toothbrushes, hair clips, etc.) for optional donations to the students and school. Shop their handmade crafts, which use products such as seeds collected in the forest and palm fiber. This is a way to contribute to the local economy and halt deforestation, since these people now protect forests for the usefulness of their crafts.

If the water is low, there is an opportunity to play a game of soccer with the friendly villagers.

Dinner

Relax and listen to the sounds of the rainforest.

Day 6

Breakfast

Camp deep into the rainforest where you will observe and hear the sounds of numerous species of animals!

Walk behind the lodge to an isolated lake Ipahuante, which is exclusive for our passengers.  The campsite is setup on the side of this lake, where the heart of the untouched jungle surrounds you – you are in the midst of the flora and fauna of the rainforest.

The day is full of experiences!  Boat across the lake to view one of the largest fresh water fish in the planet the Arapaima gigas or Paiche.  These can weigh up to 250 kilos and be 3 meters long.  In the water look for electric eels and fish for Oscars, snakehead fish, wolf fish, lungfish, etc., which can be cooked for dinner.  Walk to find the red howlers, squirrels, capuchins, wattled curassow – an endangered bird, snakes, insects, amphibians, reptiles, river otters, and more.  In the evening, a jungle night walk, spearfishing and listen to the symphony of night sounds.

Lunch and dinner will be prepared around the camp base by the driver and guide, while you listen to the sounds of the pristine rainforest.

The following morning after breakfast, we return to the lodge for a well-deserved lunch.

Day 7

Campers return to the lodge after breakfast at the campsite.  Prepare for the return to Iquitos.

Lunch

Return by sailing to San Joaquin in our safe and comfortable boat, and then go by highway to Iquitos where we travel to the airport or to your hotel.  This is where we say our goodbyes, thank you, and hope to see you in the future!

Rates

Program 7 Days/6 Nights

Price per person (2 guests) in US Dollars: $820

Price per person (3-4 guests) in US Dollars: $790

Please contact us for groups of 5+ for discounted rates.

For single occupancy price, please contact us.