POSADA AMAZONAS SUGGESTED
5D/4N ITINERARY

DAY 01
PUERTO MALDONADO - POSADA AMAZONAS
Upon arrival from Lima or Cuzco, reception and transfer to the Tambopata River port in Puerto Maldonado. Puerto Maldonado is situated at the confluence of the mighty Madre de Dios and Tambopata Rivers and is a bustling, booming tropical frontier town. Its principal activities are gold mining, Brazil nut collecting, timber extraction, agriculture and ecotourism. After a brief survey of the town we will depart on a 2-hour boat trip by motorized canoe to Posada Amazonas. Depending on the arrival time of the plane we will have a boxed lunch aboard the boats or have lunch upon arrival at Posada Amazonas. During our voyage we may see bird species typical of the river or forest edge such as: Black Skimmer, Pied Lapwing, Capped Heron, Jabiru Stork, Roadside Hawk, and several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers. When we arrive at Posada Amazonas we will unpack and unwind. Posada Amazonas is a comfortable yet unobtrusive 24-room lodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions and the Local Community of Infierno. We will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing on the lodge and the Ecotourism Project. before our afternoon visit to the canopy tower. The 35-meter tower is about 15 minutes walking distance from the lodge. The scaffolding tower is built so that you can safely climb using the internal staircase with verandahs on each side, and rest in platforms present every 2 meters. From the top you not only get spectacular views of the river and the surrounding forest but also excellent opportunities to observe birds from the canopy including parrots, toucans and macaws. A video about the forest of Tambopata will be displayed after dinner.
L, D

DAY 02
POSADA AMAZONAS
After an early breakfast we depart from the port in Posada Amazonas on a fifteen minutes boat ride and then a 30-minute walk to the shores of Tres Chimbadas lake. From here we take a long, easy canoe ride around the lake. We will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. The giant river otters that are seen in Tres Chimbadas belong to a resident family of nine. We will return to the lodge for lunch and a chance to relax before our afternoon activity.

In the afternoon we will visit the community's ethno botanical center. From this small center, the community has been registering the uses of medicinal plants with the help of the community elders. The center is planting, producing and distributing their harvest of medicinal plant to the community for over ten years. We will hike the trails around the center with one of the residents who will explain to us the everyday uses of forest resources used in medicine, home building, food supplies and the production of handicrafts. We will return to Posada Amazonas for dinner and overnight. After enjoying our popular happy hour and refurbishing your spirits, you will have the option to go participate on a night walk t and search for amphibians and insects
B,L,D

DAY 03
POSADA AMAZONAS
After an early breakfast we will visit a small clay lick. This clay lick is located ten-minute walk from the lodge and next to the river banks. Amazingly, the variety of parrots that visit this clay lick is considerably different than the one inside the forest that we will visit later in the day. Some of the large macaws, like the red and green macaw and larger parrots, like mealy and yellow crowned Amazons visit this lick, as well as the smaller parrots and parakeets. From the blind we have constructed next to this lick, even the amateur photographer can take good pictures of these wonderful birds. We will also have a great opportunity to spot other spectacular wildlife, active at this time of the day, like scarlet or blue and gold macaws and a great deal of other birds.

When the activity dies out we will visit a small parakeet clay lick that is a 45-minute walk away. Dozens and sometimes hundreds of Blue Headed Parrots, Orange-Cheeked Parrots, Cobalt-winged parakeets, and sometimes even the rare Rock Parakeet congregate here on clear days to ingest clay. This congregation creates a riotous and colorful wildlife spectacle where the greens, oranges, reds and blues of the parrots dance around the bank as each individual parrot competes for their choice beakful of clay. At times, this spectacle lasts for hours. We will return to the lodge in time for lunch.

After lunch, we will take a walk through a trail on primary forest with a community member and our naturalist guide who will explain general aspects of rain forest ecology and natural history, each with their own contrasting viewpoint. Dinner and overnight at Posada Amazonas.
B,L,D

DAY 04
POSADA AMAZONAS
At dawn you will have a second optional visit to one of the clay licks. After breakfast we will visit a local slash and burn farm. Slash and burn agriculture systems are often thought of as wasteful because the fields are burnt, cultivated for a few years, and then abandoned. Many resident studies, however, have shown that this is far from the truth. The secret of their success is mixed planting in small patches, so that the crops are not decimated by disease and pests spreading through monocultures, the use of a mixture of herbaceous and woody crops, and the genetic diversity of their crops. After our visit, we will be able to understand why these cultivation systems are sustainable over the long term. We will return to Posada Amazonas for lunch. During the afternoon you will have time to relax and unwind or repeat a trip to the tower. Overnight at Posada Amazonas where you will be able to reminisce on the happening of the past three days enjoying our happy hour's Amazonian concoctions.
B,L,D

DAY 05
POSADA AMAZONAS-PUERTO MALDONADO
After an early breakfast, we depart by boat back to the city of Puerto Maldonado, directly to the airport, in time for our flight back to Lima or Cuzco.
B

INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge accommodations based on double occupancy. All scheduled land and river transportation. All transfers. All scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services. Meals as specified in the itinerary, B=Breakfast;L= Lunch;D=Dinner./p>

NOT INCLUDED: International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, reconfirmation of flights and items of personal nature.