General Information for Tours to Northeastern Peru: Explornapo Lodge, the Canopy Walkway and Mishana White Sands Forest
Note: The information presented here is an abbreviated version of our formal General Information for Tours to Peru. Its purpose is solely to give readers a sense of what might be involved if they took this tour. Although we do our best to make sure what follows here is completely accurate, it should not be used as a replacement for the formal document which will be sent to all tour registrants, and whose contents supersedes any information contained here.
ENTERING PERU: For United States citizens a valid passport and return airline ticket are required. Visas are not necessary, as a tourist card will be issued on entry. Your passport, as a general rule, should be valid for at least six months after the date the tour ends. Citizens of other countries may need a visa and should check their nearest Peruvian embassy. If required by the embassy or visa-granting entity, WINGS can provide a letter for you to use regarding your participation in the tour.
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view a map of Peru here. To adjust the size, click on the map’s lower right corner. You can review the U.S. State Department Background Notes on Peru here.
HEALTH: A malaria preventative is recommended. The incidence of malaria has increased dramatically in recent years; the disease is no longer restricted to the Amazonian lowlands, having spread to the coast and the Andean highlands. Prophylaxis for chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria is recommended.
Immunization for yellow fever is recommended by the CDC for travel in Peru and every other trip into the deep tropics.
The CDC currently also recommends the following vaccines (see your doctor at least 4—6 weeks before your trip to allow time for immunizations to take effect): Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG); typhoid; and as needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. You can view the latest CDC traveler’s advisories here.
CLIMATE: Peru’s climate is widely varied. Coastal Lima is seasonally foggy, damp, and chilly, necessitating a sweater. In the eastern lowlands at Iquitos and the lodges we will visit, expect temperatures in the 70s to high 80s (F) with high humidity. Rain is always a possibility in the lowlands. To deal with all climatic contingencies we recommend a rain jacket that could double as a windbreaker, and light weight warm weather clothes for the lowlands. A compact umbrella is also essential for birding in light rain. A poncho is often useful during heavy rains. August is the dry season, but it is always wise to be prepared.
PACE OF THE TOUR: As with most birding in the tropics, we have only 12 hours of sunlight for birding. Thus, we will be rising early (5:00 am) on most mornings to begin our daily birding at first light, but since the sun sets by 5:30, we will end most days by 8 pm (having eaten dinner). There will be occasional optional owling excursions after dinner, and on one night at Mishana, we’ll remain in the field until early evening to try for potoos. Most days will involve forest walks in the morning, with lunch at the lodges, a short siesta during the heat of the day, then afternoon walks or boat trips. All of the trails are relatively flat.
ACCOMMODATIONS: In Lima and Iquitos, we stay in comfortable, standard hotels, with private bathroom facilities. Explorama and Explornapo Lodges and the ACTS Field Station are comfortable lodges, but do not have electicity in the rooms – all lighting is supplied by kerosene lamps. The sleeping accomodations consist of private rooms located in a common long building. Each bed is supplied with mosquito netting for protection. Bathrooms and showers are located in separate buildings connected by a covered walkway. Toilets are of the latrine type, but are kept very clean. There is no hot water in the showers, but the water is warmed by the sunlight and is not cold – one doesn’t want hot water in the Amazonian lowlands anyway! Each room has a water basin, and there are communal water basins along the walkways. There is an atractive bar and dining room with cealing fans and cold drinks at Explorama, Explonapo and the ACTS Field Station. Singles are available at the lodges.
CANOPY WALKWAY: The famous Canopy Walkway near Iquitos is an unique opportunity to “walk” through the canopy. The walkway is constructed between 15 different trees, each tree having its own mini-tower. The walkway is very well constructed and very safe – aluminum ladders with wood boards on top are surrounded in web-netting, and strung between trees, held in place by cables. While very safe, there is movement of the walkway while walking on it – like a suspension bridge. Virtually all of our birding will be done from the towers at the individual trees – two towers in particular that can support larger groups. Access to the walkway is by sturdy staircases surrounding trees. If one has an intense fear of heights, they may opt out of the walkway.
TRANSPORTATION: Our land transportation will be in a bus. Our day trips to Mishana Reserve from Iquitos will be in a bus on paved highway. Our travel to Explornapo Lodge will be by boat. Our travel to the ACTS Field Station will be by forest trail (about 45 minutes hike from Explornapo). Participants will NOT be expected to carry their belongings between the two lodges, but bringing an extra small bag might be a good idea to reduce the weight for those helpers carrying our bags (unneeded items can be stored safely at Explornapo).
Please note on the last afternoon at Iquitos, Time permitting, we’ll have a few day rooms for those who may want to shower and change before international flights that evening.
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group, if possible.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Northeastern Peru will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. .
Updated: February 2008