Amazon River Trip 15 Days

Day 1:

Arrive in Lima and transfer to our hotel. Overnight close to the airport.

Day 2:

Early morning flight from Lima to Iquitos and straight onto the Amazon River for the fast boat ride to the Sucusari River and the comfortable ACTS canopy walkway lodge. Food and accommodation are excellent and we’ll arrive in time for lunch before taking our first walk in the afternoon to the medicinal gardens, where we hope, if luck is with us, to find the Cinereous Becard and the recently described Orange-eyed Flycatcher. It is from this lodge that we will concentrate on terra firme birds and especially night excursions for elusive Nocturnal Curassow. Overnight at ACTS canopy walkway lodge .

Day 3-4-5:

Every day we will be exploring the canopy walkway and terra firme forest on the hunt for Many-Banded Aracari, Dugand’s Antwren, Band-tailed Oropendola, Sapphire-rumped Parrotlet, Ochre-striped Antpitta, White-browed Purpletuft, Paradise Jacamar, Great Jacamar, Yellow-billed Jacamars, Yellow-browed Antbird, Sooty Antbird, Bicolored Antbird, Lunulated Antbird, Spot-winged Antbird, Slate-colored Antbird, Chestnut-belted Gnateater, Collared Antwren, Reddish and Black-spotted Bare-eyes and more. It’s a great place for manakins, and we’ll visit leks of Band-tailed, Golden-headed, Striped, Blue-backed, Blue-crowned and Wire-tailed Manakin. We have even seen Red-billed Ground-Cuckoo here. Local staff will be alert during the night for the song of Nocturnal Curassow and if we hear one, those who wish can participate in a night-time hunt for this rarely seen species. Overnight at ACTS canopy walkway lodge

DAY 6-7:

Today we’ll move on to Explornapo Lodge and for the next two days explore the varzea forest and river islands. Species we’ll be looking for include Zimmer’s Woodcreeper, Short-tailed Parrot, Lesser Wagtail Tyrant, Castelnau’s Antshrike, Parker’s Spinetail, White-bellied Spinetail, Pale-Billed Hornero, Lesser Hornero, Leaden Antwren, Bicolored Conebill, Pearly-vented Conebill, Black-and-White Antbird, Ash-breasted Antbird, Olive-spotted Hummingbird, River Tyrannulet, and more. In varzea forest we’ll look for the recently described Orange-eyed Flycatcher, Yellow-crowned Elaenia, Cinnamon Atilla, Dot-backed Antbird, Spotted Antpitta, Velvet-fronted Grackle, Black Bushbird, White-chinned Jacamar, Spotted Puffbird, and many more. Overnight at Explornapo Lodge .

Day 8:

Morning at Explornapo Lodge and after lunch transfer to Iquitos. Some may want to wander down to the Malecon Marshes right by town, and/or in the late afternoon, before dinner explore the bustling and interesting city.

DAY 9-10:

The next two days will be early starters, spent doing daily trips from Iquitos to the nearby Allpamayo-Mishana Reserve. Here we’ll be on the lookout for some rare and recently found white sand forest birds – including the newly described Ancient Antwren, Allpahauyo Antbird (endemic), Mishana Tyrannulet (endemic), Northern Zimmers Antbird, and an the extremely rare Iquitos Gnatcatcher. Other special birds here are Pompadour Cotinga, Yellow-throated Flycatcher, Orange-crowned Manakin, Sulphur-crested Tyrant-Manakin, Cinnamon-crested Spadebill, White-crowned Manakin, Citron-bellied Atilla, Zimmers Tody-Flycatcher, Red-legged Honeycreeper and Yellow-browed Antbird, to mention but a few. We’ll try some night birding for the extraordinary White-winged and Rufous Potoo which are also here, as well as the more common Crested and Spectacled Owls. One afternoon we may visit the Nanay River to look for Black-crested Antshrike and the recently split dark form of the Band-tailed Nighthawk. Overnight at our comfortable air conditioned hotel in Iquitos.

DAY 11-12-13-14 :

Three full days at Muyuna Lodge. Our main target here is the endangered Wattled Curassow which here is easy to see in the flooded areas, but elsewhere was decimated due to extreme hunting pressures and habitat loss. For these reasons, this is one of the few places in the world where you can see this species. Other birds include Rufous–Necked Puffbird, Black-tailed Antbird (which is common here), Bluish-cheeked Jacamar, Saturnine Antshrike, and Gray-chested Greenlet. Also here is Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Festive Parrot, Amazonian Antshrike, and Velvet-fronted Grackle. Water birds are common, including Horned Screamer, Black-collared Hawk, Green Ibis, and the five species of Kingfisher. Trails around the lodge could produce Wire-tailed Manakin, Blue-crowned Manakin, Black-tailed and Amazonian Trogons, Curl-crested and Chestnut-eared Aracaris, and Bluish-fronted Jacamar. Aquatic habitats around the lodge support Sunbittern, Sungrebe, Hoatzin, Gray-cowled Wood-rail, Black-banded Crakes, Black-capped Donacobius, and Wattled Jacana. White-throated Toucan and Festive Parrots call from the upper canopy, while Plumbeous Kite, Snail Kite, Black-collared Hawk and Lined Forest-Falcon are some of the raptors that occur here. We get into some different Antbirds here including Band-tailed Antbird, Bluish-Slate Antshrike. Primates are common including Coppery Titi-Monkey, Ma’s Night Monkey and Red Howler Monkey, plus the two species of freshwater dolphin – Pink and Gray – can be seen. At the mouth of the Yanayaco River is an excellent island and we’ll have session here with second chances at birds we may have missed such at Zimmer’s Woodcreeper, Brownish Elaenia and Plain-breasted Piculet. Overnight at Muyuna Lodge.

DAY 15 :

Morning at Muyuna Lodge and after lunch transfer to Iquitos for evening flights to Lima.