The northwestern corner of the Amazon basin, often referred to as the "green paradise" of the Amazon forest,is home to several exceptional national parks and reserves, which offer some of the best wildlife viewing experiences to be found in the Amazon.

One of the most interesting reserves of the region is Tamshiyacu reserve, which is a unique pocket of biodiversity. During the last ice age, which had turned much of what is now covered by the Amazon rainforest into dry savannah, this little corner remained forested (known as Pleistocene refugia), which is probably the reason why even to this day it is home to a number of endemic species that can be found nowhere else in the world. The reserve's mammal diversity has been proven to be the greatest of any region in all of the Amazon, while the number of primate species is the highest of any protected park or reserve in the world. Scientists studying birds, amphibians, and plants have found the respective species assemblages to be "outstanding, unusual and exceptional".

The reserve is managed with one of the most innovative conservation programs in the Amazon. It is the only program that enlists the collaboration of natives living downriver to subscribe to game management goals set by conservation managers. Fund raising for the conservation program is operated by the Rainforest Conservation Fund. Tahuayo Lodge is a major financial donor of the Fund as well as working to reinforce the goals of conservation among the local communities.

The Lodge

The lodge is located appoximately 100 miles southeast of Iquitos. To get there, international travellers must first fly into Lima, Peru's international and national traffic hub, and connect to a domestic flight to Iquitos from there. This usually requires a night in Lima. A member of staff will meet you at the airport, take you to the hotel Melodia and help you check in. After breakfast the next morning she will come to pick you up from the hotel and take you back to the airport for your internal flight to Iquitos. In Iquitos you will be met at the airport and taken to the lodge by boat, first travelling up the mighty Amazon River for about 50 miles, then up the Tahuayo tributary for another 40 miles. Overnight in Lima at the hotel Melodie and the transfers between airport and hotel are included in the package price.

The trip takes 4 hours by speedboat. Tahuayo lodge on the Tahuayo River is rustic, but comfortable. There are fifteen cabins; some are honeymoon cabins, with a single large bed, others are cabins with two beds and a few are family style cabins with one large bed and several single beds. There are flush toilets that use a sanitary septic system and showers. There is no electricity except a small generator for re-charging camera batteries.

The entire lodge is screened and features a dining hall, areas to socialize and relax and a conservation education laboratory with library. The food, prepared by our culinary staff, is deemed delicious by our guests. Special diets can be catered for if prior notice is given. We have much experience in sanitary food and water handling and preparation and anything served at the lodge, even salads and unpeeled fruit, items that are not generally recommended for consumption by tourists in South America are safe to eat.

There is a laundry staff and daily laundry service is provided without charge. This service is probably unique among jungle lodges. The great thing about Tahuayo Lodge is the flexibility and variety of available choices that lets you create your own customized agenda for a perfect jungle adventure. Whether you want to go fishing, birdwatching, canopy exploring, botanizing or visit a local shaman, we have plenty of expert guides available to help you create a perfectly tailored itinerary, and better still, all the options are inclusive of the package price.

Our lodge on the Tahuayo River has access to a great variety of ecosystems that we can explore as well as many native communities downriver. The are sufficient English speaking native men and women guides so that each person can go at their own pace and according to their interests. This is ideal for people who do not want to be stuck with a large group on a pre-set itinerary.

You can choose a photographer's pace, a soft pace or a ruggedly adventurous pace. You can concentrate more on birdwatching, canoeing, canopy exploration, fishing or native culture. You can be active before breakfast or well into the evening.

Families can have a private guide who specializes in working with pre-teens or young teens. Special itineraries are available for marriages, honeymoons, anniversaries, and other special occasions.

Travelers thirsting for the ultimate in adventure can leave the lodge with their guide and camp in the old growth terra firme forest in the interior of the reserve. A sample of some of the itinerary options that you can choose from. Most are available year round, but if there are recommended seasons, these are noted in parentheses. All are guided by our staff.

MORE ITINERARY INFO

Below is a list of available activities which you can choose from to design your own customized itinerary. Some activities are only available at crtain times of the year, see info given in parenthesis.

• Swim in a blackwater lake with pink dolphins (Nov-Jun).
• Visit a native shaman.
• Medicinal plant hikes.
• Hike to a lake to see giant lilypads.
• Excursions to see feeding or nesting Macaws, Parrots and Toucans.
• Canoe into flooded varzea forest (Feb-May).
• View pygmy marmosets, the world's smallest primates, which live in trees close to the lodge.
• Close look at the unusual hoatzin birds (when young fledge Jun-Aug).
• Fish for piranha.
• Hike to a manakin lek.
• Visit a native elementary school (Jun-Dec).
• View caiman crocodiles (Jul-Oct).
• Hike and camp in remote terra firme forest (Oct-Jun).
• View unusual beetles and leaf hoppers (Nov-Jan).
• Visit native artisania market.
• Canoe portage to interior lakes, called cochas, rich in wildlife.
• View tree frogs, including several species newly discovered.
• Jungle survival training.
• View electric eels.
• Birding (a list of nearly 500 species for the area near the lodge has been compiled).
• Visit native communities.
• Follow jaguar or peccary tracks in the forest.
• Fish for peacock bass (late Jun-Jul).
• Visit a native family, via translator hear oral traditions and native lore.
• Visit conservation projects (May-Jul).
• Greatest amount of flowering plants (May-Jul).
• Greatest amount of fruiting plants (Dec-Apr).
• Parakeets feeding at kapok (Jun).
• Observe macaws at feeding site.
• View a variety of primate species.
• Search for giant anaconda (Jun-Oct).
• Canoe around giant, fortress-like ficus (Mar-May).
• Bathe under a small waterfall in a glade filled with orchids.
• Hike to see giant kapoks.
• Fish with traditional native bow and arrow or spear.
• Traditional native dances.
• View sloths, anteaters and other mammals.
• Insect collecting.
• Evening lake boat trips to view southern constellations and nocturnal wildlife, such as boat-billed herons, potoos, owl monkeys and more.
• Search for boa constrictors and other snakes.
• View brilliant tropical fish such as cichlids, angel fish, tetras, etc.
• Explore the canopy on our unique tandem zip-line system.
• Observe spectacular hoatzin birds, caiman crocodiles and other species from observation platform on Lake Tabano.
• View or participate in poison dart frog conservation management project.
• Photograph or observe tarantulas and harlequin and hercules beetles kept in terrarium in the lodge's Conservation Education Laboratory.
• Visit butterfly colpa, where hundreds of species swarm (July-Oct)
• Have a revitalizing morning bath with medicinal plants.

Specialized activities:

Exploring the jungle canopy:

Amazonia Expeditions has the longest zipline canopy system in all of the Amazon. Guests are hoisted one hundred feet above the ground into a large, emergent tree. Then, strapped into a rapeller's harness, attached by carabiner to a tandem zip line of stainless steel aircraft cables, you are able to to travel through the air from one tree giant to another. The speed of one's flight can be controlled by the user to soar rapidly, slow down, or stop to take pictures. In all, several old-growth emergent trees are used, with wooden platforms to allow one to stop and rest, studying the tree top life.

It is a system similar to that seen in the movie &qout;Medicine Man" starring Sean Connery. Amazonia's new "Zip Way Canopy Adventure" is one of the few of its kind in the Amazon basin.

The system was constructed by Canopy Construction Associates of Amherst, Massachusetts. The construction team consisted of scientists, arborists and construction specialists. They used galvanized and stainless steel aircraft hardware capable of supporting over 12,000 pounds. In traveling through the trees people are hooked onto the zip-line cable as well as a secondary safety cable. Every precaution has been taken to ensure a safe ride.

All guests of the lodge are allowed unlimited canopy access (weather permitting) at no extra charge.

JUNGLE SURVIVAL:

The strength of the Tahuayo Lodge program is the degree of personal attention given to our clients. We are able to customize an itinerary to the needs and interests of individuals. Most of our travelers choose from among the softer alternatives available; peacefully swimming with pink dolphins, visiting native villages and canoeing along tranquil rivers while watching monkeys and parrots frolic in the trees above. But the current public fascination with "survivor" themes is currently focusing attention on our more adventurous offerings.

Among the alternatives available in jungle camping is the jungle survival training itinerary. This option is available for our most adventurous clients. You can take off into the jungle with one of our experienced guides who will teach you hands on survival skills, such as:

Construction of lean-to:

How to select site, soil and drainage aspects What woods to use to set up framework; how to use irapay palm (Lepidocaryum tenue) fronds to rainproof

Construction of fire:

Recognition of wood that will have hard, dry interior even when waterlogged by rainforest humidity; use of copal resin as fire starter

Sources of pure water:

Immature yarina (Phytelephas macrocarpa) fruits; puca huasca vine (Doliocarpus dentatus) and cano huasca vine (Uncaria spp.)

Sources of food

Palm fruits; palm hearts from Euterpe and Iriartea genuses; edible beetle grubs; legumes, especially from Inga genus; using barbasco (Lonchocarpus species) sap to stun fish; canabrava (Gynerium sagittatum) to build fish trap; tamshi vine (Carludovica devergens) to make animal snare

Raft construction

Recognition of balsa wood, tied together with tamshi vine, oar from remo caspii (Styrax acuminatum)

Mosquito repellent

Made from Nasutitermes termites

Weapons

Fishing spear from cumaceba (Cesalpina echinata); bow from cashapona (Iriartea exorrhiza), string from chambira (Astrocaryum chambira), arrowshafts from bamboo and arrowheads from cumaceba.

Survival Medicines

Venomous snakebite--piripiri leaves (Cyperus articulatus); Venomous insect--curarina bark (Potalia amara); Fever--sanango root (Sanango durum); Disinfectant--pichirina sap (Vismia angusta); Field dressing--fiber inside bark of machimango (Ceiba species); Antiparasitical--oje sap (Ficus antihelmintica); Dysentery or gastrointestinal distress--hierba luisa leaves (Cymbopogon citratus)

RATES FOR 2008

By participating in the trip you have agreed that any disputes arising from the trip must be resolved through binding arbitration handled by the Better Business Bureau of West Florida.

For booking inquiries, or further information please contact Sacred Earth

PRE-DEPARTURE INFORMATION

Arriving in Iquitos...

Documents

For citizens of the US, Canada and most European countries the only document required is a tourist passport. Citizens of other countries should check with the Peruvian embassy in their country. Please bring two copies of your passport picture page for help in reconfirming flights and as entrance requirement for the reserve. No visa is required for US citizens. No vaccination certificate is required unless you are planning to also visit southern Peru. In our 19 years working in this region we have not yet had a traveler become sick with a tropical disease. There is malaria in the reserve, but we attempt to avoid regions at risk. The taking of malarial prophyllaxis is at your discretion. Bring plenty of effective insect repellant.

Clothes

Long and short pants; long sleeved shirts and tee shirts (tee shirts with our full color logo can be prepurchased here for $20); rain gear; hat with brim; swim suit; sneakers and hiking shoes (some prefer rubber boots, canoe enthusiasts like reef walkers or water moccasins). Footware and clothes should be not only clean but sterilized before bringing to the rainforest. Daytime high temperatures are 80-88 F. One sweatshirt or sweater as evenings can get down to 60 F.

Other Recommended Items:

Sun block (you are close to the equator where there is less atmospheric protection from UV); insect repellent (taking garlic and vitamin B1 helps); canteen or water bottle; flashlight with spare batteries; personal first aid kit; personal toiletries; daypack or small backpack.

Optional

Binoculars; elementary school items to donate; camera (most underestimate the amount of film to bring); video (there is a generator for recharging batteries).

Money

Needed only for airport taxes and optional purchases such as souvenirs. US currency is good for all of that, but make sure your bills are in virtually new or mint condition. Tattered US bills will not be accepted by local banks or merchants.

Sacred Earth Disclaimer Notice

We have full confidence in the professionalism of the tour operators with whom we partner, and we will do our utmost to ensure 100% professional service and a smooth travel experience for our clients. Sacred Earth acts soley as an agent for these tours and thus cannot accept responsibility for any services offered by them. Clients are responsible for making their own airtravel arrangements and for taking out travel insurance and trip cancellation insurance to cover any possible losses incurred by the mishaps of chance.

For further information and booking, contact Sacred Earth