Black-Capped Squirrel Monkey in the Peruvian Amazon

Hotel Puerto Amazonico

My first trip to Peru was in the fall of 2012. It was my first major trip outside the United States and was with a workshop run by Ian Plant and Richard Bernabe. They also  enlisted the help of Jeff Cremer, a local guide and marketing director for Rainforest Expeditions. We visited all three of their jungle lodges, Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas and the Tambopata Research Center. The wildlife at remote Tambopata Research Center was documented by well known Dutch photographer Frans Lanting and images appear in his book, Jungles.

My trip began with a long flight from Cincinnati to Miami and then to Lima, Peru. I then took a plane to Puerto Maldonado with a short stop in Cusco. My first night in Puerto Maldonado was an interesting stay in the Hotel Puerto Amazonico.

The hotel was still under construction, which appeared to be normal for most of the buildings in town, and only two floors were completed. The rooms were OK and had a working air conditioner unit. There was a comfortable bed, a nice bath with hot running water and a TV.

That night, Richard, the other guests and I went out for dinner. We got on one of the three wheeled motorcycle powered taxis known as an auto rickshaw and went downtown to the restaurant. We walked past a building that was guarded by men with automatic riffles. It was a bank.

Posada Amazonas

The next day our other leader Ian Plant, another guest and Jeff Cremer met us at the hotel. From there we took a bus to the Puerto Maldonado Rainforest Expeditions Headquarters. We loaded a larger bus with other guests for an hour long ride to the river port of Infierno. We boarded one of their long motor powered river boats for a short 45 minute ride up the Tambopata River. Our first stop was the Posada Amazonas Lodge. After getting off the boat there was about a 70 to 90 step staircase and another 15 minute walk through the jungle. Upon arrival, we were presented with a cold wet towel and cold fresh fruit juice. 

The lodges of Rainforest Expeditions, and probably most of the lodges of the Peru rainforest are very rustic and eco-friendly. The rooms are built on a wood platform with palm thatched roofs. The door was just a curtain and the walls are thatched as well, except for the wall facing the forest. This wall was open except for a half open rail. I fell asleep at night under a mosquitos net with the sound of insects, and bats flying through the room. I did not sleep very well the first couple of nights. It was wonderful. 

Jeff Cremer located a Harpy Eagle nest that we watched and filmed the next day. Harpies are one of the largest eagles in the world with a wingspan of 2 meters. They feed on sloths and monkeys. The nest was very high in the canopy, but we were able to spot both the male and the female. We did not see any chicks or eggs from our vantage point, and I later heard that the nest that year was not successful. 

Treefrog on Night Hike in Rainforest

Forest Hikes and Boat Rides at Night

We also made a few hikes in the forest at night. Uriel found us a tarantula near its hole in the ground. He enticed it out by using a small stick. The tarantula came out to defend its hole. We also found a whip spider also known as tailless whip scorpion. The one we found was about 8 to 10 inches in diameter. They are harmless to humans and are 8 legged. They are in the same class, Arachnida, as spiders. We also found a few frogs that come out after dark.

We also took boat rides at night on the river looking for wildlife and to enjoy the clear beautiful night skies. We found caiman which are the alligators of South America by looking for their eye shine.

Chestnut-fronted Macaw Eating Clay

​Clay Licks of Tambopata

Within the Tambopata National Reserve and its buffer zone there are at least two famous clay licks. They are the Chuncho and Colorado Clay Licks with the Colorado being the largest know clay lick in the world. The flow of water has eroded the river banks exposing red clay rich in sodium. The clay licks attack many species of macaws, parrots, parakeets and other wildlife on a daily basis. Experts have not agreed on why they eat the clay. It was originally thought it was to offset the toxins in their diet of nuts and fruit. More recently it is believed they consume it to add sodium to their diet. One scientific paper found that the macaws visit the clay licks more often during breeding season and therefore may help with egg production.

Soon after dawn, the macaws and other birds start to arrive in the trees high above the riverside clay licks. The birds are cautious when approaching the licks so as not to become targets for predatory birds such as hawks. Soon one or more birds land on the clay and then all of them will land to consume the clay. But, when one bird sees a hawk or just becomes nervous, all of the birds will take off or “flush” making for a spectacular event.

Peruvian Pontoon Boat on Oxbow Lake

​Torrential Rain at Oxbow Lake 

One day we took a boat and a hike to an oxbow lake. We all got on a locally built pontoon type boat with a large paddle on the back. To propel and steer the flat boat, our guide had to move the paddle back and forth. It was like something out of Robinson Crusoe. It was hard work, but for a lazy ride around the small lake it was not too bad. We saw bats, caiman, Hoatzin and Giant River Otter. 

Later in the day our guide spotted a small dark cloud in the distance and announced that we were going to get some rain. He started paddling like crazy and before we knew it, the rain came pouring down. We got to the shore only slightly wet and took shelter under a small structure that housed a couple of toilets. It rained and rained and rained, and finally we said lets just go. We walked in the heavy rain and mud for about an hour and finally reached the boat to take us back to the lodge. I actually had an inch of water in the bottom of my backpack that had a rain cover on it. The water ran down my back and into the backpack. Yes, it does rain in the rainforest. A lot!

​Eau De Richard & Leaving the Rainforest

All of our group’s luggage made it all the way to the Tambopata Research Center except our leader Richard Bernabe. He had some camera gear with him, but no clothing. Customs in Lima had advised him to continue his travel to TRC without filling out a Customs Form and the luggage would be forwarded to him. The airlines found his luggage in Lima, but they needed a signed Customs Form. The form could not be sent electronically, so the form began its journey from Lima to TRC, just like we had. 

The Customs Form came by airplane from Lima to Puerto Maldonado. Then it came by bus from the airport to the river port. Then the form traveled by boat up the Tambopata River to TRC. Richard completed and signed the form, and then it returned by the same reverse route. The process took about four days and in the meantime Richard was in the  same one set of the cloths in one of the most hot and humid places on the planet. This was not the worse part. After customs in Lima received the signed form, they would not release his luggage since his signature did not match the signature on his passport. So, the whole process started again.

We soon left TRC for our final stay at Refugio Amazonas. It was another nice lodge similar to Posada Amazonas. Richard still did not get his luggage or cloths. He finally got his luggage in the Cusco Airport. Richard was in a bad mood in the rainforest no matter how much wine and beer we fed him. I have been on many photo workshops with Richard and he is a great photographer. He is normally a very calm and mellow guy and you want to be on one of his workshops. But, he suffered beyond what anyone should. Since this trip, I always travel with an extra set of underwear in my carryon, and I bet he does too.