Friendly Faces of the Amazon Basin

Away from the masses amongst the Amazon Basin

Our transport for the next 8 days; not much between us and local water preditors!

The majority of people these days, who want to get a glimpse of the amazing wildlife that resides within the wilds of the Amazon Basin, tend to head strait to places like Iquitos in Peru, but there are many other options throughout South America. We decided to head for Lagunas, a town next to the southern regions of Samira National Park, which is also situated in Peru. The park is a lot less popular for tourists due to the difficulty in getting there, but the payoff is well worth while, as you can escape the hordes of tourists and see the wildlife in a more untouched remote setting.

2 to 3 days south along the river from Iquitos, or around 14 hours on a boat north from Yurimaguas you will find Lagunas, a tiny little town mistaken by most people on their way up or down the river as a grotty little haven for mosquitoes in the middle of nowhere. A closer look however could also bring you to the conclusion that this little town is a brilliant stepping stone to some of the most pristine rainforest the Amazon basin has to offer, loaded with thousands of unique and beautiful animals that people seldom ever get a chance to see.

Making tracks Indiana style!

The mission to Lagunas is not the most comfortable of trips, to say the least. We opted for the 14 hour boat ride from Yurimaguas, and to get to Yurimaguas you need to get a 2 hour car ride or a 3 hour bus ride from Tarapoto.

Unfortunately for us there was a blockade enforced by the local indigenous people 20 kilometres from Yurimaguas, protesting against the Peruvian governments drilling for oil on their lands. We managed to get stopped in a tiny town with a few locals on transit, desperately trying to move through the 40 strong Indigenous blockade in 40 degree heat!
After a long ordeal which ended in me being prodded with 30 “thankfully blunt” wooden spears, we eventually managed to get through and continue our journey up to Lagunas. Now that is a story and a half for a later date!

In Lagunas you can find some clean, friendly, affordable accommodation at the Eco lodge, just ask an auto rickshaw to take you there for around 4 soles. When you’re there and settled, the owner can sort you out with your tour through the rainforest.

Our jungle accommodation was an open invitation to mosquitos!

You can choose a tour length to suite you, keeping in mind that the further up the river into the jungle you go, the more you’re likely to see! We chose an 8 day tour, 4 days in and 4 days out. I thought 8 days was just about right, as by the 8th day I decided that, having a small bum isn’t always the best thing for sitting in an uncomfortable canoe for long periods of time, and that I should eat fattier foods to increase my bum fat to help extend my long canoe jungle missions!

The tour consisted of one canoe, two guides, pots, pans and a few other basics necessities to get the job done. Every night we stopped at a little cabin of sorts, very basic stilted shacks perched over the river, with only a few feet from you and the hungry marine predators below. Mosquito nets were provided and needed, as the nights over the river proved only to reinforce that mosquitoes are extremely friendly insects. The beds were very basic and hammocks would have been handy, but when you’re exploring remote parts of the Amazon Basin you can’t expect too much.
Day one involved jumping onto the back of a 3 wheeled motorbike that took us on a trail to the river that would give 4×4 mud racers a run for their money. Arriving at the river on the border of the Samira National Park the guides prepared the boat and we set off into croc and piranha infested waters. Within hours we had seen at least 50 different species of birds, tree sloths and loads of raucous monkeys.

Croc catching; small but still ferocious

After a rest and a spot of lunch we took to the river again spotting pink dolphins and red howler monkeys, a full day loaded with wildlife. Later that evening we pulled into our little shack, had some fried fish for dinner then passed out to the sound of the rainforest animals singing the night away.

The rest of the trip was fantastic, it included some amazing night trips to spot crocs, kaman, snakes and loads of other nocturnal wildlife. The guides were more than willing to entertain my requests to see the animals I had dreamed about since I was a kid, and change our itinerary to suit my requests - they were excellent! They were only too happy to point out so many different things; then net fished every night so as to feed us fresh fish, such as piranha and cat fish. Hope you like fish!!!

Overall the tour was great, the guides allow you to divert from the normal itinerary by listening to what interests you, tailoring the tour around you, and they showed great pride in their work and surroundings which is hard to find these days.

Our travel companions!

Important points:

• You need to get yourself a hammock as there are no seats on the boats to and from Lagunas and they come in very handy when on the tour itself.
• The best time to hit the Amazon basin is just after the wet season as the animals all come out to explore new ground for food.
• Also bring a torch and some insect repellent. Those mozzies are hungry!!
• A diary to log this wonderful experience!

If you love your animals you’ll love this one!!!