Written by:Claire Dean
Published: 19-10-2022
Iquitos, deep in the Peruvian jungle, is only accessible by flight. This is an excellent place to see the Amazon River and life in the Amazon. It is home to many monkeys rustling amid trees, bright bird species, stealthy river creatures, and other ecological uniqueness. In the northern Amazon tributaries, pink river dolphins are but one unique animal that can be spotted in the national parks surrounding Iquitos. Keep your eyes peeled and camera in hand because seeing these Amazon rainforest animals in their natural habitat may well be the highlight of your jungle adventure. Jungle lodges surrounding Iquitos are the perfect hub for convenient access to remote jungle reserves. The best way to experience the stunning beauty of the Amazon rainforest and see wildlife is at a remote jungle lodge accessible by riverboat from Iquitos. Don’t worry, you don’t have to sacrifice comfort to have a true jungle adventure! The jungle lodge has running water, and comfortable beds, and serves tasty meals.
Peruvian Amazon
This unique Ceiba Tops Lodge Tour, not only includes this magnificent lodge but a visit to a number of other Amazon lodges as we sail down and explore this impressive river, its wildlife species, and the local indigenous people in this part of the world. The Ceiba Lodge Reserve consists of 100 hectares (250 acres) in total. Of this area, 34 hectares (85 acres) is primary or virgin rainforest, while 66 hectares is secondary rainforest, gradually returning from farmland to forested secondary growth. A strong wire and a cut boundary area several meters wide, as well as caretakers, give protection to this area. This is the closest stand of primary rainforest trees that can be found along the river from Iquitos to Ceiba Tops. As all of the areas around the reserve have been cut down for farming and harvesting wood, this reserve is an excellent "island" that is being used by scientists to study the effects of a small area of rainforest cut off from a large block of undisturbed forest.
Ceiba Top Lodge
Day 1
Ceiba Tops is located on the banks of the Amazon River, just 40 km (25 mi) from Iquitos. Ceiba Tops offers all the creature comforts of home, air-conditioned rooms with private bathrooms, in the most luxurious of Amazonian Rainforest settings. At Ceiba Tops, elaborate gardens, a swimming pool, a waterslide, a hammock house, and the Esmeralda lounge all complement the surrounding exotic environment. Ceiba Tops is perfect for stays of one or more nights. For families, connecting rooms are available or you can upgrade your Amazonian Adventure by choosing the Presidential, Ministerial, or Junior Suite. This comfortable lodge now has courtesy Wi-Fi Internet service in all public areas, so you can send your e-mail while swinging in a hammock or in a lounge chair by the pool on your laptop. After a brief city orientation, you will head to the dock, to begin a twenty-five-mile journey down the Amazon River to Ceiba Tops. In the afternoon, we will hike in the beautiful primary rainforest reserve surrounding Ceiba Tops which includes many huge trees festooned with epiphytes. After dinner, your guide will take you on a short night walk to a small lake where caiman can be spotted and where you can find some of the insects and frogs that produce the cacophony of sounds that begin after dark.
Lounge Area Ceiba Top
Day 2
Today you will visit the small indigenous village of the Yagua Indigenous Community where your guide will explain the Yagua culture and how it was affected by the arrival of Europeans to the region. Visit a local indigenous “camera “ or communal building and learn about the Yagua culture and how it has been affected over the years. Browse the local handicrafts and enjoy a demonstration of the Yagua blowgun, which some in the village still use for hunting. In the afternoon, we will enjoy a boat ride to go dolphin spotting and the local pastime of Piranha fishing, something that can only be done in a handful of places in the world, such as the Amazon.
Yagua Indigenous Community
Day 3
Today, we will head out by boat to the narrow motorcar crossing connecting the Amazon and Napo Rivers to continue by boat to Explor Napo Lodge for breakfast. The spectacular Canopy Walkway spanning over 500 meters (one-third of a mile), connected by tree platforms and reaches a height of over 35 meters (115 feet). The canopy of the rainforest is truly one of the great biological frontiers of the world! More than half the species of life on earth are found in tropical rainforests, and of those, more than half are found in the forest's canopy. As an example, twice as many species of insects are found in the canopy as are found on the ground. Some estimates of the number of insect species found in the rainforest canopy range as high as 20 million, with as many as 80% of these species still unknown to science. With this incredible diversity of life and 90% of the forest's photosynthesis taking place there, the canopy is clearly the place to be in order to understand how rainforests work. Walk amongst the treetops and get a birds-eye view of the forest! After lunch, visit the "ReNuPeRu" Ethnobotanical Garden where over 240 medicinal plants are cultivated by a local shaman who will explain the nature of Amazonian natural healing and the uses of some of the plants. The ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Medicinal Plant Garden is located between the Explor Napo and Sucusari reserves. In total, the three reserves cover 2,000 hectares or about 5,000 acres. Adjacent to these reserves and acting as buffers are the CONAPAC Biological Reserve and a large 4,770-hectare reserve (11,925 acres) belonging to the Orejone Native American Community. We will then head back to Ceiba Top Lodge for the evening.
Man-made Tree Carving
Day 4
Today we embark on an early morning birding excursion. After breakfast, we will cruise downriver to the Explorama Lodge and hike along the Bushmaster Trail. According to the Missouri Botanical Gardens, this trail has the world's highest biodiversity of trees per square hectare. This is not only a great place to see over and into the rainforest canopy, but provides a platform for birdwatching and even seeing different monkeys and sloths high in the trees. There are different trails around the Explorama Lodge, which lead you past some interesting sections of the rainforest. One of these areas has set records for tree diversity according to studies by the Missouri Botanical Garden.
Scarlet Macaw
Day 5
You will return to the city of Iquitos today, after a fully immersive and adventurous Amazon jungle experience. Find out more here about Valencia Travels Ceiba Top Lodge Tour of The Amazon!Book here now!
