IQUITOS: AMAZON RIVER RAINFOREST AND WHITE SAND FOREST

 14 Days 

Iquitos, along the Peruvian Amazon, features  birding highlights: and specialties like Nocturnal Curassow and Black-necked Red Cotinga, the Antbirds, and the fabulous canopy walkway. Iquitos is one of the best places to actually see the legendary Nocturnal Curassow. As for the Cotinga (a rival to the Cock-of-the-Rock in beauty), we are often treated to views of males perched on their display vines. This is Antbird  paradise .and  we’ll spend a lot of time examining and observing the special variety that exists here.

        But Curassows and Antbirds are just  a few of the many birds  we will see.. From Screamers, Guans, Toucans, Trogons, and Barbets to Hummingbirds, Woodcreepers, Foliage-gleaners, Manakins, and Seed-finches, we’ll explore all the  habitats that constitute Amazonia. We will explore new and old river islands, in varzea forest, along an old cocha, and from a network of trails through terra firme forest.  We’ll stay at  two  lodges throughout  this  tour in order to have  maximum opportunity at  the specialists species.  There is even greater reason to get to Iquitos: a 1500-foot, continuous walkway through the canopy of the rainforest. This sturdy and easily accessible walkway reaches a height of 115 feet and was planned by botanists and vertebrate biologists to allow visitors to walk through the canopy between fruiting and flowering trees particularly attractive to wildlife. Here we can follow canopy flocks as they move through the treetops at eye level! Imagine great looks at all those birds that you have only seen from below before--birds like Ash-winged and Dugand's Antwrens, Lawrence's Thrush, Spangled Cotinga, White-browed Purpletuft, and countless others.  On our return to Iquitos we’ll spend two full days at the Allpahuayo-Mishana reserve that protects some endangered sand soil forest and in particular look for the recently described Ancient Antwren amongst other possible rare birds and new species to science. 

ITINERARY 

Day 1 :  Arrive in Iquitos and straight onto the Amazon for the  fast  boat ride to the  Sucasari  river where  we will be based at two different  lodges near  the  canopy walkway.

Days  2- 7 : All days  exploring  the  islands and rainforest  habitats from  the Explornapo  and ACEER lodges. Island species we’ll be looking for include Zimmer’s Woodcreeper, Lesser Wagtail Tyrant, Castelnaus Antshrike, Parker’s Spinetail and more. 

Day 8 ; Morning birding at Explornapo then by boat down the Amazon to the comfortable Explorama Lodge. 

Day 9.  Full days birding at Explorama Lodge – Pearly Antshrike. 

Day 10 Am birding at Explorama Lodge and and in the afternoon by river to bustling Iquitos and our air conditioned hotel overlooking the Amazon river. 

Day 11-13 : All days with early starts from Iquitos at the Allpamayo-Mishana reserve outside Iquitos. Here we’ll be on the lookout for some rare and recently found white sand forest birds – including the newly described Ancient Antwren, Pompadour Cotinga, a different sounding Chestnut-tailed Antbird, Amazonian Antbird, a yet to be described Gnatcatcher and Percnostola Antbird, a new Zimmerius Tyrannulet, White-winged Potoo and more We’ll be on the lookout for several species that have yet to be described. Nights at a comfortable air conditioned hotel hotel in Iquitos. 

Day 14 :  Flight from Iquitos to Lima and connecting international flights.