Amazon Collecting Trip

[mab]

MT Amazon Expeditions' next Tropical Fish Collecting trip is January 25 through 30, 2015. Cost is $1,495 for the trip. Airfare right now is $652 from Dulles to Iquitos. Hotel in Iquitos is extra. This trip now can be done with only taking a week off work since COPA now flies to Iquitos. There is a 3:52pm flight from Dulles to Panama City on Friday. After a 14 hour overnight layover stay at a nearby hotel, the Saturday 2.5 hour flight arrives in Iquitos at 2:00pm. The trip starts early Sunday morning. We are back in Iquitos in time to catch the next Saturday flight back to the States. I plan on staying a few extra days in Iquitos to help prepare the fish collected for shipment to Dulles as the port on entry.

This trip is up the Mazan and Napo rivers. These two rivers originate above the equator so they are at low-water in January & February. You'll get to see the Amazon at high-water. MT Amazon Expeditions will per-position the boat in Mazan so we can go further upstream on these rivers than in previous years. In past trips up these rivers I've collected many species of cories, cichlids and tetras. Plus some really interesting oddballs such as soles and candirus. This is also the only region where I've encountered banks of Amazon Sword Plants.

There is a raffle at CatCon for a free trip, not inclusive of airfare and hotel in Iquitos. The great thing about the raffle, if you are really serious about going on this trip, is that MT Amazon Expeditions will credit the face value of up to two tickets towards the expedition cost. So this is a no lose proposition if you are planning to go - maybe get the trip for free and if you don't you save on the trip fee. Additionally, if you tell MT Amazon Expeditions that you are a referral from me I get a small referral kickback. If you include me as a cc on your introductory email I will have them credit it towards your final bill. So you win two ways.

I've done this trip and others before. If this is your first collecting trip I am more than willing to be a mentor as you prepare and pack. Additionally, we can travel to Iquitos together if you are worried about international travel.

Michael