There are a few spaces available on the winter collecting trips - actually the "summer" wet season in Peru. Fares to Iquitos have never been cheaper - just $547 round trip on Taca thru Panama City (5 hours to Panama and 3.5 to Lima with an hour layover) and then the next day from Lima to Iquitos - same itin in reverse to come back.
Week collecting - room and board covered except a couple meals (no more than $10 each) in Iquitos is $1,485.
That puts the fixed cost at just over $2K.
To be safe you should plan on about $3K total once you factor in one or two cheap nights in Lima plus meals and the cost of shipping fish back that you can't fit in your suitcase.
Trips are Jan 24-30 and Jan 31-6 Feb. One week will go up the Mazzan and the other up the Napo. The really beautiful angels come out of the Napo and the Mazzan is relatively unexploited by Maragarita tours - they've collected numerous species of apistos, characins, and corys up that river.
If interested let me know and I'll guide you thru the process of getting ready and booking tickets in Spanish on the domestic Peruvian airline that offers the inexpensive flights.
Check out Margarita Tours at: http://www.amazon-ecotours.com/index.htm
Michael
Disclaimer - by joining me you don't end up paying for my trip like many of the folks that are promoting collecting trips (Uruguay, etc to be specific). I pay my own way and I don't make any money.
Collecting in Peru!! Take a winter vacation to a warm place.
Collecting in Peru!! Take a winter vacation to a warm place.
Member of GWAPA, CCA and PVAS plus American Begonia Society and Potomac Branch. Former PVAS President (twice) and Treasurer since 2015. Check out GoWildPeru on the web and FB for Peruvian Rain to Cloud Forest Tropical Fish and 'Plant' collecting trips.
I can vouch that a vacation to Amazon is a near life-changing experience. Margarita Tours, in particular is wonderful company that does a ton of charity work through Project Amazonas to prop up the native people their by providing medical assistance, as well as, helping them build sustainable industries.
As a tour company, you couldn't find a more personal, accommodating company, either. When Lauren and I went down there, there was no problem accommodating her vegetarian diet. They also designed a few days specifically for us, as they polled our interests and did things that weren't part of the regular itinerary. In general, there's probably almost as many crew members (almost all natives who speak English) as vacationers, so there's always some to talk to, learn from, help you out, etc... It's not like the riverboat Amazon tours with 50 people on the boat, that make a few touristy stops, and that's it. They take you to real villages, through trails/small water ways that locals take, and are as knowledgeable as they come.
I don't get anything for recommending them -- we just had that good of a vacation 3 years ago. Talk to George Richter who's gone there with them 7-8 times now (I think). Michael's been there at least 2-3 times, as has Ron Leftwich, and several others. If we didn't already have a vacation planned for February, I'd be all over this. And if fish collecting isn't your idea of a good vacation, they also have land-based trips (which is actually what Lauren and I did) each year.
As a tour company, you couldn't find a more personal, accommodating company, either. When Lauren and I went down there, there was no problem accommodating her vegetarian diet. They also designed a few days specifically for us, as they polled our interests and did things that weren't part of the regular itinerary. In general, there's probably almost as many crew members (almost all natives who speak English) as vacationers, so there's always some to talk to, learn from, help you out, etc... It's not like the riverboat Amazon tours with 50 people on the boat, that make a few touristy stops, and that's it. They take you to real villages, through trails/small water ways that locals take, and are as knowledgeable as they come.
I don't get anything for recommending them -- we just had that good of a vacation 3 years ago. Talk to George Richter who's gone there with them 7-8 times now (I think). Michael's been there at least 2-3 times, as has Ron Leftwich, and several others. If we didn't already have a vacation planned for February, I'd be all over this. And if fish collecting isn't your idea of a good vacation, they also have land-based trips (which is actually what Lauren and I did) each year.
Devon just sent out an email on the trips - it included a picture of the new boat. Here is his description of the trips:
"We do have a two fish trips lined up for the start of 2010 - these will take place on the Napo and Mazan Rivers where we have had some fantastic collecting in recent years. The first trip departs Iquitos, Peru on Sunday AM on the 24th of January, and will travel down the Amazon to the mouth of the Napo River, and then work its way up the Napo to the Mazan River and surrounding areas. On Friday the 29th, departing participants from that trip will be taken overland from the town of Mazan across a narrow isthmus to the Amazon River, from which point it is about an hour in speedboat back to Iquitos. Participants who sign up for both weeks will have the option of either staying with the boat, or returning to Iquitos for the weekend.
The second week takes place from Sunday 31 January through Friday 5 January. On Sunday, incoming participants for the second week will take speedboat from Iquitos to Mazan, hop overland to Mazan, and in the course of about 2 hours will be aboard our riverboat and fishing on the Mazan River. For the return trip, the riverboat will travel down the Napo River to the Amazon, and then return to Iquitos will everyone aboard, so participants on both weeks will have the opportunity to do basically everything.
An added bonus in 2010 is that we'll also be able to visit the new Santa Cruz Forest Reserve - the newest site operated by Project Amazonas - it has some lovely forest (though it is about a 30 minute walk from the river edge to the station proper) - we'll definitely plan on docking at the trail head for a night on each trip so as to be able to do some night exploration on the trails. For you herpetophiles, this site seems to have a higher than normal density of the otherwise very rare bushmaster snakes - one of those "Holy Grail" animals for most herpers!
At the current time, there is limited space left for the first week, and lots of space for the second week, so if you can come for only one week, I'd recommend the second. If you want to go for both weeks, get your reservation in fast while there is still space.
For any repeat clients, and extra added bonus is our new riverboat - the Nenita - which has taken the place of the now-retired Tucunare. The Nenita has a barge base, which means a LOT more floor space aboard. It even has 2-person cabins instead of the bunks with curtains that you might fondly recall from the Tucunare."
"We do have a two fish trips lined up for the start of 2010 - these will take place on the Napo and Mazan Rivers where we have had some fantastic collecting in recent years. The first trip departs Iquitos, Peru on Sunday AM on the 24th of January, and will travel down the Amazon to the mouth of the Napo River, and then work its way up the Napo to the Mazan River and surrounding areas. On Friday the 29th, departing participants from that trip will be taken overland from the town of Mazan across a narrow isthmus to the Amazon River, from which point it is about an hour in speedboat back to Iquitos. Participants who sign up for both weeks will have the option of either staying with the boat, or returning to Iquitos for the weekend.
The second week takes place from Sunday 31 January through Friday 5 January. On Sunday, incoming participants for the second week will take speedboat from Iquitos to Mazan, hop overland to Mazan, and in the course of about 2 hours will be aboard our riverboat and fishing on the Mazan River. For the return trip, the riverboat will travel down the Napo River to the Amazon, and then return to Iquitos will everyone aboard, so participants on both weeks will have the opportunity to do basically everything.
An added bonus in 2010 is that we'll also be able to visit the new Santa Cruz Forest Reserve - the newest site operated by Project Amazonas - it has some lovely forest (though it is about a 30 minute walk from the river edge to the station proper) - we'll definitely plan on docking at the trail head for a night on each trip so as to be able to do some night exploration on the trails. For you herpetophiles, this site seems to have a higher than normal density of the otherwise very rare bushmaster snakes - one of those "Holy Grail" animals for most herpers!
At the current time, there is limited space left for the first week, and lots of space for the second week, so if you can come for only one week, I'd recommend the second. If you want to go for both weeks, get your reservation in fast while there is still space.
For any repeat clients, and extra added bonus is our new riverboat - the Nenita - which has taken the place of the now-retired Tucunare. The Nenita has a barge base, which means a LOT more floor space aboard. It even has 2-person cabins instead of the bunks with curtains that you might fondly recall from the Tucunare."
Member of GWAPA, CCA and PVAS plus American Begonia Society and Potomac Branch. Former PVAS President (twice) and Treasurer since 2015. Check out GoWildPeru on the web and FB for Peruvian Rain to Cloud Forest Tropical Fish and 'Plant' collecting trips.
I just booked tickets - $499 roundtrip IAD to Lima to Iquitos. This is the cheapest I've ever paid to get down there.
Member of GWAPA, CCA and PVAS plus American Begonia Society and Potomac Branch. Former PVAS President (twice) and Treasurer since 2015. Check out GoWildPeru on the web and FB for Peruvian Rain to Cloud Forest Tropical Fish and 'Plant' collecting trips.
