Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
rooms. There is a laboratory with a library here, too. Wildlife-viewing opportunities are
among the best of any lodge listed: they usually include a peek at the pygmy marmosets
that nest near the lodge. Visitors can also stay at the nearby Tahuayo River Research
Center, which boasts an extensive trail network.
Muyuna Amazon Lodge $$$
( 065-24-2858;
www.muyuna.com
; ground fl, Putumayo 163, Iquitos; 3 days & 2
nights s/d US$485/805)
About 140km upriver from Iquitos on the Río Yanayacu, this in-
timate lodge is surrounded by 10 well-conserved lakes in a remote area less colonized
than jungle downriver, which makes for a great rainforest experience. Ten stilted, thatched
bungalows here each sleep between two and six people and have a private cold shower
and a balcony with a hammock. All are fully screened. The helpful owners live in Iquitos
and have a very hands-on approach to maintaining their lodge, ensuring that recycling oc-
curs, staff set an ecofriendly example to visitors, and guests are happy. During high water,
the river rises up to the bungalows, which are connected to the lodge's dining building
with covered, raised walkways. Lighting is by kerosene lanterns. The bilingual guides are
excellent and they guarantee observation of monkeys, sloths and dolphins, as well as rich
avian fauna typical of the nearby Amazonian
varzea
(flooded forest), including the
piuri
−
the wattled curassow
(crax globulosa),
a critically endangered bird restricted to western
Amazonia, which can only be seen in Peru at Muyuna.
LODGE
Hatuchay Hotel Pacaya-Samiria $$$
(
www.hatuchayhotelsperu.com
;
per 1/2 people 4 days & 3 nights US$640)
Iquitos
(
065-22-5769);
Lima
( 1-446-2739; Av José Pardo 601, off 602-703, Miraflores)
About
190km upriver on the Marañón, this excellent lodge (the former Pacaya-Samiria Amazon
Lodge) is past Nauta on the outskirts of the Pacaya-Samiria reserve (the only lodge within
the reserve buffer zone), four hours from Iquitos. It can arrange overnight stays within the
reserve. Rooms feature private showers and porches with river views, and the lodge has
electricity in the evening. There are special bird-watching programs.
LODGE
Explorama Lodges $$$
( 065-25-2530;
www.explorama.com
; Av La Marina 340, Iquitos)
This well-estab-
lished and recommended company owns and operates lodges and is an involved supporter
of the Amazon Conservatory of Tropical Studies (ACTS). It has a lab at the famed canopy
walkway, which is suspended 35m above the forest floor to give visitors a bird's-eye view
of the rainforest canopy and its wildlife. You could arrange a trip to visit one or more
lodges (each of which is very different) combined with a visit to the walkway. Sample
LODGE
