Wow! What an awesome trip! So glad we decided to go with a tour company and not go on our own. Loved having a guide telling us about everything we were seeing and doing. And he (and the company), did a great job. If you're ever wanting to go to do something like this - I highly recommend the Amazon Experience and our guide Antoni!
selfie with Antoni as we were leaving...Noe snuck in there too :)
We didn't get a lot of time in Iquitos, but that ended up being ok. If you haven't been to Peru and this is your one experience in seeing the country, definitely take the time to spend 3-4 days in Iquitos as well as out on the Amazon. There are some other cool things to do and see in Iquitos that we didn't get to - but we crossed off another "must-see" on our bucket list! The Amazon River and rainforest! (and monkeys!)
We unfortunately arrived 5 hours later than we wanted to because the airline overbooked our flight. But it all worked out. The kids rested in the hotel when we got there and Noe and I went out for some local cuisine. Iquitos (did you know, Iquitos is the largest city in the world that you HAVE to get to by airplane? you can't drive!), has some different and unique foods that other regions of Peru don't have. So, we took advantage of being there to eat juanes, tacacho con cecina, and some local fruits. All of it was delicious!
This juice comes from this fruit - very yummy! Looks similar to a grape, but I think the waiter said you need to peel them...
This is juane...it's cooked in a leaf found in this area of Peru and has chicken inside the rice. We ate it a lot in Moyobamba as well. The leaf gives it a delicious flavor! The folklore is, it's named after John the Baptist (this is his head...as he was beheaded).
tacacho (ball of fried green plantains) with cecina - a type of pork/bacon mix
After our yummy dinner, we headed back to the hotel to rest before our early start the next day. Our hotel was on the water and had a little pool - which we indulged in when we got back. It's quite hot in Iquitos! They also had a continental breakfast which included some fresh squeezed papaya juice 😋 The guide picked us up at 9am and gave us the rundown of our trip. We got to see the map where we'd be going, we picked up our hiking boots, and then headed to our boat!
The red line is where we traveled
our boat!
On our way to the boat, we walked through a local market. The guide was pointing out different foods that are "typical" for this region. One such food is called "Suri". You can see what it is in the video :) Worms! They also eat them in Moyobamba but I was never able to try them there. So, we bought one and gave it a shot! Well, except Ella. She had no desire to say she ate worms 😂
In all honesty, the flavor was good! The texture? yuck lol
The initial boat ride was to take us to our lodge. Traveling with the current, it took us about an hour and a half. It didn't seem that long though as it was our first time on the Amazon and we had a lot of questions. It was a lot to take in! I made a short video of the initial boat ride (the pink dolphins we saw on a separate ride, but I added them in). Yes! The Amazon River has pink river dolphins! Very cool! If you can't see the embedded video, click on the link above.
When we got to the lodge, we had some time to kill before lunch, so the guide took us for a walk around the property. I love the sounds of the rainforest :) We did get lucky and spot some monkeys playing up in the tops of the trees. We also stopped and looked at some flora/fauna and Antoni told us about some of the native plants and fruits. We even stopped and tried one :)
You've got to be careful where you walk and what you touch in these forests!
termite nest. The guide explained to us that termites provide natural mosquito repellent because they smell like wood and the mosquitos don't like it. He proceeded to break open the nest with the palm of his hand and let them run all over his hand and arm. Then, he "washed" his hands in the termites so that he smelled like them! Good to know if you're ever stuck in the rainforest without repellent :)
I have no idea what this fruit was called. We learned so many and I didn't write them down :) But we didn't like it. It had a bitter taste to it.
Our guide called this tree, the "Father of the forest". You can see how huge it is with us standing by it. The roots themselves are enormous. It has tons of seeds and food for insects and birds. Then, when the forest floods every year (for 3-4 months I think), the seeds and fruits drop to the water and feed the fish. The tree itself provides a balance to the ecosystem. Very cool
that's a big root!
Another dangerous, spiky tree! Don't lean against it!!
This space you saw in the video is a good 8 feet off the ground. The waters, when they rise (as they do every year), will reach this. It's pretty amazing to think about. The walkways we used to get to the boat will be gone - completely submerged. The waters rise a tremendous amount each year and the communities have to build things accordingly. The guide said we missed the rise in the water by about 6 weeks. It's already started, but the peak will happen in April.
For lunch we ate catfish - none of us are huge fish fans except Noe - but it was good! We got to rest a bit after lunch, then we went to visit La Isla de los Monos - which we were very excited about. And it did NOT disappoint. Here is a 5 minute video of our time there. We took so many videos and pics, it was easier to share them in a full video :) (go to the link if you can't see it)
As you can see, it was fantastic. What an incredible place! I asked them where they rescue the monkeys from, and they said that they are not legally able to bring monkeys to their site. Instead, the police and locals know that they are there, and they bring them the monkeys - when they're orphaned or hurt. They spend weeks or months (depending on their age) in quarantine when they arrive (you probably saw some cages in the video), and little by little they acclimate them to the new surroundings and people. They have a vet that visits weekly to help heal the ones that are hurt. When the center feels the monkeys are able to find food on their own, they release them back into the wild. However, some do come back as they feel that the center is their home :) I'm sorry I don't remember all the species :) . There were quite a few. I do remember howler monkeys, titi monkeys, and I think spider monkeys. They also had some teeny tiny species (squirrel monkeys?) that look more like rodents than monkeys! They were in quarantine so I didn't get a good pic. But they were VERY small - and adorable! I love that they rehabilitate them and send them back into the wild. All of our payments to visit went towards funding their center. And we were happy to buy a few souvenirs as a donation. If you want to learn more about them and what they do (and donate towards their cause), they have a facebook page where they post updates!
Obviously, this was a highlight of our trip :) When we got back to the lodge (about 20 minutes in boat), we rested a little before dinner. After dinner they took us on a night hike on the property. We went a little farther in than we did during the day. I have to say, the enormity of the trees, branches, leaves and foliage cover is even more overwhelming at night. Looking up and not being able to see the sky at all is a little creepy :) lol. There was some cloud coverage as well, so when we turned off our flashlights in the middle of the hike, we saw nothing. Even after a couple of minutes we still couldn't see our hand in front of our face! We didn't see any new animals on the hike...which may have been disappointing to the others, but I was fine with it lol.
The next morning, to the dismay of the kids lol, we left at 6:30am to see the sunrise and look at birds. Needless to say, since there was still cloud coverage and the sunrise was a bust, neither of them was very interested lol. We did see the pink dolphins on this trip though, so that was cool. We were literally surrounded by them on all sides :) We saw some cool birds as well.
looks of herons as well as some cute birds called tuki tukis...which I wasn't able to get a pic of :)
We went back to the lodge for a delicious breakfast, and then headed out to see a native community called the "Yagua" tribe. They live a couple hours from the river, but when groups visit, they walk the almost two hours to shore to show off their dance, music, and "artesania". They made us dance with them :) We bought some of their goods to thank them, and they showed us how to 'hunt" with a blowgun! Amazingly, we all somehow hit the target! lol Except Ella...she didn't want to try.
getting ready to dance!
amazingly, this is the "short" blowgun! The longer it is, the faster it goes, so they use bigger ones.
These are the "darts". Poison is put at the end of them to kill the prey.
This is the Chief, showing us how to use the blowgun.
Noe's turn!
Paul's turn!
My turn! Of course, the time I hit it dead on, they weren't filming lol. But this one bounced off!
All of our "arrows" in the target!
They adopted a 5 week old orphaned sloth :) We couldn't hold her, but they let us pet her. What's funny is that she looks so happy...but she's quite mad at me lol. When I petted her, she started squealing and turned and looked at me (albeit very slowly lol) - very upset!
Ella has been buying different bracelets at different places we go. The one she got from the Yaguas is the yellow/orange one that looks like a sunrise :) We also bought an anaconda skin bracelet and a couple other things.
Our last stop of our "tour", was fishing! Local style! Sticks, raw meat, and luck :) Didn't need much luck though cause they were everywhere! What were we fishing for?? Piranhas! And between the 6 of us, we caught 3 little ones to take back and try. (very little meat, but the flavor was good).
sticks, hooks, and bait ready!
Let's go!
the guide caught a big one!
Ella's fish!
she caught two...but hated it both times and threw them back 😂
I got one but it wasn't a piranha...it went back :)
Noe's little one lol :)
Paul didn't catch one, but he got so close so many times lol. The little buggers would swim right up to them eat, nibble it, and swim away. Unless you jerked the stick at the exact right time to hook them, they'd swim away! Sneaky little things!
our fresh caught piranhas!
After our lunch, the tour was over and we rode the 2-2 1/2 hours back to Iquitos (against the current). We were pretty tired and rested almost the whole way.
We could actually get a signal in the middle of the river! so we checked messages and played on our devices on the way back lol. Funny to think there's a cell signal that far out.
Back at the hotel, we rested, went shopping for a hammock (which we found!), some "artesania", and then went swimming! Since it's the time of "Carnival" here (think Mardi Gras but in South America), there were "Umshas", colored mud balls (to throw at people), and lots of people out! There were lots of water balloons by the pool which the kids (and noe) utilized lol. We were actually able to escape being hit by balloons and mud up until our taxi pulled up to our apartment in Ayacucho! lol. Then Noe and I both got hit!
pretty right? lol Funny to see people walking around covered in blue, green or pink mud! 😂 Not so funny when it's you! (and of course, being a Gringa, I'm a big target 🙄)
Umsha - kind of like a wooden tree pinata :) They were everywhere in Iquitos!
We drove back to the airport first thing the next morning and had what is now our traditional "American" food binge while waiting for our connecting flight in Lima :) they have a papa johns, dunkin donuts, and KFC...so we indulge in all 3! We take back some pizza and donuts to freeze for a later date :)
thanks for following along on our adventures here in Peru! This is our last one until Machu Pichu - when we leave in June! Hard to believe we only have 3 1/2 months left! God bless everyone!
Here are just a few other pics that didn't make it in the main blog...
charging station in the lodge :) The only place with constant electricity was the cafeteria. Our rooms had electricity from 6-9pm
"Amazon Experience"
cute earrings and necklaces at the artesania market by our hotel. Ella chose the moons :)
