Exploring the Amazon with Explorama Lodges

The highlight of the trip was my guide Ricardo. Without him the other highlights would not have been possible. He pointed out animals that were magically camouflaged and led us on wonderful adventures daily. From quiet canoe trips to walks deep into the jungle, Ricardo was always aware of everything happening around us and pointing out the wonders of the jungle.

Quick Tips:

Pack Sunscreen! The sun is very strong here and when you're not in the jungle you'll spend quite a bit of time with it beating down on you. Pack wetnaps. It's humid and they're perfect for a quick bath between showers.

Best Way To Get Around:

You won't have to think about a thing. Just follow your guide.

The Explorama Lodge is located along a tributary on the Amazon River. After a two hour boat trip from Iquitos we pulled up to the dock and a saw a beautifully landscaped lodge. Although we were ready to explore our surroundings, lunch was ready and we were taken to the dining hall while the staff unloaded our bags.

After lunch we went to our rooms eager to see where we''d be sleeping. The room was small and comfortable, consisting of two twin beds surrounded by mosquito netting. Perfect considering the only time we spent in the room was to sleep.

Restroom and shower facilities are down a walkway a short distance from the room. There is no electricity here so the showers are brisk and refreshing after a day in the jungle.

Evenings at the lodge are relaxing and casual. As the sun goes down the staff lights kerosine lamps along walkways and inside rooms that cast a gentle glow throughout the area. The nightly seranade from the jungle begins as the frogs and other wildlife emerge.

The staff offers nightly seranades of their own in the bar where guests can gather for a quick nightcap or hot tea before calling it a night. For a quieter time head to the hammock house, where you can sway to the tunes of the tree frogs. Both are perfect places to swap stories of your day with other guests before heading off to bed.

We were always in bed by 9:00 since morning comes rather early in the jungle. The resident macaws fly in to have their breakfast as soon as the sun comes up. They are very vocal as they announce their arrival and don''t come with a snooze button. They are also incredibly loud and could put the largest rooster to shame so bring ear plugs if you plan on sleeping past 6:00 a.m.

I''m not a morning person but since this is the best time to see wildlife we had a 5:30 wakeup call each morning so we could do an activity before breakfast. These trips proved to be some of the more peaceful and relaxing we had and were also cooler since the sun wasn''t as strong. This is the first time I ever found myselve heading to bed anticipating a 5:30 wake up call!

Check the Explorama website for more information at www.explorama.com

The ExploroNapo Lodge is located an hour and a half further down river from the Lodge. It is surrounded by primary jungle and further away from civilization so there''s more opportunity to see wildlife. A trek through the jungle gets you to the ACEER laboratory and a special highlight of our trip, the Amazon Canopy Walkway.

The ExploroNapo Lodge features similar accomodations and facilities as the Explorama Lodge. There is a main dining hall and bar area along with a relaxing hammock house for relaxing between adventures. The bedrooms offer a beautiful open air view of the jungle and river and include mosquito netting to help you have the perfect nights sleep.

After five days in the jungle we arrived at Cebia Tops and were reminded how wonderful electricity really is. We entered our air conditioned room and adjusted to our new environment feeling very spoiled.

We spent the afternoon relaxing by the pool and enjoying the hydro-massage tub feeling totally pampered. After a hot shower we had an amazing dinner while listening to the sounds of an evening rain shower.

The lights at Ceiba attract an amazing variety of insects who in turn attract reptiles. The dining hall is totally screened in making all the wildlife easy to spot. We saw several species of frogs and lizards along with beautiful insects.

If you want to experience the Amazon in a luxurious setting this is the place for you. I loved the Explorama and ExplorNapo lodges which gives the feeling of being a part of the Amazon instead of just a visitor. But Cebia was the perfect way to end the trip and reaclimate ourselves to civilization.

I'm not a huge fan of fishing but this was fun and quite an adventure! No high tech lures or poles required. Just a straight wood stick from the jungle adapted into a fishing pole. The guide will take you along the river until you reach the black water. Black from the minerals in the roots of the trees along the banks and in the water. This is where the piranah are. Once there, no tackle box is brought out. Instead a bag of raw meat is placed on the seat and you're ready to go.

It takes a while to get the hang of this kind of fishing. Patience is not required. Wait too long and there will be nothing left of the bait. Curious, I pulled my bait up to check out the damage after only a few seconds. It looked like it had been taken through a meat tenderizer! Not an inviting location for a relaxing swim.

I finally got the hang of it and when I felt a tug. I flung my pole and hooked a HUGE fish! Okay, not exactly huge but it was big enough. Here's where the fun began. As I jerked the pole back, the fish, (now firmly attached to my line) came flying through the air, promptly hitting my friend Hanna in the stomach. Fortunately the fish hit sideways or "fin-first" so no biting was done and Hanna was unharmed. Unfortunately, the force of the hit knocked the fish onto the floor of the boat - among all the waiting toes of the fisherman, who at this point were primarily female. As the jungle echoed our screams and we leaped onto the boat seats, our guide calmly but carefully grabbed my "killer" fish. He then demonstrated how strong it's bite is by putting a leaf in it's mouth and letting us hear the loud snap that followed. We tried to act brave and cautiously climbed off the seats.

We continued fishing until we ran out of bait - giving more food to the fish than the fish gave to us. And yes, we did have piranah as a side dish with our dinner. Although it's a bit uncomfortable eating something that has a head AND teeth facing you we all managed to try it concluding it tastes like trout.

The hike to the canopy is a rather easy one and takes about an hour. It's a beautiful trek and the wildlife is abundant. Along the way you'll see the ReNuPeRu Ethnobotanical Garden and a local shaman who will explain the local plants being used for medicinal purposes.

The walkway itself is magnificent. It consists of platforms connected by bridges. The bridges are attached to giant trees with large wire cables. You actually walk on metal ladders overlaid with wood which is surrounded by a mesh netting. The footing is stable but the bridges sway and bounce as you walk along making it a thrilling trip. The mesh safety netting comes up to chest level so I felt safe and had no fear of falling.

The highest point of the walkway is 120 feet and provides breathtaking 360 degree views of the jungle. The platforms have multiple levels allowing you to climb to better views.

The walkway provides an array of lizards, frogs and birds along with a birds eye view of incredible vegetation. We enjoyed it so much we took the hike 2 days in a row to experience it again.

The dining at all the lodges is similiar. I found it delicious, healthy and very fresh.

Breakfast usually consisted of breads and fruit with eggs, french toast or pancakes and fresh juice. Coffee tea and fresh drinking water are always available.

A variety of fish, chicken or beef entrees were served for lunch and dinner along with a salad, rice, lentils and an assortment of vegetables. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages are available for purchase in the dining hall during meals and at the bar after dinner.

Meals are always served at the same time, making it easy for Guides to plan your daily excursions. The dining hall is also the perfect place to socialize with other guests and share your stories from that day.

The people who live along the Amazon are among the nicest people I've met. They are open and trusting and usually smmiling. This is especially true of the children.

We stopped at a variety of local river villages and were always met by a hoard of children running down the river banks towards our boat. While we walked around their village they all walked carefully around us giggling and whispering. I felt like the Pied Piper as the village emptied of children and followed me around.

The river people don't have electricity or running water or many of the simple things that we find essential and take for granted. During the day the men go out to hunt, fish or farm while the women tend the village. When not in school, the children play in the jungle or along the river banks swimming or canoeing. One of my favorite scenes was a group of ten small naked children running along the riverbank as our boat passed laughing, waving and finally jumping off the bank into the river.

There are a variety of villages and homes located along the banks of the Amazon River. These are some photos I took as we traveled by. Most homes consist of a single large room with hammocks for sleeping and simple chairs and a table made out of local trees. Many families consist of 6-10 children so there isn't much room for unnecessary clutter.