PROGRAM LTP04 TAPIR (4 DAYS 3 NIGHT)

Day l: Flight to Puerto Maldonado, and journey to the lodge. Following your early morning flight to Puerto Maldonado from Lima or Cusco, you will be met at the airport by your naturalist guide and transferred to a dugout canoe for the trip up the Tambopata River to the lodge. On the journey the vegetation changes from colonized deforested areas to virgin rain forest. A box-lunch is provided on board. On arrival you'll have a welcome drink and meet the rest of the staff. In the late afternoon you set off for an introductory walk into the "terra firme" forest behind the lodge (Trail 2), dominated by giant Brazil-nut and Dipteryx trees. Frequently seen mammals on this trail are Saddle-back Tamarinds, Brown Capuchins, Agoutis, Pacas, Blue-Morpho butterflies, Trogons, Toucans and many other species of birds.After dinner a night walk to find nocturnal animals or insects by the eye-shine a specialization for increasing the light and see better, about 50% of the animals are nocturnal in the rainforest. (L,D)

Day 2: Hike to Lake Condenado. After an early breakfast you and your nature guide will board the motorized canoe once again for the short journey to the trail head to begin a morning's exploration by foot and paddle canoe of the lake system of Condenado, rich in bird and aquatic life. A family of Giant Otters live in the vicinity of the lake and are often observed. Birds abound especially Rufescent Tiger-herons, Great Egrets, Wattled Jacanas, Hoatzin, the noisy Donacobius and many others. Remember to bring your hat and sun cream for there is no shade out on the water. You will return to the lodge in time for lunch. The afternoon is for exploring the forest close to the lodge (with or without your guide), relaxing and bathing in the Gallucunca, a cool clear stream beside the lodge or visit our tree platforms, going up with ropes and harnesses for a bird's eye view of the forest and for close-ups of arboreal orchids and the many other species of plants and animals that are never seen near the ground (extra cost). After dark you will go searching for caiman (alligators) and other nocturnal animals by motorized canoe along the Tambopata River. (B,L,D)

Day 3: Hike to Lake Sachavacayoc (Tapir Lake). After an early breakfast you will take a short boat ride down river to the trail head. Here you embark on a longer trail which leads to a spectacular hidden lake, requiring the crossing of streams and swampy ground, past the giant Lupuna trees (kings of the jungle) which abound in this part of the forest. On the walk you are introduced to more aspects of the forest and its animals. At the lake itself it is possible to spot the elusive Black Caiman and Giant Otters. We return for lunch. The afternoon is free for relaxation and bathing (B,L,D)

Day 4: Departure. A dawn start is required for the canoe trip back to Puerto Maldonado giving memorable views of the sun rise over the river. Lookout for the early morning wildlife which is particularly active at this time. Howler monkeys are frequently heard, as they stakeout their territories. Your guide will take care of you on arrival in Puerto Maldonado and will deal with all the necessities at the airport prior to you departure. (B)

Additional days at Libertador Tambopata Lodge
Any number of extra days at the lodge, in addition to the above mentioned program, are possible. These can be guided or unguided according to your preference and interests. During these days you can either, explore the trail system in more depth, going further a field along trails not visited before; repeat the lake visits accompanying other groups, giving you more time to wonder/paddle in your favorite areas; visit our tree platforms, going up with ropes and harnesses for a bird's eye view of the forest and for close-ups of arboreal orchids and the many other species of plants and animals that are never seen near the ground or at dawn when the main activity of the forest begin with a sun rise.

Services included in your trip: All meals and accommodation from lunch on Day 1 to Breakfast on your final day (inclusive). All transport from your arrival at Puerto Maldonado to your return to the airport (inclusive). All guided excursions describes in the itinerary (including on additional days, if you wish). One night excursion on the river looking for Caiman.

Services Excluded in your trip: Flights to and from Puerto Maldonado, The entrance Fee to the TNR (Aprox US$10), airport taxes, Tree climbing (with harnesses and ropes). Any drinks you may purchase from the bar. Tips. 

Tropical rainforests are among the most outstanding natural ecosystems on the planet, an awe inspiring tangle of life to some, an unfathomable puzzle with more questions than answers to others. They represent the pinnacle of life on Earth. Vegetative production (2 kg/m2/yr) is more than double that found in the most productive temperate forests, species diversity hits the roof and the whole system is considered the most important natural regulator of the Earth's climate, for which we are forever indebted.

Tropical rainforests, among which the Amazon is the largest single tract on Earth, span the globe between the tropics where rainfall exceeds an average of 1500 mm per year (6 feet) and where temperatures do not drop below an average of 17ºC throughout the year.
The ecosystem is entirely self-sufficient, requiring only the steady input of sunlight to maintain the plants, which in turn maintain the rest through the many interconnecting webs of interactions, checks and balances that are a constant feature of this twilight world.

Plants form the basic structure of the forest on which everything else depends. The vegetation is broadly arranged into strata (see diagram opposite), which though not readily observed or defined, certainly exist. The most distinct division observable is between the canopy - a strata exposed to the full effects of the sun and the wind, and the undergrowth, which is poorly illuminated in comparison, although it is more stable with respect to the environmental conditions of temperature, humidity, wind and so forth. The contrast between these microclimates can be striking and goes some way towards explaining the complexity of life forms, each adapting to a unique array of microclimates and the micro ecosystems within them.

Animals also have been affected by the forest's structure. In the various strata the availability of food, the opportunities for concealment and possible modes of locomotion are very different. For example, an animal living in the treetops can readily obtain large quantities of vegetative foods (flowers, leaves, fruit, etc.) but must have limbs adapted to climbing, swinging, jumping, gliding or flying from tree to tree. In contrast, the ground dwellers have little or no climbing ability and depend largely on food falling down from above.

Only recently has the treetop community of plants and animals been a focus of interest to biologists and it is proving to be exceedingly rich in life. More than half of all the forest's animals are now believed to be arboreal (living in the trees) of which the majority complete their entire lifecycles without even approaching the ground.

The sheer number of species that live in tropical rainforests exceeds the imagination. Over the last decade the number of insect species thought to inhabit the planet has risen from a mere 2 million to 30 million or more due to the intensive research now being aimed in the direction of the tropics.

The explanations for such species richness are numerous and are not mutually exclusive. General theories hypothesize that the tropics themselves have experienced a fairly constant climate over the millennia, so that the flora and fauna have not been adaptively restricted as much by physical conditions, enabling them to compete more vigorously with each other. This competition over a protracted length of time has resulted in more specialized adaptations to reduce or overcome the competition resulting in slight physical and/or temporal changes in plant and animal populations, culminating ultimately in the creation of separate species. A high degree of specialization by organisms in these environments has been found to be common. The more constant environment may also have resulted in less extinction compared to the harsher conditions at greater latitudes where the weak or poorly-adapted are quickly weeded out.

It is one of the paradoxes of tropical ecology that however luxuriant the rainforest vegetation may appear, its presence is not an indication of great soil fertility; on the contrary such soils are some of the poorest of all. This fact however can be explained when one considers the timescale during which plants have been actively competing for nutrients in this environment. Rainforests have been around for approximately 125 million years. The length of time that current tracts of forests have been present can be measured therefore in millions of years, during which time the plants have been experiencing greater and greater competition for soil nutrients, so that their adaptations for obtaining these nutrients have been steadily honed to such an extent that today the nutrients locked up in a dead leaf on the forest floor can be recycled directly into the plant without ever becoming part of the mineral soil. 95% of nutrients as a whole are locked up in the living matter. Recycling of nutrients from the dead is fast and extremely efficient.

This lack of nutrient and poor soil structure, endemic in the tropics, is extremely debilitating once the forest cover has been removed and explains why farming on most tropical forest soils is non-sustainable and leaves permanent scars on land which cannot be colonized effectively by the forest again, ultimately due to its own efficiency!

Puerto Maldonado

Puerto Maldonado is a city in Southeastern Peru in the Amazon forest 55 kilometres (34 mi) west of the Bolivian border on the confluence of the Tambopata and Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon River. It is the capital of the Madre de Dios Region.

Nearby are the Manú National Park, Tambopata National Reserve, and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park. These are some of the most pristine primary rain forests in the world, which include several oxbow lakes and clay licks, where hundreds of birds including macaws feed on clay.

Biodiversity is the word that covers everything that Madre de Dios contains infinite forest, immense rivers and vast variety of animals and vegetation. Its capital, Puerto Maldonado is an obligatory stop along the way to the national parks and reserves located in the area to gain the entrance and authorizations. Years ago Madre de Dios have been an important exporting site rubber, wood, gold, and petroleum; today the eco-tourism and chestnut harvesting are the two main economic activities in the department.

About ten kilometers from Puerto Maldonado and an hour and half walking you find the Lake Sandoval, surrounded by aguajales (swampy areas full of palm trees), orchids, kapok trees, caoba trees, and Mauritanian palm trees that grow up to thirty meters tall. The lake is the home for a vast variety of animals like parrots, macaws, toucans, egrets, turtles, tapirs and the refuge for black caimans and otters, two species threatened with extinction.

60 Kilometers from Puerto Maldonado by the Madre de Dios River is Lake Valencia, in the areas around of the lake there are several native communities. These natives are extraordinary fishermen and living from that activity, fishing for tiger shovelnose catfish, gilded catfish and paiche. This area is full of flora and fauna, too.
One of the most important national parks in the world is The Manú National Park with 1,716,295 hectares, located in the departments of Cuzco and Madre de Dios, protects more than 800 bird species, 200 species of mammals, gigantic trees and it is the home of many native communities. This park has the world record of the number of species seen in one day at one spot with 324 species.

Other national park in the area is The Tambopata-Candamo National Park con 274,690 hectares, which is known to possess the greatest diversity of mammal, tree, insect, and bird species in the world, as well as the world record for the amount of butterfly species.

USEFUL INFORAMTION

Climate

Puerto Maldonado is in the tropical Amazon Basin. The climate is hot and humid at all times. The average annual temperature is 26 °C (79 °F) with the months of August and September being the hottest. Annual rainfall exceeds 1,000 millimetres (3.3 ft). The wet season is from October to April. The main part of the town is located on a slightly elevated area that does not normally flood in the wet season. Road travel often becomes impossible during this time. A low season occurs between June and August.

A common phenomenon known locally as a "surazo" or "friaje" occurs when polar winds blow in from the mountainous south. The temperature will drop to as low as 8 °C (46 °F) for several days.