The Amazon, originating in Peru, is a world of mystery, grandeur, and romance.

The Amazon Basin is filled with such a quantity and variety of wildlife that scientists have been unable to classify it all: 2000 species of fish, more than those of the Atlantic Ocean; 4,000 species of birds, including 120 hummingbirds; native mammals such as the puma, the anteater, the tapir, the capybara and the pink porpoise; and 60 species of reptiles, among them the American alligator and the anaconda, the world's largest non-poisonous snake.

At its widest, the mighty river is 40 miles across, and oceangoing vessels can sail 2300 miles up river to Iquitos, Peru's major port on the Upper Amazon. There the seasonal fluctuation of the water level is an unbelievable 45 feet.

Explorama Services

All programs at Explorama's lodges include meeting service at the Iquitos Airport, bus and Amazon riverboat transfers, lodging, meals and guided excursions by local naturalist guides. Variations in length of stay and itinerary can be made to suit your interests. Items of a personal nature such as bar service, laundry, airport departure tax or airplane tickets are not included in tariff.

What to Bring, What to Wear

• Without fail, your valid passport.
• Light, drip-dry cotton or safari clothing, including one long-sleeved shirt or shirt and sweater, hiking or rubber boots, tennis shoes (jungle trails are frequently muddy), plastic raincoat, insect repellent, toilet articles, dark glasses.
• Binoculars, a small flashlight, plenty of film.
• Keep baggage to a comfortable minimum due to space limitation on board launches.

Climate and Seasons

In the rainforest surrounding Iquitos there is neither a rainy nor dry season as in most tropical areas. We have only two "seasons": from approximately December-May is our "high water" season (due to melting snow from the mountains during their summer and from the rainy season in the upper jungle; and from approximately June-November is our "low water" season. While the water level can change more than 45 feet, our climate warm and humid, is relatively constant throughout the year. Normal daytime highs are 88°F and nighttime lows are 72°F.

Highlights

• Exciting opportunities to view wildlife including pink dolphins and exotic birds.
• Professional, multilingual naturalist guides are assigned to each small group of visitors.
• The world's longest canopy walkway transports you up 120 feet into a treetop world.
• All accommodations are surrounded by lush tropical rainforest.

ACEER
Laboratory and Canopy Walkway Complex

Opened in 1993, the ACEER, Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research, is a joint effort with other private companies and individuals to provide a research station for scientists in the rainforest and an opportunity for the layman to share in their discovery. Easy access to the rainforest canopy made available by the suspended Canopy Walkway at the ACEER, has opened up research in an area where little is known and much is left to be learned. All programs to Explornapa Camp incorporate a visit to the Walkway.

This Canopy Walkway, built and maintained by the Peruvian Foundation CONAPAC, is the longest Walkway in the world reaching the Rainforest Canopy.