Over the next two days you’ll learn about many of the complex issues that threaten the Amazon.
Stay at an education research center in Peru’s only Amazonian national park. This protected jungle area is home to some of the Amazon’s most threatened species. Start each day with an excursion into your jungle surroundings. At midday return to the lodge to get cover from the heat. In the afternoon and evening, head back out for a glimpse of nocturnal animal activity. Each day, go on a walking safari to see different endemic Amazonian animals. Visit a salt lick where macaws flock for their mineral nutrition, hike through the understory to spot families of monkeys, and boat along the river to see caiman and capybaras.
Optional Activity:
Spend an overnight on a jungle platform that is the only legal structure in the entire national forest. After paddling on the lake that’s home to many rare animals, sleep in the open air under mosquito nets for a once-in-a-lifetime night in nature.
Customized jungle itinerary:
Focus on deforestation and conservation in the Amazon. Learn about the consequences of cattle farming, gold mining and lumber poaching. Meet the rangers working to protect the jungle and learn about the complexities of economic development and conservation.
Excursions and activities can include visiting a salt lick to spot macaws, going to a local cacao farm where locals are learning to live sustainably within the forest, day hikes looking for the families of monkeys, night walks to see nocturnal animals, and nighttime boat rides in search of caiman. During the hottest part of the day we will take a break from the heat and relax in the hammocks and review any interesting camera trap footage that has recently come back to camp.
On your last evening, students reflect on their experiences during a closing discussion and the traditional Rustic Ties ceremony. This unique and powerful activity allows students to capture their memories and contemplate ways to share what they’ve learned with their communities back home.
Overnight: Jungle Lodge