Jungle Survival Skills Tour
5Days-4Nights | Experience the jungle up close by camping out in the open air. Gerson, our experienced guide, will take you deep into the jungle and teach you how to forage for food and medicine.
Learn how to find fresh water, medicinal plants and track animals. Also, try your hand at spear fishing and foraging for your own dinner. And, at night, camp out under the canopy of the Amazon rainforest.
Itinerary
What is included?
- Pick up & Drop off: Iquitos Airport. For this purpose, please provide your flight numbers/times
- Round trip transportation to and from Curuhuinsi
- Lodge, via minivan & boat.
- 3 Nights accommodation at our Lodge *1 night camping out in the jungle
- Rooms with private showers, bathrooms and mosquito nets.
- All meals and drinking water. *vegetarians meals available
- Guides available in English or Spanish.
- Swimming with pink dolphins in the Amazon river.
- Best dad jokes in Peru. *told by actual dads
- Canoeing to look for sloths and monkeys.
- Bird watching.
- A visit to our local village.
- Alligator hunting – we only shoot with cameras!
- Medicinal plants and survival skills.
- Night tours to find anacondas, tarantulas, scoprions and giant frogs.
- Fishing for piranhas.
- Hammocks
What To Bring
- Long & short pants
- Long sleeves in light colors
- Camera & extra batteries
- Mosquito repellent
- Sunscreen
- Swimsuit
- Hat
- Water bottle
- Extra cash to buy handicrafts
Day 1: Iquitos Pick-up
- Pick up from your hotel in Iquitos or the Iquitos Airport. So that we can be on time, please contact us with your flight/hotel details.
- Minivan then boat to Curuhuinsi Lodge, 3 hours from Iquitos. First, we drive to Nauta to board a boat that will take us directly to the lodge.
Before arriving at the Lodge, we will make a brief stop where the three major rivers in Peru meet; the Amazon, the Marañón, and the Ucayali Rivers. Here we can spot pink river dolphins. They are mainly in the Amazon river, so we will have a good chance to see them! - Lunch then Canoe Ride
In a motorized canoe, we will head out on the river around the “lakes” to familiarize ourselves with the nearby jungle area. We will look for birds, monkeys, sloths and other wildlife. - Visit a native community.
Here you will have the opportunity to learn and observe indigenous life on the banks of the Amazon River. You’ll see how homes are constructed, check out the schools and churches. Meet the locals and learn about their farming and fishing techniques. You can observe local customs and traditions to get a better understanding of the lifestyle. The people in the jungle are very cheerful and welcoming, they really like to share their culture with international guests. The children like to play sports a lot, so please join in. Many families work making crafts from natural and recyled materials. Here you will have the opportunity to buy one-off handicrafts from the Peruvian Amazon! - Meet Pablito, the lazy bear.
Pablito grew up with the community from a very young age, since then he has never wanted to leave. Sometimes he gets lost in the jungle for a few days, but he always returns to the community. He is very affectionate with people, so we can carry him and play with him! - Sunset Cruise Home
Finally, enjoy the sunset over the jungle and the river from our boat. - Alligator Hunting at Dusk
We continue our journey further into the jungle to observe alligators/caiman. Our guide will take us to hidden places to find these wild animals. If it’s a clear night, you’ll see the sky lit up with millions of stars. Surrounded by the sounds and darkness of the jungle, this truly is an incredible experience. - Dinner
We return to the lodge for home-cooked meal and a good night’s sleep.
Day 2: Survival Skills & Pink River Dolphins
- Jungle Walk
Walk in the primary Jungle to learn about medicinal plants During our tour we will learn to identify the diverse flora and fauna, such as the different species of monkeys and giant trees such as the Lupuna (Ceiba Tree). - Medicinal plant knowledge
Learn about the medicinal plants locals use to cure illnesses, as well as traditional aphrodisiac drinks that are made from the bark and roots of trees. - Survival Skills
Then, our guide will give us an experiential class on how to survive in the jungle and how to use what nature itself gives us for our benefit, just as a local person would do. Also, let’s go find some Tarzan vines to have fun simulating their movements! - Foraging
Finally, we will take advantage of the walk to collect some typical foods from the jungle, such as chonta and mushrooms, which we will eat for lunch. - Lunch
Afterwards, take a break in the hammocks. - Pink River Dolphins
We head back out onto the Amazon river to swim with the river dolphins. It is highly likely that the pink dolphins will appear, but we should keep our distance without touching them because they are wild animals. If all goes well, we’ll let them approach us and we can swim together. - Mud Treatment
Then we make a brief stop on the banks of a tributary river for a mud treatment at the local “spa”. Roll in the mud and let your skin absorb the all the nutrients and minerals. Additional healing benefits include stress relief, relaxing the muscles, moisturizing the skin and eliminating toxins. - Sunset Tour
Finally we will cruise back to the lodge, ending the day by watching a stunning sunset over the Peruvian Amazon from our boat. - Night Tour
We will venture out with our flashlights and walk through the jungle at night in search of anacondas, tarantulas, scorpions, snakes and giant frogs. Watch the jungle transform into a dark, deafening chorus of nocturnal creatures. A completely different range of fauna appears at night compared to the daytime. Listen to the magical sounds of insects, frogs, wild cats, and owls. - Dinner!
Day 3: Full Day Hiking Survival Skills
- Early Start
Get up with the birds for breakfast and prepare for a full day adventure! Sail along the small inlets and rivers of the Amazon jungle until we reach a lake. Here we will stay until the afternoon fishing, hiking and foraging. - Hiking & Wildlife Watching
Keep an eye out for Spider monkeys, insects and reptiles in the forest. If you are lucky, you might see the Otorongo (jaguar), Black Panther, Tapir, Collared Peccary, jungle Deer or the Capybara. The forest trails and the cochas (isolated lagoons) are the best place to observe wildlife. - Lunch & Boat Cruise
We will have a picnic lunch in the middle of the jungle before making our way back to the lodge. On the way, there will be other species of monkeys, macaws, toucans and sloths in the canopy. We’ll stop by to visit the famous Victoria Regia, or the Amazon Orchid. This giant lily pad has white flowers that change to pink the next day. It is an imposing swamp plant that can grow up to 3 meters in diameter! It is known for its huge circular leaf that is a symbol of strength and magnitude.
Day 4: Camping & Spear-fishing
- Early Morning
Get up early for breakfast and prepare for an adventure in the heart of the jungle. Navigating along the small inlets and rivers of the Amazon jungle until we reach a lake, here we will camp overnight. You’ll go fishing and hiking and learn how to spear-fish on the riverbanks. - Piranha Fishing
You’ll attempt to catch some piranhas in the dark tributary rivers of the Amazon. If you are successful, then we can eat them for lunch! They are truly delicious. - Hiking
We’ll venture out for a second trek through the jungle in search of more animals, as well as practicing important survival techniques. This is a great opportunity to ask your guide deep and probing questions like, when was your last piranha bite? How often do you eat tarantulas? - Night Tour
We’ll take the Canoe our in the dark to look for Boa Constrictors and Anacondas in the branches of the trees. Your guide might grab one for a closer look.
Day 5: Bird Watching, Piranha Fishing
- Bird watching
Wake up early to the chorus of dawn in the Amazon jungle. Travelers come to the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve just to see the birds. Peru has the largest number of bird species in the world and this is the best place to see them. Macaws, Toucans, Shansho, the Harpy Eagle, and Camungo are just some of the birds you are likely to see. The view is spectacular! Watch in awe as flocks of winged warblers fill the rainforest in search of breakfast. - Piranha Fishing
Get ready to fish for the infamous piranha in the dark tributary rivers of the Amazon. If you are successful, we’ll cook it so you can eat it for lunch! - Lunch & Education
Our final lunch in the jungle before your onward journey. Guides will give a brief talk about the current dangers facing the Peruvian jungle and the Amazon at large. It’s not all bad news! Eco-tourism is a great alternative to logging and mining and is highly beneficial to indigenous communities. - Boat, Minivan & Airport Drop-Off
Arrival to Iquitos hotel/airport. For this purpose, please inform us of your flight number/time so we can plan ahead.
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