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 local stories in Peru, told by the local guide.
- 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,Canoeing/Caiman Hunting.
- 08:00am. You are picked up at your iquitos hotel starting the tour, please contact us with your flight/hotel details,so that we can be on time.First, we drive to Nauta to board a boat that will take us directly to the lodge, from there, we continue by a tipycal boat along the Amazon river to 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.
- In a typical canoe made of wood, we will head out on the river around the “lakes” to familiarize ourselves with the nearby jungle area before our first lunch in the jungle, We will look for birds, monkeys, sloths and other wildlife.
- Lunch then Canoe Ride.Exploring the jungle by boat in search of monkeys, macaws, toucans and sloths and other wild animals that we can observe during the tour, this exploration allows us to enjoy a unique experience on a small boat to reach wild áreas.On this expedition you will be able to observe different species of monkeys, birds, pink and gray dolphins from our boat, launching you into an adventure like the one experienced by the intrepid European explorers of the 15th century.
- Finally, enjoy the sunset over the jungle from our boat,then the group will leave by canoe for caiman (alligator) night spotting.The guide will explain about the night life speciality, amazon nature and show you the different caimans(black and wite caiman).Depending on the sky, you will enjoy a ride back to the lodge with moon light and stars reflected in the river, this truly is an incredible experience.
- We return to the lodge for home-cooked meal and a good night’s sleep.
Day 2: Jungle Walk/Survival Skills/Pink River Dolphins
- Jungle Walk.After breakfast we will leave for a trekking journey through the jungle. You will learn how natives use and read the jungle, medicinal plants, how to communicate with the help of trees, which plants to use to protect against a Jaguar, the trekking also allows to learn to identify the diverse flora and fauna, such as the different species giant trees such as the Lupuna (Ceiba Tree) and the possibility to see animals such as monkeys,snakes and birds.
- 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,by learning how to find your way if you are lost, drinking water from the liana and eating wild fruits.
Also, let’s go find some Tarzan vines to have fun simulating their movements! - Foraging for wild food.
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 and Pink Dolphins.Afterwards, take a break in the hammocks, 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 and Night time Hiking.Finally we will cruise back to the lodge, ending the day by watching a stunning sunset over the Peruvian Amazon from our boat.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, listening to the magical sounds of insects, frogs, wild cats, and owls.
- Dinner and Sleep!After dinner is optional, the guide will tell you local stories and adventures that he has experienced during his childhood.
Day 3: Monkey Island/Birdwatching/Piranha Fishing/Lake.
- Bird watching.For the early birds who like it, an early canoe trip allows to enjoy the sunrise before breakfast, 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 food.Peru has the largest number of bird species in the world and this is the best place to see them at Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
- Monkey island.Before a good morning breakfast, guests have the opportunity to visit the monkey island and interact with them by feeding them with fruits that we will bring for them, this species of monkey has been rescued from illegal loggers and has been released in this protected area of the village, here we can play with the monkeys.
- Breakfast and Piranha Fishing.Get ready to fish for the infamous piranha in the dark tributaries of the Amazon,they are known for their sharp teeth and their insatiable and aggressive appetite for meat, which has given them a certain prominence in popular culture, both in film, literature, and television.
- After lunch we will enjoy a canoe ride to visit a lake,on the way, we will see species of monkeys, macaws, toucans and sloths in the canopy, we’ll stop by to see the famous Victoria Regia, or the Amazon Orchid.This Giant Water Lilies 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.
- Have a good night sleep in your room to be prepared for an exiting next day.
Day 4: Camping Outside/Extreme Wildlife/Night Time 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.Catch your own fish and prepare your food over the campfire with help of your guide.
- Hiking and Extreme Wildlife.We’ll venture out for a second trek through the jungle in search of more wild animals, as well as practicing important survival techniques, during our tour we can find large anacondas of approximately 10 meters if luck is with us.Plus 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 tarantulasWhat size anaconda did you ever find during a walk in the jungle? and etc.
- Night Time Expedition by boat.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.
- Night spear fishing just like a person from the jungle does.Fishing with a spear is a very old activity from the 15th century before the arrival of Europeans. To fish with a spear requires deep skill in handling the tool and having extensive knowledge of the behavior of fish. This knowledge allows The fisherman can identify the type of fish and Know the resting places and times of the fish guarantees effective fishing.
Day 5: Visit a Native Community/Sloth.
- 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 baby sloth,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!
- Lunch and 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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