Trompin' the 'Mericas: The Jungle Book - Beware of Spiders... Big ones...

The jungle is a strange, scary place. But altogether fascinating.

As I rock in the hammock at our jungle lodge, I can hear a macaw saying hola, a parrot making its noise, crickets, a bird (I think) hammering on wood, a bird that sounds for all the world like a very loud water droplet dripping, and various other noises, from birds and insects that I can't identify... There can be peace here, but if you're looking for quiet you've come to the wrong place.

Enjoying the hammock

The Amazon Basin stretches from Brazil, through Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia. We entered through Peru, which is said to have some of the most bio-diverse jungle in South America. We came in through the town Puerto Maldonado. At 9 AM on arrival, it was 35 degrees Celsius. From there, an hour boat ride down the Rio Madre de Dios (river), and we were at our lodge, at the border of the Tambopata National Park.

Our jungle lodge

It's now time to rest up, put on pants (you can choose death by sweat or death by mosquitoes... Bug spray hardly seems to phase them) and bug spray. In 1 hour we get our first introduction to the jungle. The jungle can be a strange and scary place. Knock on this tree and you get fire ants, chew this leaf and your tongue goes
numb, don't stand there or the army ants will get you... Plants that are poisonous, plants that act as Viagra, tree strangling vines, termites, stick bugs, praying mantis.... Oh and whatever you do don't put your hand there. Welcome to the jungle.

Stick bug

It's dark now, and we go searching for caimans along the river by boat. Their eyes glow in the beam of a flashlight. They look like small alligators, and can be found all along the rivers shoreline. As you near, they slowly submerge into hiding. One stays on the bank. Still as a statue it sits, waiting for our boat to pass. It's a white caiman and can grow up to two meters long. Fully exposed, It's quite a site.

White caiman

We wake up at 4:30 AM. Breakfast at 5, and on the boat by 5:30. The jungle wakes up early. A short boat ride and brief hike bring us into Tambopata National Park, where you can find Sandoval Lake. Today we seek the giant river otter. On the way we see a tree lick for parrots and macaws.They get essential nutrients from the dead tree. Several macaws squish in to feed from the hole in the dead tree. Nearly 20 others sit on top or circle the tree waiting for a spot at the table. The sound of howler monkeys in the background would scare the bejeebers out of someone who didn't know what they were hearing, sounding like something out of a horror movie. Actually the sound of the howler monkeys was recorded and used as the dinosaur roar in Jurrasic Park movie.

Red bellied macaw through binoculars

The rain forest is aptly named, we find, as we paddle through the channels into the lake. The sudden downpour discourages all but birds and a few howlers from surfacing. The river otter would elude us.

As night comes, the jungle starts to show its scary side. Even the guides are nervous of travelling the trail into the jungle at night. Poisonous snakes are dangerous and plentiful. Here the bushmaster boa constrictor rules the night. Tonight we don't look for snakes. No, tonight we hunt tarantulas. Tarantulas come out of there nests at night to hunt. We need not travel beyond the gardens of the lodge to find them. They nest in the palms right in front of our noses. The pinktoe tarantulas are big furry, and can be very aggressive if agitated. Nothing sounds better after a tarantula hunt then a bottle of wine! Happy second anniversary sweetie!

Nesting pinktoe tarantula

In the morning, a short half hour walk from the lodge brings us to the parrot clay lick. The parrots get there early so we head out at 5 AM. Once there we wait. As the minutes turn to an hour, suddenly a parakeet jumps to a nearby tree, another one, and another. One jumps to the clay, followed by two more... 5, 7, 10, 15. Up to 20 parakeets are now feasting on the clay. The parakeets will get their much needed nutrients from the clay before starting their day. After about 15 minutes of feeding, one wrong noise from the jungle and they're gone. Not to return. Time to head back for breakfast, then Monkey Island awaits.

Dusky Headed Parakeets eating clay

The government had a program to rid Puerto Maldonado of pet monkeys. The next generation now resides on Monkey Island. We get there and a feast of bananas are offered to the semi wild monkeys. The monkeys greedily come down to snatch them up. All but the lone squirrel monkey are fed.

one of 12 species of monkey in Tambopata

We spend the rest of the day learning about the culture of the indigenous people, and visit a local orchard. The day has been exhausting. The evening of free time is spent resting. Tomorrow I go back to the clay lick.

5 AM. We leave for the clay lick hoping to see different parrots or parakeets, sometimes you can see up to 50 at a time. A Brown Bugauti keeps the parakeets high in the trees as it takes the clay lick for itself. A noise. The parakeets are gone. They don't return. It seems we can't bend nature to our will.

Brown Bugauti slinking around the clay lick

Today is our last day and we leave after breakfast. Its been a good trip. Birds, plants, rodents, reptiles and insects (not to mention the 8 roaches, 4 frogs and army of flying ants in our rooms - it was a nice place, honest, but this is the jungle...). The bigger animals (jaguars, capybaras, tapirs and giant river otters) have managed to elude us. This time.

To read: Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book

Travelers notes:

Corto Maltes was a very nice lodge with well maintained rooms and grounds. Its advertised price was $450 US for a 4d 3n stay, but the rule is the closer you get the cheaper it gets. We bought in Cusco. We paid $295 pp, probably cheaper in Puerto Maldonado. Bring snacks, as meals are far between. Don't expect much from the indigenous tribes and farm you visit on the third day. Its not really anything to write home about. I wanted to see the macaw clay lick, but you can't get very close, and photos are very tough without a telephoto lens. With the parrot lick, you can get pretty close. I loved the jungle experience, and now I am inspired to go deeper. If you can do a 6 or 7 day tour where you travel further in, I recommend it! Happy travels!