10 Days 9 Nights on Pacaya Samiria National Reserve: El Dorado

Morning pickup from your accommodation in Iquitos, or our office, in private car or mini-van (depending on group size). We will drive south for 1 hour and 45 minutes (approx.) to arrive at Nauta town. In our way there you will get a brief description of Iquitos city, its surroundings and some of its main attractions.

Departure by private boat from Nauta port, continuing upriver for 3 hours, enjoying the beautiful landscapes and the possibility to see river dolphins (gray and pink), herons, turtles and many other species along with spectacular flora.

Arrive at Santo Domingo community, the checkpoint for entering the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Here we register and show tickets to the officer in charge. The entrance to Pacaya Samiria is controlled and regulated by the SERNANP (Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas).

Continue navigation by boat for 30 minutes to reach the community of Buenos Aires. On our way there we will be observing flora and fauna by the riverbanks. Be on the lookout for birds, especially herons (like the capped heron or the snowy egrett) and kingfishers.

Walking expedition around the primary jungle to look out for some wildlife and enjoy nature.

Nocturnal hike looking for spiders, snakes, lizards, frogs or rodents, hearing the different sounds of nocturnal animals.

Overnight at typical village house in Buenos Aires community. We will sleep on individual beds with mosquito nets.

We get up early to enjoy the sunrise in the rainforest and then, start our expedition. We will be on the lookout for monkeys and sloths. After that, we will hop on a canoe and explore the riverbanks, always attentive to movements and sounds so we can see fauna in their morning routines by the river.

Navigation around 3 hours in the Yanayacu river, getting deeper and deeper into the primary jungle reaching a spot for camping in the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve called Renaco by the local people.

Jungle walk in the virgin rainforest where we can observe the flora and the fauna of the Amazon. Here we will also look for the Lupuna (Ceiba pentandra), the biggest tree in the Amazon rainforest. After walking in the jungle we are gonna swim in the river as near as we can with river dolphins like the pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis) and grey dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis).

Exploration of Renaco cocha (lake). We will be on the lookout for many animals in this place, like Shansho (Hoatzin), different turtle species as Charapa (arrau river turtle), Cupiso (Six tubercled Amazon river turtle) and Taricaya (Yellow spotted Amazon river turtle), Ronsoco (Capibara), Majaz (Paca agouti paca) and different monkey species like Woolly monkey (mono choro) and Squirrel monkey (mono fraile), among others.

Nocturnal expedition to find and see white and black caimans (big river lizards).

Set up camping site. Camping in the primary jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

We get up very early and start looking for primates while we explore in our canoe. There is the chance to see Manatees (Vaca marina) by the river with some luck. Pack our camping stuff and get ready for going deeper into the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.

We will navigate approx. 3 hours until our next destination: Zapotal by the local people because of the big quantity of Zapote trees in this area.

Expedition looking out for primates and other animals in their habitat. The deeper you get into the Amazon rainforest, the more chances you have to see wildlife. In the surroundings of Zapotal there are Paiche (Arapaima Gigas), the biggest fish in the Amazon rainforest. If the river is low the possibility of seeing those spectacular fishes is higher.

Jungle walk looking out for Macaws. We will be on the lookout because this place is a good one for spotting macaws (red and green macaw or ara chloroptera, blue and yellow macaw or ara ararauna). In the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, we can find 2 of the 8 species of macaws found in Peru. In this jungle walk, we will also look for a bird called Camungo by the locals (Horned screamer), with its characteristic sound and Shansho (Hoatzin), a prehistoric bird.

Dawn observation, enjoying the beautiful landscape and having time to chill and relax for a while.

Nocturnal expedition looking (and hearing) for nocturnal animals, including caimans, frogs, snakes among others.

Set up camping site. Camping in the primary jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

Early morning canoe excursion to wake up your senses. Time to see the sunrise in the Amazon jungle. We will go bird watching. This is the best time to see wild birds in its own habitat by the riverbank and inside the jungle.

Boat trip of approx. 3 hours to reach our next camping area, deeper into the virgin jungle, in a local zone called Chingana by the locals. The deeper we go into the Jungle, the more chances we have to see more different species of animals, birds, and fishes.

Excursion to find and observe some giant river otters.

Botanical walk. You will get to know different medicinal plants of the Amazon jungle.

Night canoeing excursion, looking for wildlife.

Nocturnal expedition to find and see white and black caimans (big river lizards). In this place, we can see bigger caimans (up to 6-8 meters). We will also look for other nocturnal animals, insects, and spiders.

Camping in the virgin jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

Early morning canoe exploration to find and observe monkeys (like howler monkey or woolly monkey) and other animals.

Boat trip of approx. 3 hours to reach our next camping area, deeper into the virgin jungle, in a local zone called Tambo German.

Long distance Amazon jungle hiking. Be prepared to walk and explore the primary jungle. During this jungle walk, we will be looking out for animals but also for traditional medicinal plants like Cat’s claw (uña de gato), Jungle garlic (ajosacha) and many others. We will extract all the knowledge possible from our local guide. Here we are gonna go in a jungle hiking expedition looking for animal prints, like Jaguar (Otorongo), Tapir (Sachavaca), Red brocket deer (Venado colorado), Majaz (Paca agouti paca), among others. In this place, there is also the chance to see Anacondas and Tigrillos (Ocelot)

Nocturnal walk looking out for Sajinos (Collared peccari), Añuje (Black agouti), Ronsoco (Capibara), Majaz (Paca agouti paca), Oso hormiguero (Giant anteater), Carachupa (nine banded armadillo), among other nocturnal mammals.

Camping in the virgin jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

Early morning canoe excursion to wake up your senses. At this point you will be starting getting used to the pace of the jungle, putting into practice the skills you have been learning during the expedition. Trying to differentiate animals and birds by their sounds and looking for them with the first rays of the sun.

Boat trip of approx. 4 hours to reach our next camping area, deeper into the virgin jungle, in a local zone called Achon. After arriving and setting up our camp we will start hiking in the Amazon jungle, focusing on trying to find and track animals by their prints and by their sounds. We will also keep our ears wide open to recognizing birds.

Once we are back in the camp we will go canoeing by the riverside looking for river otters, turtles and bird species like Macaws, Sacha Pato (Muscovy duck), Cushuri (Olivaceeous cormorant), among others. At night we will go on our boat or in our canoe looking for white and black caimans. Here there is a higher chance to see black caimans, as we are very deep into the Pacaya Samiria.

Camping in the Amazon jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

We will explore with the first rays of sun in our canoe. Feeling the fresh air and hearing all the jungle sounds, knowing that this place we are visiting is only reached by only a few adventurers. Enjoy nature with all your senses.

After filling up our energy tank with a delicious jungle breakfast we will start our journey, by motorboat, to arrive at the mythical “El Dorado”. This will take approximately 3 hours. Arriving at El Dorado is an accomplishment in itself. Not many people on the planet can tell that they have been there.

While we are in El Dorado we will explore it by boat, by jungle walking or both. It all depends on the weather conditions and the season we are in. During the dry season or reflux (from May to September) it’s possible to do more jungle treks. And during the wet season or crescent (from October to April) the water level is higher, so most excursions are done by motorboat or canoe.

You can read more about the weather and seasons in Pacaya Samiria National Reserve in our blog post. The diversity of landscapes and its abundant aquatic fauna makes this place truly unique. There is the possibility to see a lot of different bird species, including macaws, toucans, kingfishers, herons, among others. In El Dorado there is also the possibility of seeing some of the most famous Amazon jungle animals, like anacondas, boas, jaguars (locally called otorongo) and manatees, to name a few. A little luck is involved of course. This place is also great for seeing monkeys, snakes, frogs and many other animals.

Watching the beautiful sunset in El Dorado. Have your camera ready!

Nocturnal boat exploration looking for nocturnal lake animals, especially caimans. In this zone of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, you can find white caimans (Caiman crocodilus) and black caimans (Melanosuchus niger). There are reports of caimans of up to 6 meters long!

Camping in the surroundings of El Dorado lake, in the heart of Pacaya Samiria, Amazon jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

We wake up very early in the morning, around 4:30 AM. If you have come this far, you don’t want to miss the sunrise in this place.

After recharging energy with a jungle breakfast, we prepare ourselves for a full day of jungle trekkings and lake exploration. It all depends on the weather conditions and the season we are in, most of the time it’s possible to do both. In the jungle hiking, we will have the chance to find many different species like monkeys, especially howler monkeys, frogs, salamanders, snakes like boas and anacondas, and many different bird species including giant hummingbirds, hawks, macaws, toucans, among many others.

While exploring El Dorado lake on the boat we will have the chance to find and see gray and pink dolphins, manatees (Trichechus inunguis) and even paiches (Arapaima gigas), while also looking for many bird species flying and by the riverside. There are reports of people spotting mammals drinking water from the riverside, from rodents like capybaras (Hydrochoerus hydrochae) to the majestic black jaguar (Panthera onca), locally called Otorongo, the third biggest in the cat family around the world. We cannot promise you will see a jaguar of course, but this place has a higher than usual chance of photographing them.

Another beautiful sunset in El Dorado (or a second chance for the perfect picture if the previous day was cloudy). Chill out and enjoy being far away from the civilization, in the middle in the jungle enjoying nature’s treasures.

Nocturnal boat exploration looking for more nocturnal lake animals, especially white and black caimans.

Camping in the surroundings of El Dorado lake, in the heart of Pacaya Samiria, Amazon jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

Early morning boat exploration, around 4:30 AM, to see the sunrise in El Dorado.

We will keep exploring El Dorado, by trekking, navigating, or both. All depending on the weather and the season we are in. Keep on the lookout for wildlife. This place is full of it.

Around midday, we will start our return. As we are very deep into the National Reserve it’s gonna take us more than 1 day to come back. That’s why we are gonna navigate 5 hours downriver to reach a middle route point where we are gonna set our camping for the last night of our excursion.

We are gonna arrive in the afternoon to Fariña Sua. We will take you by boat to try some artisanal piranha sport fishing, the way locals do it. The guide will instruct you, help you and provide you with all the equipment needed. If you are skillful you can even catch Acarahuazu (Oscar fish), Fasaco (Common trahira) among others. In this zone of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, it’s possible to find pink dolphins and river otters while touring on the boat. We will try our best to find them. Keep your eyes open and practice all the skills you have learned along the journey to try finding and differentiating bird and animal species.

Nocturnal walk looking for the nine banded armadillo (carachupa or Dasypus novemcinctus), Ronsoco (Capibara) and rodents like black agouti (añuje or Dasyprocta fuliginosa) and paca agouti (majaz). We will also look for other nocturnal animals, insects, and spiders like Tarantulas.

Camping in the Amazon jungle. We will sleep in camping tents.

Early morning canoe excursion to wake up your senses. We will go bird watching. This is the best time to see wild birds in its own habitat by the riverbank and inside the jungle.

We start our way back, approximately 6 to 7 hours on the motorboat, stopping at PV1 (Point of vigilance), located in Santo Domingo to stretch out our legs and get the chance to contribute to the community by buying their hand-made handicrafts if you decide to do so. Return by boat to Nauta town.

Ground transportation from Nauta to Iquitos. Arrival at our office, or if you prefer we will bring you to your accommodation in Iquitos or the airport.