Hi everyone, I will be in Peru next week and have set aside 6/7 days in Lima. The original plan was to leave it open to the Galápagos, Machu Picchu, another Amazon trip, a return to Bolívia, or elsewhere. I have decided that I won´t be going to the Galápagos, Macchu pichu, Easter Island or Southern Patagônia/Antarctica this trip as they´re possible destinations for future trips when I´m travelling with someone - I thought I´d go for the more animal-heavy destinations while I´m travelling alone. At the moment I´m thinking the most likely situation is two days in Lima, 5 days in Iquitos, of which 1.5-2 days will be for zoos, and the remaining 3 days in the Amazon. Does anyone have any better ideas? They need to be reasonably affordable Thanks!
Ok: I´ve settled for an Amazon lodge which is around 80km from Iquitos and gives me a decent chance of some excellent sightings. I´m thinking of spending four days (three nights) there, which means I´ll have one day to spend in Iquitos before flying back that evening. I can try to negotiate a quick trip to the manatee rescue centre before my Amazon excursion. Otherwise the only definite place on my hit list is Quistococha Zoo - Pilpuntuwasi would be nice too though (I think). It´s a real shame how little of my research I remember from the last few months but I can´t think of any new animals for me which are held elsewhere (does anyone else know of locally captive rarities?). I think another day spent rambling around tourist attractions in Iquitos with only guided tours which let you cuddle monkeys and refuse to call themselves zoos might be a bit much - wasted time in comparison to a (hopefully fruitful) day in the Amazon. Having said that, some rain could ruin a day in the Amazon, and of the cumulative two weeks I´ve spent there in previous years, I can´t think of a single day which was enormously fruitful. Any thoughts?
Isle del Monos near Iquitos, look at website. There are two prominent zoos in Lima which have websites.
Thanks. I am indeed only spending three days in the Amazon (just one full day!) as the lodge can't arrange transport for a slightly longer trip. If the two zoos are Huachipa and Parque las Leyendas then I will be visiting them, having previously visited in 2010.
If you are a birder you must get to one of the canopy walkways, such as https://www.explorama.com/canopy_walkway.php
Thanks guys. I´m now back in Bogota. Unfortunately zooplantman the only canopy walks I could find required an overnight stay in a specific lodge, for which I didn´t have the time. WWE, I was told that a trip to Isla de los Monos is an expensive full day trip and there isn´t much special there. So instead I explored zoos closer to Iquitos.
