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EXPEDITION TYPES

Margarita Tours offers a wide range of expeditions catering to many different interests. Of course, the natural beauty and biological diversity of the Amazon are common features of all our expeditions. If you enjoy beauty, adventure, wildlife and people, we are confident that one of our expeditions will suit your interests or needs.

The web pages in this section are designed to give you a good idea of what each type of trip is like, and what kinds of activities are planned for different expeditions. Please note (see below) that there are many similarities between all of our expeditions, even though the expedition themes may be different.

Our group sizes are small, so there is always opportunity to engage in activities other than the "theme" of a particular trip. We arrange for varied activities on any trip - you never have to meekly follow the expedition leader like a flock of sheep! Our expedition leaders and staff are along to share their knowledge and love of the Amazon, and to cater to your interests, not vice-versa. We are always happy to take your personal interests and requests into consideration.

ALL of our expeditions provide opportunities for the following activities:

  • photography (nature and people)
  • bird-watching
  • observation of river dolphins (pink and/or gray dolphins)
  • relaxation (kicking back and reading a good book, enjoying the passing scenery, etc.)
  • swimming (no, you don't need to worry about piranhas!)
  • sport-fishing
  • day and/or night river excursions by skiff to look for wildlife
  • visits to remote river edge villages
  • stargazing
  • botanizing

MOST of our expeditions also provide opportunities for the following:

  • hiking on forest trails through primary and secondary rainforest
  • collection and study of ornamental tropical fish
  • village trading sessions for locally produced handicrafts and items of interest
  • kayaking through flooded forest, on small rivers and creeks, etc.
  • night hikes in the forest in search of nocturnal reptiles, birds and mammals
  • visit to marketplaces in the city of Iquitos
  • visit to the historic center of the city of Iquitos

BY REQUEST, we can often arrange the following:

  • overnight primitive camping in the rainforest
  • visits to medicinal plant gardens
  • full day (or longer) hikes into the rainforest
  • camping on river sandbars (seasonal, also depends on the river being visited)
  • architectural and historical tour of Iquitos

CHARTERS - If one of our regularly scheduled expeditions doesn't match your interests and/or schedule, we can outfit charters for individuals, families, schools, clubs, businesses and service groups. Contact us for availability, rates, and additional details.

 

Boat-Based Expeditions - Our boat-based expeditions are aboard our pamacari-style river boat, the M/V Tucunare. Follow the links to see floor plans and other details of the boats. A typical boat-based expedition covers many river miles, and allows access to more remote areas than a land-based trip. Several hours each day are spent in motoring rivers and waterways, with periodic stops at sites of interest. Every night is usually spent in a new location. The exact stops depend on the type of trip, and the interests of the expedition participants they could include black-water lakes for fishing purposes, or a local village to trade for handicrafts or to see how the people live. Generally, a wide range of stops is included on any given boat-based trip, allowing participants to see and do a variety of things.

If you are fascinated with water and rivers, love boats or dolphins, enjoy incredible skies both day and night, or just enjoy sitting back and watching the scenery unfold, then a boat trip may be the right one for you. River boat trips can be very relaxing, and if you wish to avoid any strenuous activity, it is easy to do so and still have a rich experience. There are many short skiff excursions away from the main boat, giving you the opportunity to see additional sights and waterways, but without having to do much walking or hiking. If you do enjoy strenuous activity, however, there is still opportunity for that as well - hiking on some local trails, swimming, collecting aquarium fish, etc. If you want to mix boat- and land-based expeditions, it is possible to do so with one of our hybrid trips.

Many boat-based trips have a particular theme, but virtually every one of our boat trips has one or more participants along who aren't particularly "into" the theme, and who nevertheless have a great time. Bring your camera, a good book, and get ready to relax.

Land-based Expeditions - Boat travel is necessary to get to the field sites that we use for our land-based expeditions, so you can't miss out completely on the river travel part of an Amazon trip. Land-based trips provide you with the option of staying aboard your docked river boat, or in land facilities at working biological field stations. Staying at one (or in some cases, two) land facilities has the advantage of allowing for more spontaneity of activities. If you want to get up at the crack of dawn to look for birds on forest trails, you are right there. Likewise, if you are a night owl, and want to look for luminescent fungi and tree frogs, you are also right there. Photographers who get distracted by a photographic subject can spend hours focusing on their find, without detracting from anyone else's planned activities.

Land-based expeditions always have the option of exploring local waterways and lakes by skiff, so you really don't have to give up much other than the experience of waking up in a new site every morning. You are mostly free to program your own activities according to your own interests.

Hybrid Expeditions - Those who want the best of both worlds may be interested in participating in one of our "hybrid" expeditions. These are boat-based expeditions that visit one or more of the field sites, and which spend a couple of nights at each field site. This gives you the option of experiencing staying on land, and falling asleep to the night jungle sounds, as well as giving you at least a full day of flexibility to do as you please at each of the field sites visited. At the same time, you also get to experience quite a bit of boat travel, but less so than on a purely boat-based expedition. This type of trip is ideal for those with a wide range of interests, and who want a broad and general Amazon experience - our natural history trips are designed with this type of experience in mind.
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