Travel boss recalls the natural wonders of the Peruvian Amazon

FRIDAY, JUNE 24: C Travel founder Carl Paiva gets to do more globetrotting than the average Bermuda resident. Mr Paiva just recently came back from a trip to Peru where he did an Amazon river trip. The Bermuda Sun’s Don Burgess sat down with him to find out more.

Was this the first time you’ve taken a trip into the Amazon?

I’ve been to Machu Picchu, Cuzco and Lima before but this was the first time I’ve decided to go to the Amazon. We decided to do the Peruvian side because the first time we went to Peru, we had a fantastic experience. The people and the service were fantastic. Plus the Pervuvian Amazon is 88 per cent intact compared to the Brazilian Amazon, which is only 20 to 25 per cent intact.

What company did you use and why did you choose them for your rain forest experience?

There are a couple of companies that do riverboat trips that I am aware of through selling that appealed to us, the one that we took is chartered by a company called International Expeditions. They focus on nature travel as opposed to the Amazonian experience. The vessel we were on held 24 passengers, two naturalists and one guide.

What was the outstanding part of the experience?

The naturalists were so knowledgeable. They are natives who are river people who are educated in their villages until approximately grade six then they are sent off to high school and university. To hear their passion and their knowledge of the Amazon was infectious. They had such enthusiasm, which helped us understand their culture, how they were raised and the simplicity of it all.

Getting into the villages was the highlight because they never know when you are coming. There are so many villages along the Amazon, that the guides pick them randomly so they don’t expect us. The naturalist would talk to the chief and the mayor and ask if we could come and visit the village and meet the children. It was amazing. Watching the children from an early age working side-by-side with their parents farming or fishing. They are very, very poor but full of smiles.

Why is it important to have native guides?

They realize how important it is to protect this endangered area from poachers. With International Expeditions we got right into the rain forest, the wetlands and the villages. We’d get up early every morning and go out on the skiff to see whatever animals are there. We were actually out in the thick of it all. We got to see the massive water lilies.

What animals did you see?

We got to see the caimans, which look like freaky little alligators. The birds are phenomenal. It was quite common to see sloths. There were various species of monkeys. There were many small animals — we didn’t see the bigger animals because they are deeper in the rain forest and are protected. We were able to go as deep as Ranger Station 2 and the bigger animals are further in and you have to get a permit to go that deep — normally that’s limited to naturalists and scientists so you can’t get in deeper than what we did.

What’s the cost of doing this trip?

You are looking at an all-inclusive from the Lima to Lima portion of the trip, which is 10 days, and includes the hotel in Lima, fly up to Iquitos then when started the Amazonian portion of the journey. The cost is approximately $4,000. Air fare from Bermuda to Lima, not included.

Anything else travellers need to know if they want to do this trip?

We took some malaria tablets, which was recommended by the Health Department. There was some trekking through the rain forest so you needed to be sure-footed. If people are interested in seeing the Amazon but not so close to the nature side, which is a bit more strenuous, there are luxury cruises people can do, but at three times the cost. Our vessel was very adequate, three stars, which had lovely facilities. We did have one overnight expedition so you have to be prepared for the thousands of bugs that come once the sun goes down.