TRIP LEADERS

Our trip leaders are among the most experienced Neotropical experts anywhere. All are naturalists who have studied the flora and fauna and are experienced travelers. Our leaders enjoy sharing their knowledge and make lively and interesting travel companions!

OUR STAFF - Tipping

GreenTracks uses a “hand-picked” staff of local guides and service personnel on our riverboat expeditions. These individuals are intent upon making your Amazon adventure a memorable, safe and enjoyable experience. They are knowledgeable, attentive, helpful and fun. Also, they are working for tips. They expect and need the income from tips to support their families. Your tour leader will brief you sometime during the trip about the suggested tipping procedures for the end of your trip. It is recommended that you have US dollars for tipping. (See currency recommendations below.) A minimum recommendation for an amount to tip is $20 from each traveler to each of your 1 or 2 rainforest guides and another $20 to the boat crew. This would total to a minimum of $40 - $60 per traveler. GreenTracks tour leaders are not usually tipped.

TRAVELING WITH A GROUP

Our guides ensure a quality experience and are experts in handling whatever "opportunity" may arise! Travel to remote destinations requires coordination and planning with many in-country contacts which would be virtually impossible for you to arrange on your own. The unique makeup of each group traveling together provides rare opportunities for sharing experiences and exploring a different land with people like yourself... thoughtful and interested travelers. Though you will travel as a group, there is very little regimentation in our trips. While some travelers may want to spend all day hiking in the forest, others may want to relax in a hammock with a good book!

CURRENCY

Money exchange is easily taken care of upon arrival in-country at the Lima airport. There is a bank window in the Lima airport baggage and customs area and ATM machines in several other locations. Please take advantage of this opportunity to change some money, since depending upon your itinerary, you may not have another chance before departing upon the riverboat trip.

Considering tipping and your food, beverage and entertainment preferences, it is recommended that you bring along from $200 to ? Souvenirs and handicrafts are available in most larger cities and possibly at villages as we travel.

Some of the vendors will accept credit cards. It's always a good idea to bring a VISA and a MASTERCARD card in case of emergency.

We do not recommend Traveler's Checks. Few places accept them. If you do bring traveler's checks you may find yourself standing in a long bank line waiting to cash them.

The USA cash that you bring must be clean, crisp, new or little-used bills. Request such from your bank. Worn, torn, or bills marked with dye or ink will be refused in Peru.

In the event you do not have a chance to change large denomination USA bills into Peruvian soles, you will find it useful to have a supply of USA $1 and $5 denomination bills to purchase handicrafts along the river.

A pouch or money belt is recommended for carrying valuables; these are available at camping or luggage stores. Keep your passport safe at all costs. It is an incredible problem if you lose it.

MEDICAL

Consult your doctor for all medical concerns. What follows is simply a list of suggestions.

Malaria exists in tropical regions, so you should obtain the pills taken to prevent it (it is mosquito-borne). There are various types, consult with your doctor.

You should consider getting a Yellow Fever vaccination. While you're at it, maybe a Hepatitis A. It is also good to be sure your tetanus is up to date.

Travel to the lowland rainforest exposes your body to a significantly new microbial fauna. Many travelers experience diarrhea and stomach upset about 3 days after arrival in this area. This is not a “disease”, just your body adjusting to a different group of intestinal bacteria. A highly recommended medication to have on hand is an antibiotic to be taken in case of bad gastrointestinal upset. Physicians usually prescribe Cipro (Ciprofloxacin) or Xifaxan. Some people recommend taking antibiotics prophylactically if you will be traveling in the lowland rainforest for a short period. Others believe it best to wait for the onset of symptoms. Do what your doctor recommends. But we do recommend you have some medication on-hand to deal with the situation if it arises. You don't want to lose a day or two out of your trip due to a bad upset stomach.

If your traveling on to Cuzco and Machu Picchu after a trip in the lowlands, you would likely find Diamox to be helpful. It's prescribed by your doctor to help with altitude adjustment and to prevent altitude sickness.

Be sure to ask your physician about the possible dangers of combining medications, especially if you are already taking prescription drugs.

Aside from this, simply bring along any of the usual medications with which you travel (aspirin, Tylenol, Dramamine, antacids, Pepto, etc.). In every case, please follow your physician's advice about all health aspects.

SUN PROTECTION

The equatorial sun is intense and you should be concerned about skin protection, so bring the appropriate sunscreen (SPF 30) and apply it often. Those taking Doxycycline or any other Tetracycline derivatives should be aware of possible increased sensitivity to sun.

If you burn easily, bring along a spray treatment for sunburn.

INSECT REPELLENT

Bugs are no worse than in the States. Repellents with DEET are most effective. 100% DEET is not safe. Concentrations of 25% to 30% are sufficient. Some people are sensitive to DEET and might do best with repellents with even lower concentration. Be aware that certain colognes and perfumes may attract bees or other insects. It is advised NOT to use DEET on children.

CLOTHING

Casual; we prefer breathable, absorbent cotton as opposed to heavy jeans, which take forever to dry, but suit yourself.

The new light-weight synthetics designed for hot weather by companies such as Travel Smith, Ex-Officio, Columbia, and REI, which wick moisture away from your skin and dry fast are excellent though expensive. They are very comfortable.

Take plenty of underwear and socks. You will need long-sleeve shirts, (the sleeves can be rolled up in heat or down if bugs are a problem) short sleeve shirts and T-shirts. Bring both long pants and shorts.

A hat (small, crushable, water-resistant) is handy.

Shoes need not be heavy. A light weight hiking boot or walking shoe is perfect. We do not recommend knee-high rubber boots for hiking in the rainforest. They neither fit well nor offer decent support. Plan on getting your feet wet and your shoes muddy. One of the guides will wash your shoes daily and be sure you take them home clean.

Bring a second pair of comfortable shoes and keep them clean for wearing in town and your travel home. Also bring some thongs or sandals and a bathing suit.

The two items most likely to be lost are your hat and sunglasses. You might bring an extra of each.

A poncho or light rain jacket is useful. Ponchos provide better protection from the elements, and you have room under them to keep your camera and binoculars.

EQUIPMENT

Bring a day pack or hip pack to carry your gear on hikes.

Bring a good flashlight, alkaline batteries, and spare bulbs. We like a flashlight that takes at least three C-cell or D-cell alkaline batteries and has an adjustable focus beam; such as a Mag-lite. Bring 6 extra alkaline batteries for each week of your trip. These are large and heavy. If size and weight are concerns, you might wish to consider the new Luxeon LED lights. We are currently testing these and it looks like some models may have the power to compete with traditional lights. Please be certain you do not use standard LEDs... get a Luxeon LED, and make sure the battery life is decent.

Head-lamps are not recommended and are not allowed on night hikes. They attract insects to your face and you will most certainly shine someone in the eyes, temporarily blinding them.

A small pocket flashlight is recommended as a backup light. Good to use when moving around the boat or even your room at night, if carried in your pocket on a night outing it would also allow you to get out of the forest safely if your large flashlight was dropped and broken.

Binoculars are recommended for bird or monkey watching.

Bring a camera and plenty of film or memory cards. If you shoot film... ISO 200 - ISO 400 is a good choice. Bring spare batteries for your camera and flash. You might want to bring a good flash and macro lens. Wide angle lenses are good on the river and telephoto lenses are good for birds and monkies.

Pack film in a lead bag (camera shops have these) or in a carry-on that you can access easily for removal prior to passing through airport X-ray machines. Don't believe what they tell you... it can fog your film! NEVER place film in a checked piece of luggage.

CamCorders are also fine.

For all your electronic gear - bring spare batteries. Or, you can recharge batteries on the boat. Electric current in eastern Peru is 220 volts, but on the boat there is 220 volt and 110 volt. Be sure to ask your guide before you plug something into any un-marked socket!

Purified bottled water is always available on the boat. Your room will have several small bottles you can re-fill and take with you on outings.

Small pocket knife; good book; field guides to fauna and flora; a small first-aid kit with your medications. If you wear eyeglasses bring an extra pair. Some like to bring notebooks and keep field journals... pencil or indelible ink is recommended for this.

Some might find a collapsible walking stick such as made by Leki a helpful thing to have. Such would prove useful to many up in Machu Picchu.

Take a few plastic bags; they make good organizers, and can be used to protect cameras and binoculars if you get caught in a downpour.

LUGGAGE

Any sort of luggage will do, but we prefer the soft duffle bag types. No need to purchase special luggage for this trip.

It's always best to label each bag inside as well as by outside tags, and to lock them. We recommend the small combination locks approved by the TSA. They have a master key to open these locks in the event they need to search your bag and will not have to break the lock to do so. You can set the combination yourself. Bring a spare lock or two incase someone removes the one on your bag. Plastic wire-ties are also good for securing your luggage shut.

It's best to carry valuable or fragile items on the plane with you... also a spare set of clothes and your toiletries and medication in case the airlines lose a bag.

Tighten all containers in your toiletries kit and place such articles in plastic bags... air pressure changes can cause leakage.

INSURANCE

We STRONGLY recommend that all GreenTracks clients obtain Traveler's Insurance to reimburse you, should you have to cancel for medical or other reasons, or one of our sub-contractors defaulting. This insurance can be obtained from TravelGuard. Please read our cancellation policy. That should convince you to get insurance!

DOCUMENTATION

Everyone must have a valid passport.

Peru DOES NOT require United States or Canadian citizens to obtain a visa before you travel, they will issue you a tourist visa upon arrival in-country. If you are traveling on to other countries after your riverboat expedition, you should check what might be required of you by those countries.

Non- USA or Canadian citizens may be REQUIRED to obtain a visa from Peru before traveling; consult with the GreenTracks office or your travel agent.