RIO YAVARI
RIVERBOAT EXPEDITION
Our June 21-27 and the July 12-18 Amazon Riverboat Expedition Cruises will be something very special...a rare opportunity to visit one of the most outstanding wild places in the Neotropics.
Few places in the World rival the Yavari River, an Amazon tributary dividing Peru and Brazil, for sheer wildness. All of the classic wildlife is there, but we are especially interested in observing the critically endangered Red Uakari Monkey (Cacajao melanocephala rubicunda) at the Lago Preto Conservation Concession, near the mouth of the Yavari Miri River. These fantastic monkeys and the Red Uakari Project are the object of the upcoming documentary "Uakari-Secrets of the English Monkey" which will air on Animal Planet - Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom on Sunday, April 19th, 2009, 7pm EST.
This trip is for wildlife enthusiasts and adventurous travelers wanting to experience a remote rainforest environment. We will travel aboard the incomparable Ayapua riverboat, a renovated historic riverboat from the Rubber Boom era. Call 800-892-1035 for further information.
Only TWO Departures:
June 21-27, 2009
July 12-18, 2009
LAGO PRETO CONSERVATION CONCESSION, PERU
The Lago Preto Conservation Concession is a 10,000 hectare block of tropical forest located in the upper Yavari River just below the confluence of the Yavari and Yavari Miri Rivers. The Yavari River forms the border between Peru and Brazil in the western Amazon basin. The forest of Lago Preto are some of the most biodiverse habitats in the Amazon, with 13 sympatric species of primates, an extraordinary avian assemblage, a unique floral composition and one of the greatest diversities of fish and frog speciesfound in the Neotropics.
The Lago Preto Conservation Concession adjoins the proposed Greater Yavari Protected area which covers over 1.5 million hectares of pristine Amazon forests. This area is one of the most remote and isolated regions of the Amazon. There are still uncontacted Indian tribes inhabiting the Greater Yavari landscape, and the overall human population is one of the lowest found anywhere in South America.
The Lago Preto Conservation Concession has three major habitat types, including upland non-flooded terra firma forests, seasonally flooded varzea forests and palm swamps. The upland forests consists of undulating hills broken by stream valleys and ravines. These forests have exceptionally high canopies often with emergent trees often reaching 30 meters high. The understory is composed of sparse shade resistant vegetation.
The seasonally flooded forests are flooded by the white waters of the Yavari between 4 to six months a year. These forests are situated in the Yavari floodplain and have softer alluvial soils and a lower canopy than the upland forests. Levees, or slightly raised floodplain islands are interspersed by swamps and low lying streams. The varzea forests have a lower floral diversity than the upland forests.
Palm swamps are usually situated at the boarder between the upland and flooded forests. These low laying habitats are dominated by the emergent Mauritia palms. Palm swamps usually extended for several kilometers and have permanent water stands. Palm swamps have a high production of Mauritia palm fruits, which are eaten by a great diversity of wildlife. This habitat appears to support many mammalian and avian species, such as Uakari monkeys, squirrel monkeys, and most species of macaws.
The Lago Preto Conservation Concession has seven major ox-bow lakes. These lakes are protected under the concessions management plan and have an extraordinary diversity and abundance of fish, including large populations of Peacock Bass, the large Arapaima, catfish, Arawana, sting rays, and many other species. In addition, the lakes have a recovering population of giant river otters and a healthy population of wading birds. Macaw tree licks can also be found on some of the lakes and they usually have around 40 individuals perched in the mornings and afternoons.
The Lago Preto Conservation Concession has the greatest resident population of Red Uakari monkeys found to date. This population of Red Uakari monkeys is estimated at around 500 individuals within the concession. Most of the Red Uakari monkeys are habituated and easy to observe. Large mammals are regularly sighted along the forest trails, including peccaries, the occasional tapir, many primate species, edentates such as armadillos, anteaters, and sloths, and large cat species.
We will undertaking two Amazon Riverboat Expeditions to the Lago Preto Conservation Concession this summer, June 21-27 and July 12-18. This is your best opportunity to experience this outstanding wildlife destination.
