Dispatches

Amazon Conservation Association – Peru (CICRA), Part I

April 14, 2009

This morning, we packed up, took the last few photos of Salkantay Peak and drove back down the mountain to Cuzco. With a few minutes to spare, we hopped on the next plane and headed back into the jungle to Puerto Maldonado, Peru. The flight was quick, just 35 minutes, and no sooner did we leave Cuzco than the land below became a sea of trees – no houses, no farms no roads. Just muddy, brown rivers and trees as far as the eye could see. It was hard even to see the runway, but the pilot found a break in the trees and the runway, and then we were down.

Next, we hopped in two cabs and raced through the jungle for an hour and a half, and then took a 5-hour boat ride through the Peruvian Amazon up the Rio Madre to Dios to CICRA. The first half of the ride we held on through a torrential downpour with just the cover of a small wooden roof and a couple of ponchos. Once the rain passed, it was just the trees, a few birds, and us for the next few hours. We arrived after dark and climbed a very steep stairway (over 238 steps) up to the CICRA research facility and camp.

The site was a very successful mining lodge and so all of the buildings are well made. As far back as 10 years ago the buildings were abandoned, with no roofs and weeds growing inside the buildings. With a lot of hard work, the team restored the site and the buildings and opened CICRA about 8 years ago. The buildings are all really nice and very energy efficient with open-air, screen walls. The downstairs rooms are all research labs and classrooms, while the upstairs are all offices – picture a restored barn or a cozy, large, thatched-roof tiki hut, with windows. We all agreed that you would be a lucky person to have an office in one of these buildings. We talked to several of the guests and researchers staying here and then it was off to bed to get ready for a very busy day.

This is the first year that CICRA is allowing tourists to come and stay at the site. Guests are treated to not only bird watching, but also many larger animals (including jaguars and anacondas) living right there on the site, and for the very lucky, are possible for viewing. One guest we spoke to said that he saw easily over 250 bird species over his 3 day stay, and that he got to help several researchers with their projects – something that you don’t get to do when you vacation at a standard resort or hotel. The place is very remote, making for better conditions for getting up close and personal with animals, but also great for just getting away and getting back to nature.

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