Contribution starting at $3,150
Exported from Streamline App (https://app.streamlineicons.com)
8+ days (avg. $394 a day) Includes accommodations, food, and all related research costs
Wildlife & Ecosystems
Climate Change

Amazon Riverboat Exploration

Location
Samiria River, Peru Map it
Lead Scientist
Activity Level
Varies
Accommodations
Hotel/Resort/Lodge
Food
Chef-prepared meals
Dolphin surveys are conducted in lakes, channels and rivers and will involve visual surveys, side-scan sonar surveys, and listening for dolphin echolocation signals through underwater microphones or hydrophones.
and identify the species of individual pink river dolphins and grey dolphins, as well as any fish species you see.
Take to the river at night and track caimans, smaller relatives of the alligator.
Terrestrial mammals and game birds are surveyed to examine the impact of climate change on wild meat species.
In the rainforest, track an abundance of wildlife, including primates and game birds, and record their behavior.
Early in the morning watch the sunrise over the forest and river as you spot and count herons, kingfishers, horned-screamers and a multitude of shore birds.
Since 2006, the Earthwatch-supported Amazon Riverboat Exploration project has worked to set up long-term programs to conserve biodiversity and to develop protected areas
Dolphin surveys are conducted in lakes, channels and rivers and will involve visual surveys, side-scan sonar surveys, and listening for dolphin echolocation signals through underwater microphones or hydrophones.
and identify the species of individual pink river dolphins and grey dolphins, as well as any fish species you see.
Take to the river at night and track caimans, smaller relatives of the alligator.
Terrestrial mammals and game birds are surveyed to examine the impact of climate change on wild meat species.
In the rainforest, track an abundance of wildlife, including primates and game birds, and record their behavior.
Early in the morning watch the sunrise over the forest and river as you spot and count herons, kingfishers, horned-screamers and a multitude of shore birds.
Since 2006, the Earthwatch-supported Amazon Riverboat Exploration project has worked to set up long-term programs to conserve biodiversity and to develop protected areas

Aboard a riverboat deep in the heart of Peru’s flooded Amazon region, you’ll help to conserve river dolphins and monkeys, and protect the fragile South American wilderness.


As you travel along the Yarapa River, you’ll spot pink river dolphins and caimans swimming through the waters, while monkeys and extraordinary birds move through the canopy overhead.

The vast, pristine Amazonian forests of northeastern Peru are home to an incredible array of wildlife. As you travel along the Yarapa River, you’ll spot pink river dolphins and caimans swimming through the waters, while monkeys and extraordinary birds move through the canopy overhead. In the lakes you can find a vast array of fish, and sometimes you can even spot rare giant river otters hunting and playing.

But this spectacular diversity is declining due to recent intense climate fluctuations that have caused floods and droughts. As part of an Earthwatch team, you’ll help survey the area’s wildlife to gather key information about the health of the ecosystem and the sustainability of traditional hunting and fishing. Through this community-based approach, you’ll help researchers develop conservation strategies that confront the current threats from climate change and ensure sustainable use of these valuable resources.

You’ll sleep aboard a restored, 100-year-old air-conditioned vessel from the Rubber Boom era that is moored in the Yarapa River of the Samiria-Yavari protected areas. There, you’ll discover a flooded forest whose waters run from the Andes Mountains through this delicate wilderness. You’ll also have the opportunity to meet and work with the Cocama people from a nearby village. With your help, Earthwatch and the Cocama will develop management plans to protect both the needs of the indigenous people and the wildlife of the Samiria-Yavari landscape.

.

A Typical Itinerary

  • Day 1: Meet in Iquitos, travel to the town of Omaguas, board chartered passenger boat to the riverboat, moored in the Amazon 
  • Days 2–5: Dolphin census, terrestrial transect, wading bird and macaw monitoring
  • Days 6–7: Fishing census, caiman spotting, fishing bat surveys, surveys using canoes
  • Day 8: Visit the local Cocama community; travel back to Omaguas and return to Iquitos

.

.

HOW YOU WILL HELP

Once you arrive on the moored riverboat deep within the Amazon, wildlife surveys will run each day. You’ll get to try your hand at all research tasks (and can spend extra time on your favorites). You will:

.

Earthwatch volunteers will search for dolphins and fish, record vocalization
SEARCH FOR DOLPHINS AND FISH, RECORD VOCALIZATIONS

As you boat along with the current, you'll spot, count, and identify the species of individual pink river dolphins and grey dolphins, as well as any fish species you see. And you’ll use a high frequency hydrophone to record dolphin communication to study their sonar and social behavior.

HIKE THE RAINFOREST, SPOT CAIMANS
HIKE THE RAINFOREST, SPOT CAIMANS

In the rainforest, track an abundance of wildlife, including primates and game birds, and record their behavior. When the forest is not flooded, you’ll also assess wildlife presence through deployed camera traps. Take to the river at night and spot caimans, smaller relatives of the alligator. Locate them by shining headlights that reflect back when they catch their eyes.

Count wading birds, macaws, and fishing bats
COUNT WADING BIRDS, MACAWS, AND FISHING BATS

Early in the morning watch the sunrise over the forest and river as you spot and count herons, kingfishers, horned-screamers and a multitude of shore birds. You will also observe and count colorful macaws at 500-meter intervals. At dusk, you’ll search for bats and count them with a search light and acoustic bat box as they swoop down to the river and catch fish.

Field conditions and research needs can lead to changes in the itinerary and activities. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

.

FEEDBACK & QUESTIONS

.

8 Reviews on this Expedition

If you have been on this expedition, others considering attending would love to hear about your experience.
John McConnaughy |
This was a wonderful trip! The Amazon is another world. Hot and humid, it's a place where everything seems to be trying to grow all at once. We saw a good deal of that: dolphin species, macaws, shorebirds and parrots, monkeys, a sloth, and hoatzins. We also reviewed the results of Fondo Amazona's camera trap project (they saved the cameras for the group to review) and got a look at what we didn't see: jaguars, a short-eared dog, giant otters, and many starring performances by wattled curassow. We spent much time messing about in boats, especially the long flat-bottomed boats driven by nine horse pequis. I was amazed that they could navigate those things through the vegetation on the water's surface. The staff were wonderful. The biologists and other staff knew what was happening with the wildlife around us. Many of the transects would have become unpassable but for their skill with the machetes, which they carried everywhere. The lizard transects would have been unproductive without their ability to spot tiny bits of life where the rest of us saw only bark and leaf litter.  As with any experience, there was, of course, another side. Anyone who has read Humboldt's account of being tormented by zancudos (mosquitos in Spanish) and other biting insects can guess what it is. They chewed through the nylon of my long-sleeved shirts and pants. I'd suggest trying the commercially available permethrin washes on your clothing.   It was a wonderful trip, one you'll remember for a lifetime!
2023 Earthwatch Participant |
Every year, I return to this expedition because I truly believe in the project and see the differences it is making in the local environment and with the local population. The people running the project (Richard, Tula, Paola, and Kimberlyn) are all very intelligent, very personable and very fun people! The food is healthy, and the accommodations are historical and interesting. It has convinced me to keep coming back year after year.
2023 Earthwatch Participant |
Exploring the Amazon Rainforest had been like a mysterious dream. This expedition made the dream come true. While enjoying the encounters of the Amazonian wildlife in a dream-like landscape, the research put the volunteers into the very reality of environmental destruction and conservation. It is a great learning opportunity. The staff is wonderful; the food is delicious, the accommodation is comfortable beyond expectation, and the fellow team members are wonderful.

Have a question?

If your question is not answered by one of our FAQs, please reach out to us and we will answer your question as soon as we can.

This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Supported stories

GET EARTHWATCH NEWSLETTER

Bi-weekly announcements, new expeditions, and updates on our impact around the globe.

.

.

.