Flooded Forests of the Western Amazon River

Expedition #37: May 11-26, 2014

You're invited to join our next expedition to the Amazon flooded forest!  This will be the 19^th year that we have taken what can be called the "ultimate field trip" into the wondrous flooded rainforests of the Amazon for research and ecology study.  In May 2014 we have a totally new and exciting adventure planned to the western Amazon along the Brazil-Peru-Colombia border, focusing on the Rio Javari and its tributaries. All of our expeditions are designed for college students, faculty, alumni, family, friends and members of the community who would like to experience the world's largest rainforest and its cornucopia of animals, plants and wonderful people.  

The Amazon is the largest river system in the world, containing about one-sixth of the planet's total surface freshwater.  Because of its tropical climate and unique geography - high areas (called shields) to the north and south, the Andes Mountains to the west, and very little drop in elevation for over 3000 miles - the Amazon experiences seasonal changes in water levels like no other place in the world.  Each year from December to May, heavy rainfall all over tropical South America pours into the Amazon lowlands and causes the rivers and tributaries to rise 30-40 feet.  The rains subside from May through November and the rivers slowly drain out into the Atlantic Ocean.  The ecology of the plants and animals in the Amazon rainforests, as well as the people who live there, is closely aligned with and dependent on these annual floods.

Our May 2014 expedition will occur near the end of the dry (high water) season in this region.  The Amazon and its tributaries will have overflowed their banks into the surrounding forests, giving us access to areas that are difficult or impossible to reach at other times of the year.  In motorized canoes, our group will venture into the flooded forests where we will be able to observe the rainforest canopy life from a very close perspective.  This year, our guide has put together a very special expedition for us on the Rio Javari, which forms the largely uninhabited border between Brazil and Peru.   We will explore the natural forests along the Javari and its tributaries, areas where new species of birds and mammals are discovered every year.  We will also have opportunities to take land hikes through different ecological habitats and explore several Amazon River towns.  And… since the water levels will be just starting to fall, this may be a great time to try our luck at fishing for peacock bass, piranhas and Amazon catfish!

We will live and travel aboard the Dorinha, a typical Amazon riverboat built in 2006.  The boat offers the basic essentials for comfortable travel in each of 12 air-conditioned, double-occupancy cabins with bunk beds, private toilet and shower.  Delicious regional-style meals are prepared by a talented cook and served in a common dining room that has a full bar and library of books on Amazon wildlife and natural history.  The top level of the boat is designed for bird and wildlife viewing, reading or just relaxing.  Each day we will leave the main boat to explore the Amazon in the motorized canoes, stopping often to hike, fish or swim.

The captain of the Iracema, Moacir Fortes, Jr. ("Junior" to us), is the son of legendary Amazonian guide and naturalist, Moacir Fortes.  He shares his father's gift for storytelling, has explored the rivers since he was a small child and is a degreed biologist specializing in Amazon frogs and bats.  In addition to our groups that explore the Amazon with Mo or Junior twice a year, the Fortes family hosts expeditions for the New York Botanical Garden, the World Wildlife Fund, Bat Conservation International, Project Piaba, and other universities.  The trip leader is Dr. Cindy Howard, who teaches ecology, environmental toxicology and tropical rainforest ecology at UHCL.  She has been studying the ecology and ecotoxicology of the Amazon and Rio Negro since 1991 and has led 36 research and ecology study expeditions to the Amazon since 1996. 

Our group will leave Houston on Sunday, May 11 and fly, via Bogota (United and LAN Airlines), to Leticia, Colombia, on the border with Tabatinga, Brazil in the western Amazon. Upon arriving in Leticia, we will transfer immediately to the Dorinha, our home for the expedition, and begin our expedition on the Amazon and Javari.  Over the next two weeks, we’ll explore many wild and uninhabited places, as well as a few small towns.  We'll see sloths, iguanas, caimans, frogs, monkeys, many different species of birds (macaws, parrots, toucans, flycatchers, kingfishers, hoatzins, manakins and cotingas, to name only a few) and much, much more - maybe even some species new to science!  We may get to visit a Tikuna Indian community along the river and learn about its culture and ethnobotany.  But, as always, please don’t look for a daily itinerary of activities for this trip!  We try not to predict exactly where we will be on any given day, because when we are seeing lots of wildlife in one place we tend to linger there awhile!  

At the conclusion of our river journey, we will visit Tabatinga and Leticia.  We will head back to the U.S. on Sunday night, May 25 and arrive in Houston on Monday morning, May 26.  Our adventure will wrap up with a million memories and two dozen wonderful new friends.  It’s truly a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and we invite you to join our May 2014 group!

*Cost for Amazon Expedition #37 includes

· Housing aboard the river vessel Dorinha [double occupancy; for single cabin (if available) add $1000]

· In Brazil: meals, field excursions, crew tips, transfers, hotel accommodations, and taxes

*Cost for Amazon Expedition #37 does not include

· Round trip airfare (*please see information below)

· Passport, passport photos and visa fees

· Immunizations (yellow fever, tetanus required)

· Travel insurance (optional, but recommended)

· Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages aboard the Dorinha (coffee, tea, water and fruit juice provided)

· UHCL tuition and fees for Tropical Rainforest Ecology course, Research Project or Independent Study

*Our itinerary is based on airline flights on United and LAN Airlines.  Each participant must book his/her own tickets online or use frequent flyer miles, following the itinerary that will be provided when the trip deposit is made.  The cost of the airline tickets is variable depending on when they are booked; at the time this flyer was put together, roundtrip tickets from Houston cost about $1100.  If you have any questions, or to align your arrangements with the flights we are making for the group, please contact  Dr. Cindy Howard. 

Reserve your place!

Space is limited to a maximum of 21 participants.

A deposit of $600 (check payable to WILCYN NATURE),

due by December 13, 2013 will hold your place. 

Please see the Application Form for more details.

Go to Application Form

For more information, contact the trip leader Dr. Cindy Howard