Acuarist Expedition
quotation available on demand
Embark on the Selva Viva to discover the Amazonia Peruvian and its wildlife fishing among the most diversified of the world.
Latitud Sur has created this cruise especially for you, aficionados of cichlids , piranhas , rays, tetras , catfish and many other species…
This travel is the opportunity to emerge in this fascinating area of the world and collect your own specimens, then export them. From the rio Amazon to your aquarium, a responsible extraction in legality, thanks to a specialist called Raul Yalan, biologist graduated, expert and exporter of tropical fishes.
The SELVA VIVA (the Alive Forest in Spanish) is a traditional Brazilian wooden boat with a 22 meters long flat bottom, 8 meters wide on three levels and a 1,50-meter draft. It has a 125 horsepower motor (for a cruise’s speed of 6 knots), 4 double and one simple cabins, with a maximal capacity of 18 passengers (including the 7 crew members), a sounder, a GPS and a HF radio (500kms range). Its two aluminum annex boats one of 4 meters long with a maximal capacity of 5 passengers and one of 6,50 meters long with a capacity of 8 passengers are ultra-light and fast, and enter in the smallest rivers. The electrical energy of the boat is provided by 8 solar panels and a wind turbine.
Constructed in the popular Belen’s neighborhood in Iquitos in 2007-2008 with the support of the Audemars-Piguet foundation (Switzerland) and piloted by an experimented Peruvian crew, it spends the rest of the year working on medical and biodiversity’s protection’s missions under the aegis of the French Peruvian development NGO LATITUD SUR.
Its design makes it an open boat, familial, perfectly adapted to a family or a small group journey (10 persons maximum). Its crew (7 members) will give you special attentions. The meals are diversified: you will never eat twice the same food during the cruise. Our Chef will be proud to make you discover the traditional Peruvian food, and will adapt it to everyone’s necessities (Diet, allergy, vegetarian…). Fresh fruit juices and purified water will be available at will on board. You will be settled in one of the simple, double or matrimonial cabins. Every night will be spent aboard the Selva Viva. A bar is open every day and we can add a musical background to the beautiful show that you will find yourself living! All nights are in board unless you prefered pass the night in the deep forest…
Journey description
From D2 to D11 : We propose you a program of 10 days full in different little affluents and rivers of the Napo or Tapiche river (1 different site per day): silty white water , black water acids, clear water springs, oxbows of the Napo , large rivers such as the Tacsha Curaray and Tamboryacu. Some sites are kept secret for their valuable biodiversity and abundance of ornamental fish such as scalar.
Many excursions will be done with the participation of the local communities which will receive you in a spirit of sharing and friendship. In some villages, helping projects to the fish are still going. You will be invited to participate to their social life: fishing with them, walking in forest if you want it, daily activities like the preparation of manioc flour or beer of manion, handcrafts, party night, etc.
The Indians have struggled against the theft of theirs fishing resources the night using dynamite in river, generally organized from Iquitos. They are looking for protect their territories, and your arrival help them to highlight the biodiversity and improve the management of their territories.
DJ12: Breakfast in board and end of the route on the Rio Nanay to the arrival in Iquitos planned around 10 hours. It will be time to leave the boat and to visit the installations of Raul Yalan to let your fishes. You will discover his ponds, aquariums and many tropical fishes. You will settle the exportation of your fishes, knowing that the specimens collected have to be in quarantined at least 2 weeks and obtain the official authorization to leave the territory, the health certificate, essential for the entry in the European Union. Once the details done, transfer at airport.
The program will be adapted according to the season and to the conditions of navigation. Also it can be adapted with you particular interests. It must bypass March-April: period of high waters which makes hard the collection of ornamental fishes.
Tropical fishes information
Ornamental fishes are an economical activity in Iquitos
Indigenous people are collecting fishes for reproduction in Iquitos. You will visit these fish farms in our program before and after the cruise.
You can built your aquariophily cruise, choosing the river, your dates and also participate to an international trip with specialists of diferent nationalities.
Contact us ! iquitos @ latitudsur.org<
Species:
– cichlideas
– tetras (ie neon)
– apistogramas
– pimelodellias
– cat-fishes
– electric anguileas 2m long
– paiche (arapaima), the biggest river fish of the world
– piranhas
– peacock bass (tucunaré)
Iquitos fish farms references :
http://www.neotropicalfauna.com/
http://planetacuario.com/showthread.php?1540-Entrevista-a-Ra%C3%BAl-Yal%C3%A1n-%28Neotropical-fauna%29
http://aquarionanay.canalblog.com/
http://www.aquarium32.com/Articles/Scalaire.htm
http://www.ibcperu.org/doc/isis/10730.pdf
http://www.biotrade.org/ResourcesNewsAssess/DIAGNOSTICO_Paiche_Peces_ornamentales.pdf
Bonus
Fishes of Peru
Ornamental’s Fishes of Peru
Budget
Prices are degressive with the number of persons. Find yourself a group or contact us : you could travel with others specialists from different nationality…
2990 U$D for 4 passengers for 12 days
Maximal capacity : 10 passagers
These prices do not include:
International and national flights
Hotel, transfers to airport and restaurants in Lima
Alcooholic beverages and colas onboard
Personnal purchases like handcrafts and optional tips
Fish exportation
Reservation
Following steps are necessary :
1) Register your personal data form
2) Latitud Sur confirms availability by mail
3) Deposit
4) Latitud Sur confirms receipt of your deposit
Then you have signed up !!!
Just a few more simple steps to complete your file, after which you will then receive the necessary information to best prepare your trip.
We also provide you with tips regarding plane tickets purchasing and send you a roadmap to reach Iquitos / the boat plus more helpful travelling tips.
5) 30 days before the trip: Full payment (minus deposit) is due.
Comfort
Nature
Indian Life
Shamanism
