Posada Amazonas Pack For A Purpose

Pack with a purpose for Posada Amazonas

LIMA, Peru, Nov. 19, 2012 – Posada Amazonas Lodge, one of three accommodations under the directive of Peru’s visionary leader in sustainable tourism, Rainforest Expeditions http://www.perunature.com/, has partnered with Pack for a Purpose that encourages travelers to carry with them five pounds of school or medical supplies that can make a difference to communities they’re visiting www.packforapurpose.org.

Rainforest Expeditions’ team has identified needs of its local community of the indigenous Ese’eja of Infierno who own this lodge that is located within a communal reserve. Some 170 native and ribereño families (second or third generation settlers) work and profit from this 30-room eco-lodge, wellness and holistic center.

“Because we partner on a daily basis with this 500-person community, we know intimately the academic challenges and shortcomings faced by its 65 children between the ages of 6 and 14,” said Rainforest Expeditions’ spokesperson Jeff Cremer. He said that community schools welcome computer equipment, pens, pencils, pencil sharpeners, rulers, English teaching books, English/Spanish dictionaries, software, ecology-focused teaching aids and playground equipment along with puzzles, rubber balls, crayons, modeling clay and colored pencils. For a full list of needed items see: http://www.packforapurpose.org/docs/countries/peru/posada-amazonas.shtml

Cremer encouraged travelers to the region to first visit the website or email Rainforest Expeditions for specific needs that also include clothing and shoes plus medical supplies for the Native Community of Infierno Clinic. Most items are easily found in hometown pharmacies and discount stores. Five pounds equates to 400 pencils, or five deflated soccer balls with an inflation device or a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff and 500 band-aids.

Posada Amazonas (http://www.perunature.com/posada-amazonas.html) is a remote, comfortable lodge in the Madre de Dios region of southeastern Peru, teeming with monkeys and more than 850 species of birds. In biodiversity-rich surroundings, The Rainforest Alliance Verified™ lodge hires from within the community, and sources locally produced goods whenever possible. Since joining Rainforest Alliance’s verification program, the lodge has implemented a biodegradable sanitation system, reduced air and water pollution by purchasing eco-friendly boats, improved waste management and conducted extensive training in sustainable management.

A common area at the lodge includes a hammock lounge, dining area, a meeting room and a bar. A 30-meter Canopy Tower offers views of the vast expanses of standing forest and nearby Tambopata River. Resident are toucans, parrots and macaws; hoatzin, caiman and horned screamers. From a catamaran on Lake Tres guests are treated to sightings of a family of Giant River Otters. Activities include walking an ethno botanical trail, visiting a working vegetable farm, community visits, kayaking and mountain biking.

Rainforest Expeditions

(http://www.perunature.com/) is a Peruvian ecotourism company that shares with visitors in a sustainable manner the miracles of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, 1.5 million hectares of pristine, still wild, tropical rainforest encompassing an area of land the size of Connecticut and stretching from the Andean highlands to the Amazon lowlands. It includes the Tambopata National Reserve, a 275,000-hectare conservation unit created by the Peruvian government in 1990 to protect the watersheds of the Tambopata and Candamo rivers. Conservation and ecotourism is helping to protect some of the last untouched lowland and premontane tropical humid forests in the Amazon.

Since 1989, guests of first one and now three Rainforest Expedition eco-lodges have added value to the region’s standing tropical rainforest. A sensitively conceived and managed (in some cases by native communities) touristic infrastructure creates a competitive alternative to such unsustainable economic uses as clear cutting the forest for timber or for cattle grazing. The partnerships Rainforest Expeditions has forged with local people eager to share Amazonian traditions with guests provide connection, expertise, adventure and access to wildlife in the jungles of Tambopata. Rainforest Expeditions has been verified and certified “a sustainable tourism business” by the Rainforest Alliance http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/.

Rainforest Expeditions’ string of three jungle lodges is accessed from Puerto Maldonado airport with flights arriving daily from Lima or Cusco. Motorized wooden canoes then take guests on a 45-minute trip to the first lodge, Posada Amazonas. Refugio Amazonas, the second lodge, is a 3.5-hour boat trip from Puerto Maldonado. The third and most remote is Tambopata Research Center, requiring a 4-hour additional upriver boat ride from Refugio Amazonas.  Each lodge is only a few minutes on foot from the river bank.  See: http://www.perunature.com/tambopata-jungle-lodges-puerto-maldonado.html.

16 Gigapixel Machu Picchu Photo Sponsored By Rainforest Expeditions

Photography tour guide for Peru’s Rainforest Expeditions Captures the Highest Resolution Photo Ever Taken of Machu Picchu

LIMA, Peru, Nov. 14, 2012 – Peru’s visionary leader in sustainable tourism, Rainforest Expeditions http://www.perunature.com/, recently sent its photo tour director Jeff Cremer away for some rest and recreation. Cremer returned with what he believes may well be the highest resolution (15.9 gigapixels) photo of Machu Picchu ever taken.

The unprecedented image has been made available to the public on a special web page http://www.gigapixelperu.com. Users can explore the remarkable detail of the photo by zooming in and out of the image.  Individual snapshots may also be taken from within the image.

A behind the scenes video on the taking of the photo was created by Destin Sandlin of the YouTube channel Smarter Every Day. See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfLH5_RWZH4&feature=plcp

Cremer’s work was partially assisted with professional equipment regularly used in photography tours based from Rainforest Expeditions’ three eco-lodges deep in the Peruvian Amazon. Cremer used a Canon 7D with a 100-400mm f/5.6 lens and a Gigapan Epic Pro mount and Gitzo Basalt Explorer tripod.

The photo consists of 1920 separate images recorded by a photo-robot in 1 hour and 42 minutes. To stitch the image together a 2.67Ghz Hexacore MacPro with 32GB Ram and an OCZ 960GB RevoDrive was used. Render time was 1.5 hours. The final resolution of the image is 297,500 x 87,500 pixels or 15.9 gigapixels.

Oversize prints can be ordered at:http://www.gigapixelperu.com/Prints.html.

“Machu Picchu is one of the Seven Man-Made Wonders of the World and the most familiar icon of the ancient Inca,” explains Cremer when asked about his destination choice for the photo. “In 2008, the World Monuments Fund placed it on its Watch List of the 100 Most Endangered Sites in the world due to environmental degradation mostly from tourism. Beautiful, historical and threatened, I believed that this extraordinary site deserved a remarkable photo to hopefully raise awareness and help in its preservation.”

When not applying his craft elsewhere with the same state-of-art, professional-quality cameras, lenses, tripods and flash available for guests to use on Rainforest Expedition Nature Photograph Tours, Cremer arranges and leads 7-day/6-night photo tours from eco-lodges perched along the wild Tambopata River in the Peruvian Amazon. Shorter 5-day programs are also available. All of these tours have been specifically designed to let clients experience what it is like to be a National Geographic wildlife photographer. See: http://www.perunature.com/amazon-rainforest-photography-tours-photo-workshops.html.

While in the field participants may try out the latest high tech gear including Canon 600mm f/4 lenses, carbon fiber tripods, specialized macro lenses that can photograph in startling clarity the eyes of an ant, and robotic panorama cameras that can make photos of over 100 gigapixels. In addition to camera usage, workshops include topics on Photoshop, photography and ethics, the psychology of beauty and technical presentations on how digital cameras work. For a sampling of equipment for use see: http://www.perunature.com/wildlife-photography-equipment.html

Rainforest Expeditions’ lodges are accessed from Puerto Maldonado airport arriving from Lima or Cusco on daily commercial flights lasting 45 or 90 minutes respectively. A bus transports guests to the Infierno River Port to board motorized wooden canoes for a 45-minute trip to the first lodge, Posada Amazonas. Refugio Amazonas, the second lodge, is a 3.5-hour boat trip after departing the bus. The third and most remote is Tambopata Research Center, requiring a 4-hour additional upriver boat ride from Refugio Amazonas.  Each lodge is only a few minutes on foot from the river bank.  See:http://www.perunature.com/tambopata-jungle-lodges-puerto-maldonado.html

About Rainforest Expeditions

Rainforest Expeditions (http://www.perunature.com/) is a recipient of The Rainforest Alliance 2012 Sustainable Standard-Setter award. This Peruvian ecotourism company shares with visitors in a sustainable manner the miracles of the Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone, 1.5 million hectares of pristine, still wild, tropical rainforest encompassing an area of land the size of Connecticut and stretching from the Andean highlands to the Amazon lowlands. It includes the Tambopata National Reserve, a 275,000-hectare conservation unit created by the Peruvian government in 1990 to protect the watersheds of the Tambopata and Candamo rivers. Conservation and ecotourism is helping to protect some of the last untouched lowland and premontane tropical humid forests in the Amazon.

Since 1989, guests of first one and now three Rainforest Expedition eco-lodges have added value to the region’s standing tropical rainforest. A sensitively conceived and managed (in some cases by native communities) touristic infrastructure creates a competitive alternative to such unsustainable economic uses as clear cutting the forest for timber or for cattle grazing. The partnerships Rainforest Expeditions has forged with local people eager to share Amazonian traditions with guests provide connection, expertise, adventure and access to wildlife in the jungles of Tambopata. Rainforest Expeditions has been verified and certified “a sustainable tourism business” by the Rainforest Alliance http://www.rainforest-alliance.org/.

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Related articles

• Shooting the Highest-Resolution Photo Ever Made of Machu Picchu (petapixel.com)
• Machu Picchu gets the gigapixel treatment, historic site shown in stunning detail (digitaltrends.com)
• Machu Picchu: The world's highest resolution image released (telegraph.co.uk)
• Machu Picchu captured in highest ever resolution: Zoomable picture of Inca citadel allows viewers to see it in impressive detail (dailymail.co.uk)

The Caracaras of Tambopata

Caracaras

Adult Caracara

Caracaras are rather large birds of prey that occur in grasslands, dry forest, and rainforests from southern Texas south through Central and South America to Tierra del Fuego. The origin of their name comes from the Tupi language of Brazil and may be related to the sound made by the Yellow-headed Caracara. Two to three species are found in most parts of the Amazon rainforest and in Tambopata, Peru, four species of caracaras occur. The Red-throated Caracara frequents the rainforest canopy, and the Black, Yellow-headed, and the Southern Crested Caracara occur along rivers and in open habitats. Most guests of Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, and the Tambopata Research Center see one or more species of these noisy, conspicuous raptors during their stay.

In the Amazon rainforest, the two most common caracara species are the Black and the Red-throated. The Black is often seen along rivers and in clearings and other open habitats while the Red-throated is found in primary rainforest. The species that occur in Tambopata, Peru all have fairly long wings and tails, and bare skin on the face. The Yellow-headed and Southern Crested Caracaras have large pale patches on their wings and the base of the tail.

Juvenile Caracara

Caracaras are pretty common in most of their range. Although Yellow-headed and Southern Crested Caracaras are easily seen in other parts of their range, these open country birds are very uncommon in Tambopata and occasionally seen along the Tambopata River or in farmlands. The Black and Red-throated Caracaras are the species that are typically seen around rainforest eco-lodges such as Refugio Amazonas and are commonly found on rainforest hikes or during boat rides on the river.

Some interesting facts about caracaras:

• Odd falcons: Caracaras actually belong to the same family as the falcons. Unlike the Peregrine Falcon and kestrels, caracaras have broader, less pointed wings and don’t catch their prey after hovering or a swift dive from the air. Most species scavenge for carrion and small animals along rivers, beaches, and other open habitats.



Adult Caracara

• A wasp specialist: The Red-throated Caracara is one of the strangest raptors to occur in the rainforests of Tambopata. Unlike other raptors in the Amazon, it occurs in family groups of four or five birds (and sometimes more) and makes harsh calls that can sound a bit like a macaw. It also appears to be a specialist that feeds on wasp larvae, flying termites, and other insects. Although it is still common in the Amazon jungle, it may need large areas of rainforest to survive as it has disappeared from all but the largest tracts of rainforest in Central America.

How to see caracaras during a jungle tour in the Peruvian Amazon:

• Watch for these conspicuous raptors when traveling by boat: Most boat rides on the river turn up sightings of one or more Black Caracara. They are usually seen in flight and can be separated from vultures by their orange face, white at the base of the tail, and flying with floppy wing beats. Red-throated Caracaras are sometimes also seen as they fly across the river but are more commonly encountered on jungle hikes or visits to oxbow lakes. Canopy towers are also excellent places to see caracaras as they fly over the green roof of the jungle and perch in tall snags.

• Go birding with a guide: Although these large, noisy raptors are pretty easy to see on your own, a guide can help identify them or even bring them closer with an imitation of their calls.

Visit the Peruvian jungle with Rainforest Expeditions to see caracaras and other large raptors along with many other interesting Amazonian birds.