{"id":237,"date":"2010-03-16T20:13:27","date_gmt":"2010-03-17T00:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/?p=237"},"modified":"2010-10-04T19:48:51","modified_gmt":"2010-10-04T23:48:51","slug":"trip-review-heath-river-wildlife-center-perubolivia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/2010\/03\/16\/trip-review-heath-river-wildlife-center-perubolivia\/","title":{"rendered":"Trip Review: Heath River Wildlife Center Peru\/Bolivia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

One of my goals for this blog was to provide information on collecting trips and overviews of the facilities that I visit, specifically for entomologists. Finding information on research stations, habitats and the logistics of getting to and from these places is often hard to find, and are often birding reports, which are useful, especially for those that like to look at things that possess less than 6 legs, but don’t reflect the conditions that many entomologists are looking for. With that in mind, this will be the first of (hopefully) many trip reports\/reviews that I plan to provide!<\/p>\n

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In the spring of 2007 I traveled to the Amazonian region of Peru and Bolivia with the University of Guelph Field Entomology course. We flew out of Toronto, Ontario, stopping in Houston, Texas to change planes and eventually landed in Lima, Peru.<\/p>\n

All of our arrangements in Peru were taken care of by Inka Natura Travel<\/a>, who also provided 3 experienced guides. The guides were very knowledgeable of the bird fauna, and were eager to learn more about the insects of the region. Although I didn’t deal directly with Inka Natura, they seemed to do a good job for us while we were in country with no delays and excellent accomodations in Lima and Puerto Maldonado.<\/p>\n

After spending the night in a nice hotel in Lima (I’ve forgotten the hotel name, I didn’t keep as detailed notes for this trip as I did for my subsequent trips) we departed for Puerto Maldonado on a regional jet, quickly stopping in Cuzco (the jumping off point for Machu Pichu<\/a>) to let some people off the plane. We arrived in Puerto Maldonado just before lunch and were quickly escorted to the river where we got into long, covered river boats for our journey into the depths of the Amazon!<\/p>\n

\"River<\/a>(Click on photos to view larger)<\/h6>\n

The boats were relatively comfortable (which was good as we were in them for a total of 12 hours<\/span> ~5 hrs going in and 12 hours<\/span> ~5 hrs coming out) and allowed for everyone to observe the local fauna along the river’s edge.<\/p>\n

Because we arrived partway through the day, we spent the first night in a lodge situated on an oxbow lake about 3 hours outside of Puerto Maldonado called Sandoval Lake Lodge<\/a>. This was a very nice, upscale lodge with all the amenities including hot water, wet bar, gift shop, excellent food, and well maintained trail network. The downside? It took more than an hours hiking through DEEP mud to get from the river to the lake.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

It was worth it though as the habitat was fantastic and there was plenty of wildlife!<\/p>\n

\"Oxbow<\/a><\/p>\n

The next day we departed for Heath River Wildlife Center<\/a> (HRWC) (12\u00b0 40′ S, 68\u00b0 42′ W) and spent most of the day on the water. HRWC is on the Bolivian side of the river, so you’ll stop at a customs shack along the river. Our guides dealt with the customs agents for us, and we were only delayed for a half hour or so. There is a “washroom” at the shack, and although not the highest class, it was suitable after a long day in a boat! We arrived at HRWC in the mid afternoon, after about 6 or 7 hours on the river.<\/p>\n

\"Thatched<\/a><\/p>\n

The lodge itself is located directly on the river with easy access to the sandy shore if you’re interested in skimming for aquatic insects (the water level is extremely variable and changes rapidly however, so be careful). Depending on water level, there was a sandy beach on the Peruvian side of the river where the lodge staff would play soccer and where there may be a chance to look for sand-associated insects.<\/p>\n

Continuing with habitat, there was an excellent network of trails that were all very well maintained and which traversed a diversity of regions in the area. In addition, there are a number of clay licks in the area and blinds that allow for people to sleep over and observe birds and mammals over the course of the night. The rainforest habitat was excellent and both the vertebrate and invertebrate fauna was diverse and found everywhere you looked (see my earlier posts on the insects and verts from this trip for examples). The guides and staff were very accommodating with our group and our collecting habits, and were interested in learning about the insects that we brought back.<\/p>\n

\"Hand<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Students<\/a><\/p>\n

Although a bit of a hike (~1 hr), HRWC features access to a unique habitat that you might not expect to find in the middle of the Amazon, the pampas. Although appearing very similar to the grasslands of Africa, it was actually quite wet and muddy. Because of the hike and the fact that it gets extremely hot during the mid-day sun, we didn’t spend much time on the pampas, and the only insect activity I saw during the early morning visit I made were honeybees and some syrphids, but I suspect this could be a very interesting location to place malaise and pan traps. There is also an observation platform in one of the few trees, allowing good views in all directions. Thanks to Adam Brunke for the pampas photos.<\/p>\n

\"People<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Pampas<\/a><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Observation<\/a><\/p>\n

So there is plenty of excellent habitat to spend your days in, but what about living conditions? HRWC is not a research station but rather an eco-lodge, so the accommodations and amenities are excellent:<\/p>\n

Private screened-in cabins with 2-3 comfortable, high-quality beds including mosquito netting and 3 piece bathroom with hot water<\/p>\n

\"Thatched<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a>\"Two<\/a><\/p>\n

\"3<\/a><\/p>\n

Large screened-in dinner hall with sitting area and full bar service<\/p>\n

\"Thatched<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Dining<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Screened<\/a><\/p>\n

Screened-in hammock cabana<\/p>\n

\"Thatched<\/a><\/p>\n

The food and service at the lodge was excellent, if not a bit repetitive after 2 weeks (roasted chicken and rice was the main dinner feature, although they did accommodate vegetarians and people with specific dietary restrictions). The staff was willing to pack breakfasts and lunches if you anticipated being in the field for the day as long as you requested it the night before, and the waiter provided excellent service. Cold, bottled water was available 24 hours a day, as were fresh fruit and packaged snack foods. I must note that the banana-leaf wrapped lunch that we were provided on the boat ride from Puerto Maldonado resulted in more than 75% of the class developing a bad case of food poisoning that caused 2-3 days of uncomfortable and frequent washroom visits, but this was the only time where food was an issue.<\/p>\n

The HRWC is powered by generators during the morning and evenings until 11 or so, allowing for plenty of time to charge batteries, laptops, etc. The lodge had intermittent radio contact with Puerto Maldonado, but it was far from reliable it seemed, resulting in essentially no contact with the outside world. Keep this and the 12 hour<\/span> ~5 hr boat ride out in mind if you consider yourself a medical risk.\u00a0 Unfortunately we blew our halogen bulb the first night out (I think it was 220V on the outside outlets, although they had North American standard power bars in the dining hall for charging purposes), but I’m sure that they would be willing to keep the generators running a little later if asked. HRWC is extremely remote with very little to no light pollution, so I would expect night lighting to work extremely well.<\/p>\n

\"Milky<\/a><\/p>\n

Finally, we were in the jungle from April 28 until May 11 and experienced almost perfect weather the entire trip. Being in the southern hemisphere, it was the tail end of the summer rainy season, and I can only remember it raining for a few hours on one or two afternoons. Day time highs were likely in the 30\u00b0C range with nearly 100% humidity most days. Unfortunately, 2 or 3 days before we left, a large cold front entered the region and dramatically changed the weather! Day time highs were extremely low, feeling around 15\u00b0C perhaps, and with 100% humidity still, causing some chilly days and nights and a complete drop off in insect activity. Despite the chilly ending, I couldn’t ask for better weather!<\/p>\n

Overall I would highly recommend the Heath River Wildlife Center, both as a vacation spot and a destination for insect collecting and I would love to go back some day!<\/p>\n

\n
Habitat: 10\/10 <\/strong>– diverse habitats, easily accessible, pristine environments<\/h5>\n
Insect Fauna: 10\/10<\/strong> – excellent diversity, new species found (see earlier posts for examples)<\/h5>\n
Vertebrate Fauna: 10\/10<\/strong> – many large, rare mammals seen, excellent bird diversity, comfortable blinds for observing wildlife<\/h5>\n
Accommodations: 10\/10<\/strong> – comfortable, roomy, space to work and play<\/h5>\n
Food: 8\/10<\/strong> – good quality food, clean water, vegetarian option, small selection, excellent fresh fruit<\/h5>\n
Service: 9\/10<\/strong> – clean rooms, excellent wait service, excellent and knowledgeable guides, fair understanding of English<\/h5>\n
Travel to get there: 9\/10<\/strong> – simple flights, excellent hotels, safe areas, amazing boat trip into lodge<\/h5>\n
OVERALL: 10\/10 Highly recommended<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/blockquote>\n
<\/address>\n

Links to my photos from the trip:<\/p>\n

Vertebrates including macaws, jaguar, and amphibians and reptiles<\/a><\/p>\n

Spiders, dragonflies and Orthoptera<\/a><\/p>\n

True bugs (Hemiptera)<\/a><\/p>\n

Beetles (Coleoptera)<\/a><\/p>\n

Bees and Wasps (Hymenoptera)<\/a><\/p>\n

Flies (Diptera) – Part 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Flies (Diptera) – Part 2<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/address>\n
Do you have a trip report from a recent collecting trip and wish to share it with others? Feel free to contact me and write up a guest post to help other researchers get the most out of their travel dollars!<\/span><\/address>\n
<\/address>\n

EDIT May 7 2010: After further reflection thanks to commentators below, I realized I had over-estimated the boat ride in & out, which in fact are closer to 5hrs each way. Sorry for any confusion my memory may have caused! Also, I’ve added links to the posts which highlight the photos I took on the trip.<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of my goals for this blog was to provide information on collecting trips and overviews of the facilities that I visit, specifically for entomologists. Finding information on research stations, habitats and the logistics of getting to and from these places is often hard to find, and are often birding reports, which are useful, especially […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,71,22,72],"tags":[20,25,73,74],"class_list":["post-237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entomology","category-review","category-travel","category-trip-report","tag-amazon","tag-bolivia","tag-peru","tag-rainforest","category-4-id","category-71-id","category-22-id","category-72-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":280,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237\/revisions\/280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.biodiversityinfocus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}