ESOTERIC TOUR: Brief Description of the Ayahuasca Ceremony
The ceremony starts at 10:00 pm. and is directed by a master shaman, all the participants will be seated in a circle.
The special place built and designed for this ceremony will be semi-dark and quiet. The shaman will explain the ritual. He starts the ceremony “ICARANDO”(blowing Mapacho cigar smoke on the ayahuasca brew) asking for permission to the almighty and spirits of the plants to start the ritual.
After 20-30 minutes of drinking the ayahuasca brew the participants will start feeling its hallucinogenic that last for approximately 2 ½ to 3 hours. Program: Mystic 300
SPORT FISHING
Amazon River Espeditions , invites you fishing at the Amazon River its tributaries and lagoons and live with us the experience of fishing the Peacock bass (cichla ocellaris) a fighter and a dare for any fisherman, the piranhas of red chest, the zúngaros (family of the big catfishes), among other fishes. It will be a pleasure for you fisherman take a valuable photo with the specie fished that will fill your expectations and then return it to its habitat.
We offer sport fishing program designed specially for experienced or not experienced fishermen of all parts of the world and to develop our program we will departure from Heliconia Lodge in comfortable crafts completely equipped with fishing rod, fly, spinning, trolling leaders of nylon and other accessories for a successful fishing day in the different lagoons and places where our expert guide know very well.
Recommended Fishing Season: Dry Season from July to November.
Fishing equipment rent: In case you can not bring your own fishing equipment, the rent is US$ 100.00 per person.
BIRDWATCHING
Birdwatching as practice of continuous tourism and showing our interest in supporting the conservation, contributing with local communities and preserving birds habitat, has committed us to design two programs that will be for the birdwatchers a great and marvelous experience.
One of this program of 3 days 2 nights includes only the visit to National Reserve Allpahuayo Mishana. It has 57,600 hectares and is at only 20 kms. from Iquitos, it is known by its high levels of biodiversity and the most extensive concentration of forest that grows over white sand known locally as “varillales”. In Allpahuayo-Mishana, 480 species of birds has been registered until now, more that half dozen of them are considered to be specialist of white sand forests and only live in this type of habitat. The bird symbol of Iquitos points out over the other ones, it is the Iquitos Gnatcatcher (Polioptila Clementsi) known as the little pearl of Iquitos, besides we have the Hormiguerito de Gentry (Herpsilochmus gentryi), Tiranuelo de Mishana (Zimmerius villarejoi), Hormiguero de Allpahuayo (Percnostola arenarum), Hormiguero de Zimmer (Myrmeciza castanea centuculorum), the Cotinga Pompadour (Xipholena punicea) and the Saltarín of Varillal (Neopelma chrysocephalum).
The program of 5 days 4 nights combines a visit to Allpahuayo Mishana Reserve with visits to the Islands of Amazonas River, specifically to the zone of Yanamono, 80 kms. far from the city of Iquitos. In places like Hondococha (island in front of Heliconia Lodge), Caño Cáceres, Quebrada Manco and the surroundings of Heliconia Lodge 150 species of birds has been registered like birds varzea species being this one of the most important concerning species to observe, particularly in species easy to observe as: Festive Parrot (Amazona festiva), Black-collared Hawk ( Busarellus nigricollis), White-eared Jacamar (Galbalcyrhynchus leucotis) , Plum-throated Cotinga (Cotinga maynana), Hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoatzin), Cinnamon Attila (Attila cinnamomeus).
Regarding birds of dry land, thanks to a series of roads and bridges located in the lands of Heliconia Lodge, you will be able to observe typical birds as: Yellow-rumped Cacique (Cacicas cela), White-winged Becard (Pachyramphus polychopterus), Silver-beak Tanager (Ramphocelus Carbo), Masked-crimson Manager (Ramphocelus nigrogularis), Blue-crowned Manakin (Pipra coronata), Golden-headed Manakin (Pipra erythrocephala), Striped Manakin (Machaeropterus regulus). The Chesnut-crowned Becard (Pachyramphus castaneus), a little weird species and located only in the Amazonia, has been registered as well in the surroundings of Heliconia Lodge.
