DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPEDITION PROGRAM
1 day
Arrival of the group in Quito. Transfer to the hotel, accommodation. Relaxation after a long transatlantic flight.
Day 2
Early rise. At 06:00 – transfer from Quito to the town of Shell, located on the outskirts of the evergreen equatorial rainforest of the Amazon. Breakfast on the way. You need to be at the airport by 10:00. Here there will be a meeting with a representative of the Achuar Indians, who will give a briefing. He will talk about the upcoming flight deep into the jungle and the rules that must be followed while staying there. At 11:00 – departure on a small plane to the lodge, located near the confluence of the Capauari River with the Pastaza River. Flight time – 1 hour. At the beginning of the flight, from a height of half a kilometer from the surface of the earth, an unforgettable view of the Ecuadorian Andes and the active Tungurahua volcano opens. And ten minutes later - under the wing of a little Cessna An endless green carpet of virgin tropical forest spreads out. The plane flies for ten, twenty, thirty minutes, but the jungle does not end and runs beyond the horizon as far as the eye can see.
Here comes the decline. Short dirt runway. Could a plane really land here? Unloading. Meeting with Achuar men, transferring to a canoe and traveling along the river to the lodge, which will serve as the permanent base of the expedition. The journey by water takes only 30 minutes. Arrival at the lodge and accommodation. You will immediately be immersed in the life of the Amazon jungle. Far from civilization—it takes two weeks to walk through the jungle to the nearest large settlement—the nature of this amazing region has been preserved in its pristine state. At the same time, in the lodge, located on the lands of the Achuar Indians, the most comfortable conditions have been created for guests. There is filtered water, mineral water, shower, toilet. Even so far from the civilized world, you can use the Internet in the lodge bar.
Lunch at the lodge. After lunch, there is time to sort out your things and begin to get used to the new and unusual environment. Briefing.
In the afternoon, accompanied by Indian guides, the group will take a relaxing first walk through the jungle and along the rocky beaches of the Pastaza River. The guides and the ethnographer accompanying the group will gradually begin to reveal the secrets of the jungle to the expedition participants, talking about the flora and fauna of the tropical forest, as well as the customs and beliefs of one of the most distinctive Indian cultures of the Amazon - the culture of the Achuar Indians - “head hunters”. Sunset will find the group on the banks of a tropical river and through the night tropical forest, bursting with screams, squeaks, trills of cicadas and a chorus of frogs and tree frogs, we will return to the lodge for dinner.
Day 3
Early in the morning, before breakfast, when daytime birds are waking up and night birds have not yet taken refuge for the day, expedition members will have an excellent opportunity to observe dozens of species in the jungle in the immediate vicinity of the lodge and even on its territory.
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, the group, along with Indian guides, will take a short (about 2 hours) walk through the jungle, during which participants will become acquainted with some medicinal plants and how they are used in the traditional culture of the Achuar Indians.
Return to the lodge and lunch. After lunch and rest, the group independently explores the Kapauari River in the vicinity of the lodge and the quiet oxbow lakes connected to the main channel by channels. It is home to many wading bird species, Saimiri monkeys and red howler monkeys, as well as freshwater Amazonian ini dolphins and giant Brazilian otters. The latter always live in families of six to eight animals and try to drive people away from their possessions with drawn-out “throat singing.”
After dinner, the group will again go into the night jungle to observe nocturnal animals and birds.
4 day
Early in the morning on a motor boat (the journey takes about 30 minutes), the group goes to one of the most amazing places in the surrounding jungle - to the “kolpa”, where in the mornings a huge number of different species of parrots gather: Amazons, macaws and others. Here we can watch birds feeding and the relationships between different species of parrots. Here you can take magnificent photographs of this breathtaking spectacle.
The group will return to the lodge for breakfast. And after breakfast, the expedition members will go into the jungle along a radial route. First, you will need to take a canoe to one of the paths leading deep into the tropical forest. Along it we will go deeper into the forest. The jungle that didn't know the axe. From time to time you will have to cross streams and narrow rivers over fallen trees and logs, and sometimes ford. Lunch in the jungle without having to return to the lodge and waste precious time. We will return to the lodge only for dinner. Almost certainly tired, but with a lot of impressions.
After dinner, if we still have strength left after a whole day in the jungle, we will again go deeper into the night jungle. As darkness falls, we will see various species of tropical insects, frogs and tree frogs, which hide from prying eyes during the day. Sometimes they are painted provocatively brightly, others, on the contrary, are masters of camouflage. There are insects that you cannot find on a smooth tree trunk until an Indian literally shows them to you. It turns out that a rather large creature was right in front of your nose - so perfect and absolute is the disguise.
5 day
Early in the morning, as usual before breakfast, the group can again go to the “kolpa” to once again enjoy the amazing spectacle of dozens of feeding parrots and take photographs or, if we limit ourselves to a walk around the outskirts of the lodge and observe forest and waterfowl.
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, back to the jungle with Indian guides who will share new information about traditional medicine and the use of medicinal plants. The list of medicinal plants used in Achuar ethnomedicine reaches several hundred species. Many of them are familiar to ordinary Indians, others and the methods of their use are known only to “uwishin” shamans.
By lunchtime the group returns to the lodge.
After a little rest, we will go to the Achuar Indian village, located not too far from the lodge. There we will get acquainted with the way of life of the Achuar Indians and their daily life. Dinner in the village. We will also spend the night in an Indian village so that early in the morning, long before dawn, we will witness one daily ritual.
Day 6
Early in the morning, still in complete darkness, we will witness the Indians drinking a decoction from the leaves of the guayusa tree. Around 4 o'clock in the morning everyone gathers around the fire and drinks "tea", which has cleansing properties. This is the time of traditional conversations of the Indians, during which they share their dreams with the old people, and they, interpreting them, give recommendations and warnings for the coming day.
Breakfast in an Achuar Indian village and return to the lodge through the jungle. Lunch at the lodge restaurant. After lunch, you can take a kayak ride along the lakes and river, watching birds, animals and other inhabitants of the rainforest.
Dinner at the lodge.
Day 7
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, the group goes to the Kusutkao River. First you have to sail by boat, then go through the jungle. Finally, reaching the Kusutkao River, we will have lunch and take a short rest from crossing the jungle. After lunch, explore the river by kayak, and in the evening return to the lodge for dinner.
After dinner, you can canoe along the river to watch the caimans, or go into the jungle at night along one of the many hunting trails. The main thing is not to get lost.
Day 8
Breakfast at the lodge. After breakfast, the group will go to the Achuar Indian village of Vayusintsa. We will take a boat along the Kapahuari River, then walk for half an hour through the jungle to a beautiful waterfall. The Indians will talk about the key role of waterfalls and the rituals that are of great importance to the Indians. Then we will get to the Indian village, where we will have lunch.
Return to the lodge for dinner.
Day 9
Early in the morning we will visit some places in the vicinity of the lodge where strictly defined species of birds usually stay. For breakfast, return to the lodge. Since today we are returning to the “mainland”, we need to pack our things in advance and wait for the arrival of a light aircraft. There is no exact schedule. More precisely, it exists, but in the event of a thunderstorm or heavy rain, the departure may be delayed for several hours.
The group takes the boat to the airstrip and takes off for Shell. An hour later we unload in the village, which seems simply huge after a week in the jungle. Dinner. Loading into the car and returning to Quito. We check into a hotel and look at the world in a new way. He has changed.
10 day
Breakfast in the hotel. Next we will go on a tour of the historical center of Quito. Spanish colonial architecture, Catholic churches that amaze with their decoration, an observation deck at the monument to the Virgin Mary - we will see all this. After lunch, a trip to the town of Mitad del Mundo, which is located 20 kilometers north of Quito. Visit to the Monument to the Middle of the World. The monument is located on the equator, determined by a French geodetic expedition in the 18th century. Here you can take a short trip around the world and stand with one foot in the northern and the other in the southern hemispheres. Visit to the Museum of the Sun: the equator line, determined by GPS, passes here, and various experiments are carried out to prove the presence of the equator in this place. The museum also introduces visitors to the history of Ecuador and Indian culture. Return to Quito and rest at the hotel.
Day 11
Breakfast in the hotel. Packing fees, transfer to the airport, check-in for the flight and departure to Moscow.
Not long ago, an expedition in the Amazon forests came across a strange flower. He gave off a vaguely familiar smell and moved a little. When one of the forwarders decided to stick his finger there, he realized that the flower was a real vaccine against stress. The flower turned out to be delicate and pleasant to the touch
10 most unusual flowers in the world...
Every day we are used to seeing flowers that have become banal for us, but despite this are incredibly beautiful: daisies, tulips, roses, dandelions, violets, etc. Meanwhile, in different parts of our planet, flowers grow that are so unusual in nature, appearance and adaptability that you simply never cease to be amazed at the flora and fauna!
9. Amorphophallus titanica
Add a description Amorphophallus titanica is the largest tropical flower and has a very foul smell. Its name “amorphophallus” translated from Greek means “shapeless phallus”. This flower has one of the largest inflorescences in the world - it can reach a height of 2.5 m and a width of 1.5 m. Flowering lasts only 2 days. Initially, amorphophallus grew in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. Subsequently, this flower was exterminated by foreigners. Currently, this flower is very rare and can be seen mainly in botanical gardens around the world.
8. Wolfia
Add a description of Wolfia opposite, the smallest flowering plant on Earth. Their size ranges from 0.5 to 0.8 mm. These small flowers live on the surface of the water. It was named after the German botanist and entomologist Johan F. Wolf.
7. Psychotria sublime
Add a description This flower rightfully bears the status of the most piquant flower in the world. People call it “hot sponges” for its bright red inflorescences. Psychotria is a tropical flower that loves moisture and warmth. Therefore, its homeland is the tropical forests of Central and South America.
6. Kalania Orchid
Add a description
This amazing orchid looks like a flying duck. That is why it is called “flying duck”. Nature endowed them with this appearance in order to attract insects called sawflies. To them, the upper part of the flower resembles a female. Thus, when they fly to a flower, they carry pollen on themselves and pollinate the flower. The Kalania orchid is very small and reaches a height of only 50 cm, and the flower itself is 2 cm. There are 2-4 flowers on the stem. It grows in Eastern and Southern Australia, mainly under eucalyptus trees.
5. Sexy orchid
Add a description
Another orchid that deserves the title “unusual” is the “sexy” orchid. Its flower resembles the abdomen of a certain type of wasp. Moreover, she secretes pheromones just like a female wasp. Flowering begins during the mating season of wasps. Males flock to such flowers and try to mate with him. In this way, they transfer the pollen that falls on them from plant to plant. Sexy orchids grow in Australia.
4. African Hydnora
Add a description
3. Passionflower
Add a description
Passionflower, or Passion flower, is a genus of the Passionflower family. There are about 500 species. The flower reaches 10 cm in diameter. It grows mainly in Latin America.
2. Sundew
Add a description
Sundew is a carnivorous plant. Thanks to the mucus droplets they secrete, they catch insects on which they feed. They grow in swamps, sandstones and mountains.
Nepenthes Attenborough
The first place goes to the Nepenthes Attenborough flower. An unusual flower was discovered in 2000, on the island. Palawan by three scientists Stuart McPherson, botanist Alistair Robinson and Filipino scientist Volker Heinrich, who went here on an expedition to collect this flower. They first heard about it from missionaries who had visited the island earlier. On Mount Victoria, scientists discovered huge “jugs” of these flowers. These turned out to be predator flowers that “feed” on rodents. How these flowers were able to survive to this day is unknown. They are now being studied in MacPherson's laboratory.
cocoa
drink from the Amazon forest
Alternative descriptions
In an Aztec legend: a tree that survived the destruction of a garden
Drink made from the fruit of the chocolate tree
Tropical tree seed drink
Nutritious drink
Food product that has a strong stimulating effect on the nervous system
Powder used in cooking
Roman J. Amadou
Tropical tree whose seeds are used to make chocolate
These beans served as money during Montezuma's time.
Japanese from the operetta by Yu. S. Milyutin “The Circus Lights the Lights”
This word is used to describe both the theobroma tree and the product from its seeds.
Raw materials for "Alenka"
Chocolate on the vine
Novel by Brazilian writer J. Amado
Theobroma Seed Powder
chocolate tree
Chocolate ingredient
Beans, chocolate
Drink in the dining room
Chocolate raw materials
Drink at school
Drink like at school
Chocolate drink
Lipstick tree
Bean seed drink
Kindergarten drink
Montezuma beans
“drink - oooh!” in the song
Raw materials for chocolate
Drink
Tree seed drink
Chocolate beans
Chocolate
Chocolate minus sugar
Beans for chocolate
Ghana's export item
The most chocolate drink
Chocolate drink "Nesquik"
"chocolate" on tap
Nutritious brown drink
Chocolate from tropical America
Kinsman coffee
"chocolate" in liquid form
Novel by Jorge Amado
A species of evergreen tree from the genus Theobroma
Nesquick as a drink
A drink well known to children
"Forastero", "National"
chocolate plant
What drink can protect against sunburn?
Hot drink
"liquefied" chocolate
Chocolate base
Type of hot drink
Favorite drink of the Aztecs
Morning drink
“you will also have… with tea”
chocolate tree
Chocolate tree powder tonic drink
Nutritious drink
Evergreen tree of the genus Theobroma
Drink
Roman J. Amadou
Chocolate on the vine
“You will also have… with tea”
“Drink ooooh!” in the song
Nesquik as a drink
"Liquefied" chocolate
"Forastero", "National"
"Chocolate" in liquid form
"Chocolate" on tap
Beans for chocolate and Nesquik
Unsloping. chocolate tree, Theobroma Sasao, and its bean-shaped fruit, from which cocoa drinks and chocolate are prepared. Cocoa, relating to the tree, fruit or drink cocoa. Cocoa tree, chocolate tree, Theobroma sasao tree
Raw materials for "Alenka"
Tropical tree for Nesquik
Chocolate drink
Chocolate tree for Nesquik
Chocolate drink "Nesquik"
Raw materials for chocolate
"nesquik"
"Nesquik"
Tropical tree for "Nesquik"
“Ciao-...” (joking analogue of “Bye!”)
>Lost tourist says monkeys saved him in the Amazon forest
For the first time in many years, a person has become lost in one of the forests of Bolivia. He owes his return to civilization after 9 days to shamans, rangers and monkeys.
25-year-old Maikul Coroceo Acuña from Chile strayed from his group in the Madidi National Park, near the Amazon River basin in Bolivia.
An administration official claims that this is the only such case since 1981, National Geographic reports.
He got lost shortly after the group entered the forest.
After a week of fruitless searches, everyone decided that the young man had died. Poisonous insects and snakes, reptiles, predators, hunger and dehydration - it is almost impossible for an unprepared person to survive independently in the Amazon forest. In addition to the rangers, shamans also took part in the search, who “contacted the Soul” of Maikul and reported that the guy was still alive.
Coroseo showed up just a couple of kilometers from the camp on the ninth day after his disappearance. He was disoriented and exhausted from thirst and hunger. His entire body was covered with multiple bites and cuts. But the tourist’s life was not in danger.
Talking about his adventure, Maikul told how very strange thoughts visited him in the forest and he behaved not quite adequately. As a result, Coroseo, against his better judgment, threw away not only his cell phone, but also his flashlight and shoes.
For a long time he could not find water and food until he met a group of monkeys.
The tourist joined the animals, who dropped fruits from the trees onto the ground and shared water with him. The monkeys also showed Maikul a place to hide.
The shamans believe that Acuña himself is to blame for strangely straying from the group.
The forests are inhabited by Quechua Indians, who believe that many spirits live among the trees - both good and evil. Before visiting the forest, a ritual ceremony should be performed in honor of the Earth Goddess Pachamama, and then nothing will threaten anyone entering the jungle.
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What you have no idea about! Did you know that a significant portion of the world's drinking water is located in the Amazon? This river is the largest in the world in terms of basin area and full flow.
Did you know that the Amazon rainforest is home to the vast majority of the millions of different species of plants and animals that live on our planet? The Amazon is, without exaggeration, the global genetic fund of the Earth!
The Amazon is so huge that tribes still live deep in the jungle and have not made contact with civilization. And this is just a small part of all those unimaginable and amazing things that make the Amazon one of the most unique places on the planet!
The history of the Amazon is no less amazing! There are few things in the world as interesting and intriguing to scientists as the Amazon rainforest. But we will not reveal all our cards at once - everything has its time. Read on, because here are 25 amazing facts about the Amazon that you will be interested to know!
24. Some species of ants living in the Amazon are known for raiding neighboring colonies and taking other ants as slaves.
23. Slovenian ultra-distance swimmer Martin Strel is the first person to swim across the Amazon, swimming 80 kilometers every day. It took him a little over two months.
22. Every year for three weeks, the full moon causes a tidal wave that moves up the Amazon every night. Some surfers manage to ride a wave for more than 10 kilometers.
21. Under the Amazon, at a depth of about 4 kilometers, another river named Hamza flows: it is much wider and just as long.
19. Although numerous expeditions in the past tried to find the ancient cities of the Amazon, which were rumored to be covered in gold, over time, scientists began to doubt that civilization could flourish in such harsh conditions and on such barren soil.
18. Scientists have found evidence of anthropogenic Terra Preta soil covering vast areas of the Amazon. They believe that ancient civilizations covered the ground with this artificial, nutrient-rich soil, allowing them to build cities and practice agriculture.
17. 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke fell deep into the Amazon jungle when the plane she was traveling in crashed. All 91 passengers died, and the girl made her way through the jungle for a week and a half before she managed to reach people.
16. The Amazon is thought to be home to 2.5 million species of insects, and more than half of them are thought to live under leaf canopy.
15. In the Amazon basin there live tribes that have not yet made contact with civilization and some scientists are against contacting them.
14. There is a theory that the Amazon is actually a giant orchard, left over from a civilization that flourished in this area about 3,000 years ago.
13. From the Amazon River, such a large volume of fresh water flows into the Atlantic that it desalinates the salty waters of the ocean for almost 160 kilometers. This vast area is called the Fresh Sea.
12. The mouth of the Amazon River is so wide that its waters, flowing into the Atlantic Ocean, wash the shores of the island of Marajo. Cool, right? The size of this island is approximately equal to the territory of Switzerland.
11. The Amazon once flowed into the Pacific Ocean, but then changed its direction in the opposite direction.
10. In the forests of the Amazon, a microscopic fungus (Pestalotiopsis microspora) was discovered, which, surprisingly, can live by feeding exclusively on plastic, more precisely, polyurethane. Moreover, he can do this even in the absence of oxygen.
9. In terms of water flow, the Amazon River is larger than the next 8 largest rivers on the planet combined.
7. In the waters of the Amazon lives a fish called arapaima weighing about 136 kilograms. It is covered with durable textured scales, the multilayer compositional structure of which allows it to survive surrounded by piranhas.
6. Scientists have found that every year, due to dust storms in the Bodélé Depression, located in the Sahara Desert, 40 tons of dust are transferred across the Atlantic to the Amazon basin every year.
The Amazon River basin is one of the rarest corners of the planet where you can still find virgin tropical forests that have not yet been reached by loggers; tribes of Indians who do not know what metal and plastic are and still make tools from stone; wild animals, including piranhas and tapirs, jaguars and anacondas.
We will go to the east of Peru to the Pacaya Samiria National Park, which lies two days' journey upstream of the Amazon River from the capital of the Peruvian countryside - the city of Iquitos.
Location: Department of Loreto, Peru
Visa: not required
Vaccinations: yellow fever - mandatory, recommended - typhoid, hepatitis A, B, tetanus
Instructors: one instructor-translator of the Wolf School of Survival, one Indian guide
Number of participants: 4-10 people
Expedition program in the Amazon River basin
1st day
We arrive in Lima - the most beautiful Latin American capital. We enjoy Lima for a few hours and head back to the airport.
This time we are flying to Iquitos, a city where no road leads. You can get to Iquitos either by air or by water. There are paved roads here, but practically no cars. Instead, thousands of mopeds and motorcycles rush around here and there, and wooden buses rarely pass by.
We get to the hotel and adapt to the heat of thirty degrees and at the same time to almost 100% humidity. Such a sauna awaits us in the next two weeks.
2nd day
In the morning we will go to the port, from there we will take a speedboat upstream of the Amazon, towards the village of Brittany.
Behind the boat there is yellow, muddy water (since clay is constantly washed away from the surrounding mountains into the Amazon) and river dolphins, every now and then emerging not far from our boat. We will spend the whole day until night in this boat. Once every 4-5 hours, the boat will approach another Indian village, with houses made of palm branches, whose residents will offer us all sorts of food - baked yucca, freshly caught in Amazlnka and fish fried on a fire, bananas.
3rd day
At three o'clock in the morning we will go ashore at an Indian village called Brittany. Next to one of the Indian houses (or rather, a wooden platform on stilts, covered with palm leaves), we will set up our tent camp to fall asleep in a sound, righteous sleep.
In the morning we will definitely take a walk around Brittany, get to know its inhabitants, and go to the village store, where the only TV in the village proudly stands.
On this day we have the last chance to buy those little things that will be useful on the way through the jungle. Further - no shops, no electricity, no civilization.
4th day
In the morning we pack up our tents, load our things into the canoe and cross the Amazon, the river here is a little less than a kilometer wide. The other coast already belongs to the Pacaya-Samiria National Park. We begin to go deeper into the park.
The water outside the canoe is no longer dirty yellow, but transparent black. Before the night, which we will spend at the rangers’ base, we will swim across several swamps with huge, more than a meter in diameter, Victoria Reina water lilies. Flocks of monkeys will jump through the trees on both banks, squealing shrilly. Hundreds of herons of various species fly over the river, large macaw parrots fly overhead from tree to tree.
5th day
During the day of canoeing we will reach another ranger base, the last one on our road into the depths of the wild jungle. After hanging hammocks and mosquito nets, we will relax a bit and go fishing to catch some fish for dinner. The thing we catch the most is piranha; these greedy creatures will peck at any piece of meat or fish.
In the afternoon we will make our first foray on foot into the primary ancient forest, where an ax has never wielded. We will spend some time here to get used to the forest and not flinch at the slightest unknown sound.
6th day
The jungle and water await us ahead. We're going north. We go from the Ucayali River to the Marañon River, which at their confluence form the deepest river on the planet - the Amazon. We will spend most of the journey on water, which covers a significant part of the forest.
However, the water here is not a river, but swamps with many floating islands of grass, algae and driftwood. Encountering such natural fortresses, we will have to cut a path for our canoes with machetes. We will set up camp on the shore, finding a dry place so that we can build a fire.
7th day
During our trek through the jungle, which combines rafting through an overgrown river and swamps and landing on dry islands, we learn a lot about survival in the jungle. We will learn how to find clean drinking water from water-bearing vines here, and it is very important to learn to distinguish such water-bearing vines from their poisonous relatives. We will learn how to build a shelter from palm leaves and much more.
8th day
In hot weather with high humidity, you shouldn’t overexert yourself, so we will move mostly in the morning and evening. Well, in the afternoon our Indian guide will introduce us to the local flora.
In addition to the names and distinctive features of most trees growing in the jungle, we will learn how to distinguish edible fruits from poisonous ones, and about the medicinal properties of plants growing in the tropics.
9th day
The tropical forest is rich not only in flora, but also in fauna. Thousands of species of insects, birds and animals are constantly crawling, flying and swimming around us. Soon we will begin to recognize those who crawl and walk under our feet and those who fly and jump above our heads. We will study the science of recognizing animals by their tracks and calls.
10th day
The Amazon Basin is a world that includes both land and water, the border between them is illusory and constantly changing. That is why the Amazon is inhabited by a lot of reptiles and reptiles. Caimans, snakes, among which there are multi-meter anacondas, small but very poisonous snakes living in the forest floor, and tree snakes - all this diversity will surround us and every day we will have to be careful in order to have time to notice them and not be too close to him.
11th day
This day we will enjoy life on the shore of a forest lake, blown by a fresh breeze that drives away annoying, unbearable mosquitoes. We will relax by the fire and fish. And at night we’ll go looking for those animals that you won’t see during the day. These include caimans and anacondas, which we will track on the water surface by the orange reflection of their eyes in the rays of flashlights; and tapirs moving along the same paths from roosting to feeding areas.
12th day
Today, after long days of travel, we will reach an Indian village located in the wilds of the national park. Echoes of civilization have reached here in the form of metal axes and machetes, but the houses in the village and the way of life of the local residents are no different from the life of their ancestors who inhabited the Amazon jungle thousands of years before the whites came here.
We will spend the night on the outskirts of the village, in our camp.
13th day
Today we are studying orienteering. We must understand where local rivers flow and how they can be used to get to a village or hunting camp. We need to learn to build a plan for the movement of our group in our heads, and it is very important to learn to determine the cardinal directions. We must understand that most of the paths in the jungle are made by animals, not by humans, and walking along them will lead us not to housing, but to a lair.
14th day
It won't be long until we reach civilization. But here you may suddenly have a question - do I need to return to it..?
This day is the last chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat. Perhaps we will finally be lucky and see an anaconda, caiman or tapir, and maybe even a jaguar. For all these wild animals, “civilization” threatens complete extinction.
15th day
Enter an Indian village on the banks of the Marañon River. Now we even like their meager, rustic life, and we happily eat the already familiar dishes of fried plantain bananas. fish and yucca.
We will take a speedboat to the town of Nauta. We will spend the night in a wooden lodge, in the middle of the “civilized” jungle. Here we can take a shower and see white tourists heading out into the jungle for the exotic for a day or two.
16th day
From Nauta we drive along the highway to Iquitos, and then to the airport, from where we fly to Lima. During the flight to Russia, our experiences in the virgin forests of the Amazon will appear again and again before our eyes.
Meals during an expedition in the Amazon jungle:
- from products provided by the School and distributed in the backpacks of the participants;
- from fish, game, edible plants obtained along the expedition route.
Equipment: backpack, hammock, mosquito net, 5mm rope 15 meters, durable clothes and shoes, headdress with mosquito net, mat, five-point bar, camp knife, machete, spoon, bowl, mosquito repellent, flask or plastic bottle, personal hygiene items, personal first aid kit, compass.
Useful things for travelers
Europeans learned about the lost city of El Dorado from the Indians almost immediately after they arrived in the New World. Conquistador Francisco de Orellano was the first to go in search of this legendary place. Later, many other lovers of Indian treasures searched for Eldorado. However, the city has not revealed its secret to anyone until now.
The search for the ancient city by the conquistadors thus ended in failure. However, not only gold hunters, but also scientists became interested in the ancient legend. At the same time, the most famous representative of the scientific world who devoted his life to the search for El Dorado was surveyor Percy Fawcett. Deliberately not using the word “Eldorado,” which by that time had already discredited itself, the English colonel called the mysterious Indian city “City Z.”
Percy Fawcett, who later became the prototype for the well-known fictional character Indiana Jones, was born in 1867. The adventures of this explorer in the last century became literally a legend. Colonel Fawcett ventured through the dangerous jungle with little more than a compass and map. The scientist also easily found a common language with tribes who had never seen a white man before. Fawcett's life was subsequently described in many books, and his adventures were immortalized in Hollywood films.
Where it all started
The Amazon wilderness in Colonel Fawcett's time was one of the last areas on the planet virtually unexplored by man. These were huge regions, the area of which can be compared with the territory of the modern United States.
In 1906, Percy Fawcett was sent to South America by the Royal Geographical Society of Great Britain in order to survey one of the sections of the border between Brazil and Bolivia. Carrying out this task, the scientist spent about 18 months in the jungle in the Mato Grosso region. It is believed that it was at this time that the colonel became obsessed with the idea of searching for lost civilizations in the Amazon region.
Mysterious city
Colonel Fawcett, of course, knew the legends of the conquistadors about the rich Eldorado. Traveling through the jungles of the New World, the researcher heard, for example, about a secret city in the Chilean Andes, buried in the forest, the roofs of which were “made of gold” and the streets were “paved with silver.”
However, Fawcett's belief in the existence of the city of Z was based not only on legends. Among other things, this researcher even formulated his own “Z” theory, which to some extent claims to be scientific.
The scientist was partly convinced of the existence of the ancient city by the discovery in 1911 of the Incan city of Machu Picchu in Peru in the Andes. In 1920, the researcher came across an ancient manuscript called “Manuscript 512”. This document was kept in the National Library of Rio de Janeiro and was written by one of the Portuguese travelers in 1753.
In the manuscript, the author described a “silver” city that he found in the Amazon forests, in the Mato Grosso region. In the Indian settlement discovered by the traveler, the houses were supposedly multi-story, and the streets were much wider than even in large European cities. The ancient researcher also reported that letters similar to Greek were engraved on the facades of buildings in the city he found. In addition, on the river located near the settlement, he allegedly saw two white Indians in a canoe.
First two expeditions
For the first time, Colonel Fawcett went in search of the lost city of Z in the Amazon forests located in Brazil in 1921. Unfortunately, this first expedition failed. The constant danger of attack by wild animals, tropical diseases and fear of local tribes forced the explorers to return home.
However, being a purposeful man, Colonel Fawcett did not despair and in the same year he again went in search of the city of Z, leaving the Brazilian Bai, this time alone. This second expedition also did not bring any results to the researcher.
The Disappearance of Percy Fawcett
The third and last expedition of the English scientist ended in tragedy. This time, Percy Fawcett invited his 21-year-old son and a friend to search for City Z. The group that moved into the jungle in April 1925 was never seen again. Colonel Fawcett himself, his son and a friend, family acquaintance Raleigh Rimell and two Brazilian workers disappeared without a trace.
Did the colonel remain in city Z?
Most likely, Fossett and his group, of course, simply died in the jungle. However, some mystery lovers believe that the colonel and his comrades actually found Eldorado and simply decided not to return home. Such myths are based on a very real fact. The fact is that in his last letter to his wife, Colonel Fawcett said that he was in the jungle in a place whose coordinates looked like this: 11°43′S 54°35′W. However, at the same time, news came from the researcher to the North American Newspaper Alliance. Fawcett informed scientists that it is currently located at a location with coordinates 13°43′S 54°35′W.
Some researchers, therefore, believe that the famous traveler deliberately introduced confusion into his messages. Moreover, he did this so that search expeditions would never find him in the future.
However, there is also very real evidence of the fate that befell Colonel Fawcett’s group in the jungle. Representatives of the Kalapalo tribe in 2005 told archaeologist David Grann the story of the death of his expedition. Representatives of this nation allegedly warned the colonel that he and his comrades were in very dangerous territory, since a bloodthirsty tribe lived nearby that killed strangers.
Five days after meeting with the Kalapalo researchers, they were unable to find the aliens in their camp. From this, the Indians concluded that Fawcett and his group were finally found and killed by their warlike neighbors.
Is it possible to find city Z using modern technology?
The most famous of the recently discovered ancient Indian cities that claim the “title” of City Z is Kuhikugu. This ancient settlement was recently discovered in Brazil near the site of the disappearance of Colonel Fawcett's expedition.
At the moment, there is, unfortunately, very little information about this city on the Internet. And of course, it is not yet clear whether this abandoned settlement can be the legendary Eldorado. Of course, many other forgotten Indian cities and villages can lay claim to the title of the lost city of Z.
It is also quite possible that scientists will soon discover new, previously unexplored cities, still hidden in the jungle. The fact is that recently specialists have developed several innovative technologies that make it possible to search for ancient settlements with greater efficiency than before.
For example, modern laser scanners, which are also used by archaeologists, are capable of taking images of an area with vegetation filtered. By simultaneously using such means as geomagnetic surveying and electrical prospecting, scientists are able to accurately determine the location of hidden objects.