Comments

In my opinion, Shiripuno is the best place to combine with a visit to one of the well-known Napo River lodges. It has a good number of birds not occurring further North and many others that are much easier to sight.

Josep del Hoyo
Editor of the Handbook of Birds of the World

Shiripuno has all the elements I enjoy in an Amazonian setting: species that are wild and protected, like White-lipped Peccary, Harpy Eagle, and Spider Monkey; remote forests and a river that remains unspoiled by sounds of bulldozers, chainsaws, and helicopters; miles and miles of very good trails; and a commitment to works I cherish: research and conservation of lands and indigenous people. There is no hustle and bustle of a big business. Shiripuno is about the love of land and people. It is a place to stay for many days and to return as often as life permits.

Rudy GelisTour Leader
Pluma Verde Tours www.plumaverdetours.com

One word: FLOCKS! The mixed species flocks we encountered here blew away anything we have ever seen anywhere in the Amazon, ever. They were truly mind-blowing, and frequently came one right on top of the other, to the point where it was often difficult to make any significant progress on the trail we were birding. Activity regularly continued well into the afternoon, making the forest interior birding here much more exciting than in most other Amazon lodges. This kind of birding is some of the hardest in the world, and we benefited from the sheer number of flocks by having multiple chances to track down some of the less common species. In this way we eventually achieved good looks at some species that we first saw poorly. There is currently no canopy tower, though Jarol hopes to be able to build one. Considering the flock activity, a tower here could be fantastic.

Nick Athanas & Scott Olmstead
Tropical Birding www.tropicalbirding.com

BOOKS
Below is a list of books to read before you come to the Amazon.

General Literature:

Tropical Nature by Adrian Forsyth and Ken Miyata
A Neotropical Companion by John Kricher
Diversity of Life by E. O. Wilson
One River by Wade Davis
Crisis Under the Canopy by Randy Smith
The Song of the Dodo by David Quammen
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared M. Diamond

Birds:

Birds of Ecuador by R. S. Ridgely and P.J. Greenfield
Handbook of Birds of the World by Josep del Hoyo

Mammals:

Neotropical Rainforest Mammals: A Field Guide by Louise H. Emmons

Reptiles:

The Venomous Reptiles of Latin America by Jonathan A. Campbell

Frogs:

Guide to the frogs of the Iquitos Region, Amazonian Peru by L. O. Rodriguez and W. E. Duellman

Butterflies:

Butterflies of Costa Rica by Phil DeVries
Butterflies of South America by Bernard D’Abrera

Other Insects:

Latin American Insects and Entomology by Charles Hogue
Insects of an Amazon Forest by Norman Dale Penny

Plants:

A Field Guide to the Families and Genera of Woody Plants of Northwest South America by Alwyn H. Gentry

The Healing Forest: Medicinal and Toxic Plants of Northwest Amazonia by R. Schultes

Plants of the Gods: Their Sacred, Healing and Hallucinogenic Powers by Richard Evans Schultes