TRAILS

The lodge itself is built on land approx. 10 meters above the average river level for the Tambopata, in a clearing within "terra firme" forest, i.e. forest that never floods.

There are three major circular trails leading from the lodge (see trail map) They all begin in dense primary forest characterized by large canopy and emergent trees (30 to 40 meters tall) many displaying fine buttressing, a characteristic which increases the stability of trees during windy conditions in what are extremely thin soils.

The world famous Brazil-nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) also grows here in profusion, as do Rubber (Hevea sp.) and Quinine (Quiina sp.) trees. Many of the trees you will see in this habitat are infested with a multitude of climbing plants from giant phylodendrons, ferns and palms to lianas as thick as a man's waist capable of spreading over the crowns of three or four trees simultaneously.

You will also notice an abundance of palm species in this type of forest, more than thirty species of palm have been found near the lodge. Most of them are also extremely useful, providing edible fruits and nuts, strong and durable building materials, heart of palm, thatching and a multitude of medicinally active chemicals. These palms and ninety five percent of all other plants in the forest are classed as angiosperms (plants with true flowers) which are believed to have evolved in the primitive rain forests found 125 million years ago.

On walking the trails you may notice that many tree species have their flowers and fruit growing right out of their trunks and situated comparatively close to the ground (much like those of the cocoa tree found on Trail 2, 1100 m) as opposed to developing up in the branches like trees found in temperate forests further north. This specialized growth habit is known as "cauliflory" and is believed to facilitate the pollination of these flowers by bats and/or rodents which would normally not find access to the flowers if they were in and amongst the leaves. The fruit too may more easily be dispersed if easily reached.

Hummingbirds, among the most specialized flower pollinators of the bird world, are also frequently seen along the trails. They have excellent color vision though are particularly fond of red! If you see a red flower amongst the greenery, like the Aphelandras or Hot-lips(!), it will most certainly be waiting the attention of a hummingbird. A tip when on the trails: try and wear something with a splash of red, for you will most probably be mistaken for a large flower by one of the ten or so species of hummingbirds that frequent the area, resulting in a close encounter with these aerial acrobats.