Tour Guide: Peru

IT friend Lolly recently went on a tour in Peru. She raved about her guide Devon Graham (biologist and tour company owner) so much that we just had to look into the tour operator ourselves.

Margarita Tours organizes private eco-expeditions in the Amazon. While most of their tours are riverboat-based, they also have three working field stations, like the one pictured above, where many of their tours will stop for the night. (The stations are owned and operated by Project Amazonas, a non-profit conservation organization that fosters biological, medical, and environmental research in the Peruvian Amazon.)

Depending on the type

of tour, guests can expect to collect ornamental tropical fish for study, kayak through flooded forests, search for nocturnal animals on a night hike, or visit local marketplaces. Average group size is 8-10 people (they can also arrange educational tours for up to 30), so guests get first-rate attention and have plenty of time to pursue any desired extracurriculars (like kayaking, birding, and photography).

Margarita Tours supports sustainable community efforts and has a green philosophy, which states: “It’s trendy and it can save money for businesses that go ‘green,’ but so what? Everyone should be trying to reduce the impacts that we have on the planet!”

They are also currently exploring possibilities of offering tours in Myanmar and around the Indian Ocean in 2008, so be sure to check back for more details.

Photo: Lauren Weinhold