Catherine, Alan and Aldo have stayed at Piedras Biodiversity Station. I have returned to Puerto Maldonado today. The journey from base is about 3-4 hours including a 30 min. boat ride. The three of us left Puerto Maldonado by car on Thursday afternoon at 14:00, checked out a couple of medical posts on the way and arrived at base just before dusk at 18:00.
The Piedras Biodiversity Station is located on a plateau nestled in the jungle. The way up to the station from where the boat lands is a 600 m walk including two pretty steep sections. It took us a while and a few runs to bring all our luggage and the equipment boxes up the hill.
Over the years the unforgiving climate has left its marks on the station but it is still an amazing place to stay at and work from. The Piedras staff, Theo, Christan and Rolando were busy all day yesterday with cleaning and doing repairs while Alan went out checking trails, colpa sites and set a few camera traps. Catherine and I unpacked boxes, checked and prepared the research equipment such as the GPSs, rangefinders, etc. We’ve printed and laminated paperwork, maps, house rules and kit lists and set everything up at base. In the afternoon we checked out the colpa site together with Alan who cut down the vegetation that has overgrown the viewpoint. The mosquito netting will be installed together with the first team during training sessions. From the opposite side of the river it’ll be a great observation point.
Having discussed in detail schedules and activities, we are now all set for group 1 to arrive! I will do some last minute shopping in Puerto Maldonado today. At 8:00 tomorrow, I will meet team 1 at Wasai Lodge. Please come prepared for our journey to base: Wear proper shoes/boots for the way up to base (you must carry your own luggage) and have your rain gear/ponchos handy, just in case.
See you soon!
Update from our conservation holiday volunteering with jaguars, pumas, ocelots, primates, macaws and other species in the Peru Amazon jungle.
Biosphere Expeditions: blogs from the frontline of wildlife conservation and the fight for a more sustainable planet 