Tingana Reserve

Tingana is a stretch of seasonally flooded forest on the Avisado river in the Alto Mayo wetlands, managed by a small community association that turned it from a logging and hunting area into a conservation concession. The trip is by boat: a motor canoe up the river, then paddling in silence through the aguajal - stands of aguaje palm standing in black water - and among renaco, a strangler fig whose roots arch out of the water and knit into tunnels the canoe passes through. Wildlife is what people come for and it is genuinely there: howler and dusky titi monkeys, hoatzin, kingfishers, caimans, and a long bird list, best at dawn. There is basic accommodation and food is cooked locally. The wetlands are important as a water regulator for the Mayo valley, and the community model here has been used as a case study for others in the region.

What you actually see

• The flooded forest - aguaje palm stands rooted in black water.
• The renaco tunnels - strangler fig roots arching over the channels.
• The wildlife - howler and titi monkeys, hoatzin, kingfishers and caimans.
• The community concession - a former logging area now managed for conservation.

When to go

May to September is drier, though water levels matter more than rain - higher water opens more channels. Dawn is much better for wildlife. A day trip or an overnight in basic lodging.

Honest expectations

Wildlife sightings are not guaranteed and midday is quiet. Mosquitoes are relentless; bring repellent and cover up. Accommodation is very basic. Boats and paddling take most of the day, with limited shade.

Nearby

Moyobamba is south-east; Rioja and the Alto Mayo forest are west.