Matses-feline tribe

When we mention our Mayorunas brothers also known as the Matses, we refer to one of the last Amazonian families that remain with their language and customs intact.
Customs and language that resist remaining and surviving in these times that many indigenous communities have already lost. Visiting the native community of the Mayorunas is a once in a lifetime experience.Despite the remoteness and lack of comfort in Jungle Reps and Expeditions we differentiate ourselves by providing a unique experience of living with the Mayorunas.

Promoting their culture, respecting their ways of life, we avoid being a negative impact during our coexistence with our Mayorunas brothers, we actively participate in their daily chores.

The Mayorunas are also known as the feline tribe for their unique ability in hunting.
According to our last census there are approximately 2000 (two thousand) Mayorunas.

As in most autochthonous communities, the main factors of decline are:

• Migration of young people to big cities to look for work.
• Predation of their areas affecting the flora and fauna of the area and therefore the source of food for the native community.

At Jungle Reps and Expeditions we focus on giving you the most authentic experience of living with them. We will go to their fields, we will learn their language as much as possible, we will accompany them in their hunting and fishing activities.

We will also talk a lot with them and learn about their worldview of the world in which visitors live, a problem that threatens them such as the exploration of oil lots in their reserved area.

We will know their mythology, how they are guided by animals or other natural effects for their hunting and fishing activities.
Likewise, if there is the opportunity, we will have the unique experience of how a man learns from a very young age to be responsible as the head of the family.
Below we detail the 10-day program subject to change without prior notice depending on weather conditions.

Day 01
• Flight by plane to the Matses reserve. This trip departs from the Peruvian Air Force base. This trip takes about an hour. Recommendations: Bring the most necessary luggage in a backpack.
• The limit is 10 kilos or 22 pounds and each extra kilo or pound will be charged to the passenger. The necessary permits must be made two weeks in advance to enter the reserved area that is cared for and protected by the Mayorunas and peruvian government.
• After the flight to Colonia Angamos depending on the arrival time. A long boat trip awaits us. This trip takes approximately 6 to 8 hours of navigation, and on the way we will see the beauty of this reserved area, also the exuberance of flora and fauna otherwise we will spend this night in Colonia Angamos.
• Upon arrival we will be welcomed by the Apu or head of the community. Here they will assign us the family where we will spend our days with them and other families from the native community.

Day 02
On this very early day approximately we will go to the farm that is the place where the Mayorunas use to plant and harvest various edible vegetables.
In this community you don’t eat 3 or 5 times a day like in other communities or cities in different parts of the world. Here you eat 2 times a day. The first meal is at 9 in the morning it is a breakfast lunch and the second meal is at approximately 4 pm or 5 pm in the afternoon.
Before the darkness and the mosquitoes come. At night we can talk with the grandparents of the town who are highly respected people.

Day 03
Walk in the jungle to learn how the Mayorunas or Matses obtain their food, here they will teach us to hunt with traps with techniques that they have used for thousands of years.
They will also show us a COLPA which is a place where salts and minerals emanate and many animals will eat this soil to help their digestive processes.
Many animals come down to eat in these places such as cats, deer, wild pigs, monkeys and more. Tonight we can spend the night if the guest almost wishes to do so.

Day 04
This day we will learn to build observatories to wait and see animals that pass through the place. These observatories are known as barbacoas.
On this day we will walk to an area where the Matses or Mayorunas consider that it is the best area with good possibilities for observing felines such as jaguars and other animals. Overnight in the jungle or native community.

Day 05
This day like the others will be very interesting since the Matses are going to teach us how they make their weapons to hunt such as the bow and arrow. We will learn how they recognize the raw material for its respective elaboration.

Day 06
This day we are going to know many plants that the Matses use for different reasons. Since they use plants to hunt, cure themselves of different types of diseases, plants that they use to ward off pests that may affect their crops.
Also plants that they use to obtain water without having to worry about bringing water to the jungle. And they will also show us the Lupuna, the ancient tree that they consider as the protector of mother nature, men and animals that inhabit it.

Day 07
On this day we will witness how they use the poison of a frog to sharpen their senses and increase their hunting skills. This ceremony is called KAMBO or SAPO which means toad.
If you want to participate, you will be welcome, it is a very interesting cultural process since the Mayorunas are the only Amazonian family that performs this ancestral ceremony.

Day 08
Excursion to the jungle to observe animals in its purest and most natural state. Bird species, monkeys many of these species are unique to this reserved area. Survival course and learn how to get food in the jungle. Farewell ceremony with the native community.

Day 09
This day very early after breakfast we will leave in our boat that will take us to Colonia Angamos where we will spend the night to leave on our flight the next day to the city of Iquitos.
After 5 to 6 hours of navigation we will arrive at our destination. We will spend the night in a local family in Colonia Angamos.

Day 10
Flight to the city of Iquitos. Our program ends at the airport or hotel of your choice.
If the option to return is not by plane and you wish to continue a more adventurous program, we suggest you reserve 4 more days. The 4 more days include boat navigation, exploring and observing animals and plants of different species.

Day 11, 12, and 13
Walk of approximately 50 kilometers and navigation of rivers and streams in this part of the Amazon.
Day 14 or 15
Arrival in the city of Requena and departure from to Nauta and Iquitos depending on the guest’s flight.

Before booking any tour we require all clients to carefully consult our Terms.