Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Diana P. Olano
Pictures provided by: dawnontheamazon.com/blog/

Categorized as an extreme sport, river rafting sees a group of people aboard an inflatable raft, trying to navigate through usually rough waters. The activity is popular worldwide, with fans heading to the Arkansas River for whitewater fun or to the harsh waters of the Tara River in Montenegro. Obstacles in these types of rafting adventures usually include drops in elevation, large waves and big rocks. The annual Great Amazon River Raft Race in the rainforest waters of Peru is considered just as extreme, but reasons entirely different since jungle is like no place on earth and this competition can't be compared to many.

The Great River Amazon Raft Race came to be thanks to Brit Mike Collis. Collis left his home in Birmingham, England and headed for Iquitos in hopes of a quiet life. A year later, the newly appointed Director of Tourism for Iquitos, Gerald Mayeux, asked Collis for any ideas on how to promote the jungle city. Mike, who had organized raft races in England for than 25 years, was asked by Gerald to bring those races to Iquitos. And with that came the first Amazon Raft race, which took place on July 29, 1999.

Iquitos, the finishing point for those who make it through this 3-day race, is the largest city in the Peruvian rainforest and is considered to be the most populous city in the world, not reachable by road. The party and ceremony celebrating the winners of the race takes place here and competitors, but the small town where it all begins is called Nauta. Roughly 100km south of Iquitos, participants take a 10 hour cruise down the Amazon River to reach the town where they will begin the race.

From there it's a three day trip down the piranha-filled waters of the largest river of the world (by volume). With stops in the villages and towns of Porvenir and Tamshiyacu, each four-person team will see small bit of life is like for those living on the Amazon. Still, the majority of the day is spent traveling down the river, with the actual time spent racing reaching an almost six-hour daily average. To truly imagine what that must be like, you'd have to join the race yourself. However, to get a small inkling of what the brave participants have to look forward to, picture this: navigating a hand-made balsawood raft--That's right, they have to make their own raft. No inflatable rafts allowed in this race.--by only using paddles, under the blazing, tropical sun (temperatures average 89 degrees) or through wild rainstorms. Like the competition's website states, "The faint of heart need not apply!"

Since the race takes place in such a wild setting, special measures are taken to ensure the safety of the competitors, with the Peruvian Coast Guard and Civil Defense providing boats and personnel if needed. Also, the Amazon Rafting Club--opened to anyone who has participated in the race--has their own speedboat "Mother Duck" which patrol's the fleet of rafters during the race. The participants themselves are required to wear a life jacket at all times. Better to be safe than sorry!

Though 11 different countries participated in last year's events, the locals in Iquitos always beat out the foreigners by an average of four hours less in the time it takes them to complete the course. Last year's winners are the appropriately-named "Los Invincibles".

Hammock accommodations, transportation to Nauta and passage on the support boat following the team is available for family and friends of participants who want to show support.

If you think you have what it takes to take on this adventurous competition, head over to dawnontheamazon.com/blog/ for more information.