The stay
Prices for peacock bass tours vary widely. Factors such as the reputation of an area, the country of destination, the standard of service and accommodation will all influence prices.
The starting price is around ?1,800, rising to around ?2,500/?4,500, and on some services to over ?10,000.
This price often includes: in-country transfers, meals and drinks, accommodation, laundry, guiding services...
Even if the services offered are generally very comprehensive, and you may think you have nothing else to pay, you need to take into account a few additional expenses to budget your trip correctly.
The tip
Tipping is generally 10% of the price of the stay. For a stay of ?3,000, you'll need to allow for a ?300 tip. This tip is often shared between all team members. If you want to give more to your guide or to certain people, you'll need to allow a little more.
Fishing tackle and clothing
The good thing about peacock bass is that it can be fished with very basic MH and H-type pike or black-bass rods. If you already have the rods and reels you need, the rest of the equipment you'll need is braid and a few species-specific lures.
As far as clothing is concerned, even for our everyday fishing, we're increasingly using technical clothing against the sun, so here too, there's no big investment to make, apart from a T-shirt and a neck warmer.
If you already have a good deal of equipment, a ?300 envelope should be more than enough to fill the gap.
What's more, once this initial investment has been made, if you decide to return to peacock bass fishing, you'll already have what you need and the second trip will probably be less expensive, at least in terms of equipment.
International flights
The second biggest expense, after the stay, is the international flight. Departing from Paris, with Manaus or Bogota as the main destinations, it costs around ?700 for a round trip.
To this must be added the cost of getting to your international flight departure airport. Depending on where this is, the price can vary enormously, because if you only need an RER ticket, or need to travel 600 kilometers by car, while leaving your car at the airport, this amount will not be the same.
Ancillary expenses
If you arrive earlier or leave later than the package includes, you'll need to budget for meals and hotel accommodation. At ?60 per extra day, you'll be able to afford room and board.
As far as getting around is concerned, cabs and Ubers are very cheap in these destinations.
Insurance
The cost of health insurance varies widely depending on the coverage chosen, and can range from ?50 to ?250 for two weeks. What's more, some travel agencies include insurance with their services, which is a good argument when making your choice.
If you have a mutual insurance company, ask them about it, as you may already be covered abroad.
Even if you have to make a few sacrifices, fishing for peacock bass in the Amazon is not an unattainable dream. With an all-inclusive budget of just ?3,000, it's perfectly possible to go fishing for the famous peacock bass on an organized trip.
This type of trip is interesting because it's very affordable, compared with other destinations that require a lot of equipment, such as deep-sea fishing, for which the bill rises very quickly.
