This morning our expedition brought us to the northern side of the Marañon River. This river, which joins in its confluence with the Ucayali River at the south, is essentially one of the two main tributaries that will form the mighty Amazon River!
The northern shores of the Marañon are the limits of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, and our visit this morning will take place on privately owned land on the northern side of the reserve. This in no way is a disadvantage for us; this location, being privately owned, has been protected from natural resources extraction for generations. The owner, who unfortunately passed away last year, used his land as a sanctuary lodge for travelers in this region, and it is precisely here where one can observe giant species of trees, not present any more almost anywhere else in this region.
Our hike took place through this land, navigating first through a lake on local catamarans, and then hiking over primary forest. We even had to cross sections of the forest over suspended bridges, built by the owner to overcome a large section of land where the main river previously ran through. The views were fantastic, and the wildlife sightings were great too!
Once everyone was back on board, we headed south closer to the confluence of the Ucayali River. We decided to stop by a creek known as Piraña, where we had our afternoon excursions.
The narrow creek was filled with new species of plants and the ever present birds! As we were returning to the ship, we were blessed by a great sunset and lots of colors around us, as a result of the incredible weather that we have been experiencing this week.
At the entrance of the creek, the presence of large fields of a shore-based plant known as caña brava, attracts the daily commute of thousands –if not hundreds of thousands- of white-winged parakeets. Words will fall short when trying to describe the feeling of seeing the cloud of birds approaching their perching grounds, making perfect sharp turns to avoid hitting each other. The sounds made by the birds were overwhelming, and the combination of the sunset light as a background made this a perfect way to end our expedition day. For many of our guests, this might be the highlight of the day and even the highlight of the trip. Simply put…today the Amazon was at its best!
