We started this brand new day in our expedition in the Upper Peruvian Amazon with the beautiful view of the immense Marañon River in front of our eyes. Little by little the clouds that covered the early morning cleared up and we had a sunny morning.

Just after breakfast we visited the Amazon Natural Park. This private protected area is located in the outside boundaries of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. Mr. Roberto Rotondo, the original owner, unfortunately passed away just some few months ago. He was a nationwide recognized personality who served to several Peruvian Governments in various roles including being the Minister of Environment’s affairs. Mr. Rotondo managed so well this property that it was recognized by the Peruvian environmental authorities as a national private protected area in June 2011. The legacy of his care and love for the Amazon region is currently in the hands of his older brother.

We had a pleasant surprise at the disembarkation place.  A couple of colorful, macaws were seen perching on a tree. One was a blue and yellow and the other was a scarlet. Their beautiful plumage and raucous sounds caught the attention of all of us.

After taking pictures of the birds we continued with the several activities planned for the morning. The first one was to cross a lagoon by rowing peacefully aboard three catamarans. After a short ride we disembarked for an approximately 2.4 mile hike. While walking in the forest we admired several big and famous trees like the rubber and gum trees and some wildflowers like heliconias as well. The trail led us to a fairly long suspension bridge which is approximately a quarter of a mile in length. This bridge allowed us an exciting eagle-eyed view of the middle strata of the rainforest just below the upper canopy. At that height we could see the rainforest from a completely different and fascinating perspective.

After the walk we once again boarded the catamarans to come back to the skiffs that were waiting for us to take us home, the Delfin II. Once onboard, refreshed with a well-deserved shower we had a question and answer session with the Delfin II naturalists and our lunch.  In the early afternoon, our photo instructor Linda Burback gave a talk on how to be creative with the many photographs that we have been taking.

In the afternoon we visited a lively Amazon human settlement, San Regis community. In this fairly large village, 1500 people, we witnessed and experienced how people live nowadays in most of the Peruvian Upper Amazon. We listened to some local town’s representatives speaking about “Minga Peru” as well. The latter is a Peruvian nonprofit organization founded in 1998 whose mission is to promote social justice and human dignity, primarily for women and families in rural communities of the Peruvian Amazon. Leadership training, radio programming, natural resources management are some of their main projects in this vast rainforest area.

After dinner we had a night walk. The darkness of the night together with the beautiful sounds were our companions.

We went to bed with many unforgettable feelings and memories, a little tired after so many impressions and experiences but certainly happy to have spent a great full day of exploration in the Peruvian Upper Amazon.