Early morning after a fantastic breakfast on the dining room of the Delfin II we departed by skiff to nearby Amazon Park to explore by foot the tropical rainforest adjacent to the river. During our visit to Amazon Park, we got to walk on suspension bridges to get to see the forest from the canopy. Sort of a bird’s perspective of the forest! Later after returning to our ship for another delicious meal, and some rest, we explored by skiff the Yanayaquillo creek, one off the many tributaries of the Amazon River. The afternoon was spectacular! After some rain the forest came to life, and there was lots of activity. Active troops of monkeys, toucans, and many birds searching for the last meal of the day.
7/18/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali River and Dorado River
Today we had the opportunity to explore the riverbank of the Ucayali River. The exploration was done early, before breakfast. Different species of birds were sighted. It was a great morning for observing the behaviors of the early birds. After breakfast we hiked through the Illanalpa flooded forest. Here we learned about the strategies that animal and plants must have in order to survive the floods. We encountered troops of common squirrel monkeys and saddle back tamarins. Interesting insects were also seen through the leave litters. Back on board we repositioned Delfin II for our late afternoon exploration of Dorado River. We went to explore just before sunset. A family of Isabel’s saki monkey were seen way up in the canopy. A small troop of brown capuchins together with the common squirrel monkeys were moving alongside the riverbank, having their meals before gathering for the night. As the sun began to set, we started to look for caimans. We learned the difference between the black caimans and the spectacle caimans. The highlight was a small family of capybaras walking along the riverbank, not caring at all about our presence. It was the best ending for our explorations today.
