Today was the last full day of this amazing week. We started with an early breakfast before setting out for the Amazon Nature Park, a large parcel of private, protected land adjacent to Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Local guides rowed us in “catamaran” canoes across a small lake to begin our hike in the forest. We spotted many incredible creatures, mushrooms, and plants along the way, and we even got to see the remarkable sap of the rubber tree. Our hike included a section with nine suspension bridges in the mid-canopy, some up to 90 feet high. It was a wonderful way to get a new perspective on the forest. After returning to the ship and having a delicious lunch, we watched a large group of both pink and gray river dolphins fishing near our boat. Some adventurous souls went out for one last swim, this time in the Rio Pucate. Dolphins swam nearby. We went out in the late afternoon for one last skiff ride together as storm clouds filled the sky. It never rained on us, however, and we enjoyed spotting saddleback tamarins, blue-and-yellow macaws, and long-nosed bats. It’s been an incredible experience this past week!
7/25/2024
Read
Delfin II
Ucayali and Dorado Rivers
Today we had the great opportunity to start exploring the riverbank of the Ucayali River. We loaded the skiffs right after sunrise. As we cruised along the riverbank, different species of birds were seen. A highlight of that early exploration was the sighting of a tayra, a small omnivorous creature in the weasel family, that didn’t stay long in our view. After breakfast, we walked through Yanallpa flooded forest. Here our naturalist explained to us the importance of the floods for the Amazon forest. They also pointed out the effect of climate change over the area and how it has changed the use of the soils after the floods. It was a morning of learning about how the forest has manage to adapt to the seasonal floods and how fish and other animals depends on those events. Our late afternoon activities were held on Dorado River. Our naturalists brought out spotlights after sunset. Black caimans and spectacled caimans were the major attraction for our guests. Other night dwellers were also spotted by our naturalists, such as fishing bats, boat-billed night herons, night jars, and many other animals were seen by our guests. It was another awesome day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
