The second day of our expedition in the Peruvian Amazon started with a visit to the Amazonas Natural Park, which is a privately owned property along the northern shore of the Marañon River, facing the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. The owner has been protecting the land for years and developed a fish farm raising paiche, better known as arapaima, and other species for local consumption. We rowed in the lagoon to reach a jungle trail where we hiked through the terra firme forest, which is the type that never gets flooded during the rainy season. Many different kinds of colorful mushrooms, flowers and fruits where diligently pointed out to us by our guides, and we learned a lot about the traditional medicinal and therapeutic uses of many plants by the local people. We now know how to get fresh potable water out of a vine, or how to obtain a natural mosquito repellent from termites. The photographers delighted in taking pictures of several gorgeous specimens of the more than 3,800 butterfly species that live in Peru, and we all enjoyed watching a big group of saddle-backed tamarins foraging in the trees around the trail. Tamarins are small monkeys, not much larger than a squirrel, and their high-pitched vocalizations filled the forest.
During the afternoon, we experienced the beauty of a tropical rainstorm, which is a gift that helps to make this place so rich and special. And as is normally the case, the rain diminished its intensity after a short time and allowed us to board the skiffs and explore the Nauta Caño, where we found, watched and photographed a number of interesting wildlife, including the impressive looking caiman lizard and the even more impressive green iguana. Muscovy ducks, horned screamers, red-throated caracaras and wattled jacanas were just some of the numerous birds that we encountered during that great outing under the light rain. The Amazon basin kept showing us its marvelous creatures and secrets, and we all enjoyed another beautiful day in the mightiest rainforest on earth.
