Our day started with a beautiful ride along the Ucayali River. This particular location has an especial ecosystem known as Aguajales, and that was precisely our target. The palm tree known as Aguajal is the favorite spot for the blue and yellow macaws to nest or hangout. Nothing is guaranteed in nature; however, we were very lucky to have excellent views of this beautiful bird perching on the trees. We detected three macaws on the edge of nearby palm tree and gladly noticed that one of them was a young-adult. It is very rare to see odd numbers when it comes to macaws, as they are usually in pairs, and seeing their latest offspring was very special.
Our after-breakfast scheduled visit to Belluda Caño was delayed a bit due the rain, and instead we had a wonderful proto presentation from our photo instructor, Juan Carlos, which was a total success, as he continued to improved our guests’ skills for photography.
As soon as the rain stopped, we disembarked and had a great late-morning visit to Belluda Cano, where at least four species of monkeys were sighted. We had great views of squirrel, saddle-backed tamarin, monk saki, and night owl monkeys! We were glad that all worked out well, and we returned to the ship just in time for lunch.
For our afternoon, we continued our navigation up the Ucayali River towards a location known as El Dorado River. It was here where a late afternoon outing gave us the chance to observe multiple species of birds, such as blue-yellow macaws, scarlet macaws, horned screamer, and even the prehistoric-looking hoatzin. Our afternoon excursion finished as we returned in the dark, looking for caimans along the riverbank. In the end, we sighted several caimans of different sizes and ages, and although none of them were too big in size, I can tell that our guests were happy enough not encountering the mama or papa caiman that we are sure was resting somewhere nearby.
