This morning was not raining but a thick mist was covering the entire landscape. This made our early visit to one of the many small tributaries to the main Ucayali River, Belluda Caño a real adventure. The water level is dropping week by week and every day we can notice its effects. More and more land is exposed, and as this happens villagers are moving their houses to other side of the river. While many trees are showing the high watermark of some weeks ago, other are falling in front of our very eyes.
We went our before breakfast, on board our skiff boats for about one-and-a-half hours, following one of the small river branches looking for wildlife, which is very active at early hours of the day. We were very lucky because we spotted five different species of primates and the scarlet macaw! One of the main attractions was the monk saki monkey, known to have such thick fur that wasps cannot sting it, the other was the pigmy marmoset, or pocket monkey, one of the smallest in the world. Before the morning was over we returned to the ship for breakfast and later continued our jungle exploration. As we were returning we saw a number of flocks of snowy egrets in a beautiful formation, they’re arriving as the fishing improves on the banks of the river. Before lunch we learned how to cook one of the most famous Peruvian dishes: fish a la Saint John’s Head! After lunch we had a well-deserved Peruvian siesta.
In the afternoon, we explored the Dorado River and its surroundings for about three hours. During this expedition we had a lot of amazing sightings, including the scented jasmine flowers and a chestnut toucan. We also enjoyed a troop of squirrel monkeys. On the way back, dark already, we had the opportunity to observe a number of spectacled caimans, and then we were ready for dinner!
Once we returned, with a clear sky covered with stars, we had a delicious dinner with pasta and chicken, and after, we enjoyed the myths and rich Peruvian culture of the night sky. The Milky Way was the center of our last activity before bedtime. It was an incredible day in the Amazonian paradise.
