Today, after a well-deserved rest, we started our expedition with high spirits, in the breathtaking Upper Amazon of Peru.
Right after breakfast, we went for a hike in the vicinities of San Jose community, in an area known as Casual. Donning our rubber boots and in the company of our naturalists, plus three local native scouts from the community, we explored a “terra firme” rainforest trail. This outing was an introduction to fascinating dynamics of the neotropical rainforests and its inhabitants.
The explanations of our naturalists and the eagle-eyes of the local scouts made a great combination. We observed several frog and lizard species. We saw a pink-toed tarantula and several insect species as well. The icing on the cake of this morning´s outing was the unusual spotting of a couple of beautiful snake species—a juvenile anaconda and a red-tailed Boa. We had a lot of fun watching how one of the fearless local villagers let the tarantula walk over his hands and arms.
After the walk, we came back to the Delfin II. We had a refreshing shower and a cold drink. As we all gathered in the lounge we had a couple of important introductory talks—one on the Amazon region in general and one about the protected area that we are visiting this week, the Pacaya Samiria Reserve.
In the afternoon, after lunch, we explored the Yanayacu River, which is a black water tributary of the Marañon River. In this area several bird species and some three-toed sloths were spotted. The early and late hours of the day are the best times for spotting creatures of the rainforest.
Late in the afternoon, in the company of a spectacular sunset, we came back onboard with unforgettable memories, the product of our first full day of our expedition this week in the Peruvian Upper Amazon aboard the Delfin II.
