Our first full day in the Amazon turned out to be very promising, a taste of the adventures ahead of us the rest of the week.
During the morning, we explored an area known as Casual, which was an ideal place to begin our adventure. Our early morning skiff ride along the Powachiro Creek, just across from Casual, included great wildlife sightings. There were a lot of parrots and parakeets already flying above our heads making loud noises as they went on their journeys. For all of us interested in birds, this was paradise, as we encountered many new species to check off our lists, but it did not take too much time until we also encountered a nice three-toed sloth moving very slowly high on a tree.
Shortly after breakfast the rain started, but it was not an impediment for us to continue with our goal, which was the visit to Casual, a terra-firma trail full of wildlife. As we walked on a nice forest path, local guides disappeared in the forest only to re-appear minutes later with some wildlife that would have been impossible for us to find on our own. This is one of the special things about this area, as the locals are so eager to find and to share their daily lives with us.
Spiders, frogs, snakes, and several other species of invertebrates were found as we went deeper into the forest, learning about the ecology of the Amazon from the knowledgeable local guides.
Our afternoon was dedicated to exploring the Yanayacu and Pucate Rivers using our skiffs. We had many more encounters with birds, such as the Amazonian Umbrellabird, bare-necked fruitcrow, herons, several species of hawks, and many more species of birds that kept magically appearing as we navigated alongside the riverbanks.
With the rain gone, the sun decided to appear at the very last minute, granting us a brief sunset that we won’t forget for a long time.
