Early this morning, while the Amazonia woke up, we embarked our skiffs to explore the rivers for the first time. We traveled up the Marañón River, not far from Nauta, where we embarked Delfin II. We had our first wildlife sightings in the Pahuachiro channel. Yellow-headed caracaras, wood creepers, great-black hawks, and horned screamers were some of the birds that we could easily see.
Later on, we had an outing to explore by foot the "highlands" or terra firme, which simply means “the land that is not flooded during high water.” This higher elevation is maybe ten to twenty meters higher than the "lowlands," technically called varzea.
We learned of the many different palm species. Some which are used for their valuable fibers, like "Chambira," and others better known as the one harvested to obtain the "hearts of palm." We also saw two species of poison dart frogs, tarantulas, bats, and even a red-tailed boa juvenile.
On the way back, at the end of our first jungle walk, we had our first opportunity to shop for wonderful handmade crafts. Here in the Amazon, we do not find anything mass-produced or imported. All the colorful and creative crafts are 100% local and made out of natural products from the jungle.
Back on board, we had our mandatory safety drill, followed by a presentation on how to improve our photography. Our photo instructor, Carlos Navarro, showed us some valuable tips about our cameras. We learned about composition and the specific challenges of photographing here in the Amazon as well as how to overcome those challenges to make create images.
Delfin II took us further up the Marañón River into a place called Yanayacu Pucate. This black water tributary of the Marañón is an excellent place to see pink river dolphins, several species of parrots and raptors, and to look for iguanas and three-toed sloths.
