Today, we had our first day in the Peruvian area of the Amazon. The day started early with the beautiful colors of sunrise reflected on the calm waters of Marañon River. Here we disembarked in a small area known as Casual.
Our first excursion was an exploration of a nearby trail, where we were guided by locals from the nearby community. They have lived in the area for generations, so they are experts in spotting all different kinds of animals.
The Amazon is a mysterious environment; little light comes through the leaves of the high trees that cover the area. Animals hide, either to catch prey or to avoid becoming prey. Survival of the fittest is the law, as we learned from the different kind of plants we were able to spot as well some interesting insects: tarantulas were a highlight of course! But we also saw ants of different colors and sizes, and butterflies call our attention as well. Frogs brought some colors to our photos, we saw a variety of different species: some very attractive with bright colors to warn of their poison, some so camouflaged that we wouldn’t have seen them if it had not been for our local guides. Then we had an amazing surprise: A green anaconda was resting on a tree. We were able to get very close, and the anaconda remained there: elegant, calm and beautiful.
Just as we were returning to the shoreline, we heard other groups calling us. They had found a very weird species, the two-toed sloth, which is generally very hard to locate during the daytime.
The sun had become very strong at that point, so strong that creatures usually prefer to rest at this time of the day. So we did the same! We returned to our ship to learn more about the area from a lecture about the Amazon given by our Expedition Leader Carlos Romero. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious lunch, followed by a traditional siesta.
In the afternoon we left for a tour onboard our skiffs. We had moved to the Yanayacu-Pucate area, a place where two rivers converge. We were welcomed by another unusual and magical resident of this region—the buffo, or pink river dolphins. We saw some gray dolphins too. All dolphins are proof of the geological past of the Amazon, when this area was connected to the ocean. Birders were in paradise as we spotted different kinds of herons, parrots, egrets and raptors.
We came back with sunset, and we were ready for our traditional drink: a rewarding Pisco sour! What a better way to end our first full day in Peru!
