Mother Nature left us awe-inspired today in our exploration of the Amazon basin. We began our expedition early in the morning with a comfortable skiff ride up the river. The first surprise of the day was the kingfisher birds found along the shoreline as we went through this magnificent place. One of the highlights of the morning was the sighting of one of the most challenging birds found in the forest: the pigmy kingfisher.
Farther up the river, the presence of parakeets on the top of the trees presented the perfect challenge: spot them with our binoculars. The color combination of green leaves and brown river water was an inspiring photo op. At the end of the skiff ride, the sighting of two swallow-tailed kites got us very excited before we returned to the Delfin II for a delightful breakfast.
The next part of the morning exploration was quite astonishing. We made our way into the forest on a superb hike. With the help of local people, we were able to experience the presence of an anaconda snake, an opossum, and a few poison dart frogs found along the path. Once we got back to our starting point, we had an agreeable moment with locals who showed us some of their handicrafts. Once back on board Delfin II, we prepared for the afternoon’s exploration.
In the afternoon the expedition took us to a magnificent area known as the Yanayacu River. The best way to explore was to take the skiffs to the farthest possible point in order to experience the symphony of nature. Once we started sightseeing on the shore line, the Amazon’s magic was revealed in the presence of some of the emblematic species: a three-toed sloth resting on a treetop, yellow-rumped caciques building their nests, and pink dolphins swimming nearby—all making it a pleasant afternoon in the jungle. Today we had a fantastic time exploring the living paradise of the Amazon basin.
