Today was the first full day of our Upper Amazon River expedition in Peru.
We woke up on a main tributary that feeds the Amazon after sailing upstream during the night to reach the first site we would explore. Early in the morning some of us chose an optional wake-up call for an early bird skiff ride along a small river where we saw many hawks, herons, egrets, and passerines.
Back aboard we had a delicious breakfast, and soon after we fitted our boots for a visitor site called Casual; this is where we have a mile walk into the forest searching for wildlife. Our local guides are Amazon natives and were able to find pink-toed tarantulas, lizards, and frogs for us to see. On the way we also saw insects like ants and millipedes, and we learned about many different kinds of plants and fungi. There was a particular large tree we visited that stands the passing of time. Its towering roots were outstanding and a highlight for us all. Today, on our way back to the skiffs, we experienced a heavy rain in the jungle—after all, this is the rain forest of the Upper Amazon.
Back on board the Delfin II we had our Amazon introduction presented by our expedition leader Mike Greenfelder. This is a journey of discovery—an expedition—an educational voyage packed with knowledge and fun.
After our delicious lunch we started our skiff ride at Yanayacu River. It is a long, beautiful black-water-estuary. We saw sloths, pink dolphins, birds, landscapes, and a lagoon with colors and sounds all around us. As the sun set we returned to the ship for our on board activities. Today we had another wonderful dinner and our crew played live music for our new guests.
This is the beginning of a promising adventure in this breathtaking emerald-green world. Mega-diversity is waiting to be unveiled for us.
