Our first day in the Upper Amazon is always full of surprises. There are many creatures in the forest, from snakes to insects, and certainly lots of greenery. This is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world, and the number of insects and bird varieties is astonishing.
After breakfast we explored a reserve called Casual Rainforest, located at the bank of the Marañón River. We explored the area for several hours, walking under a thick forest of trees of different sizes and also palm trees. It is here where we had our first encounter with an anaconda! Later on as we also spotted several tarantulas and poison frogs.
In the afternoon at the end of our photography talk we boarded our fleet of skiffs for more exploration. Our destination is called Yanayacu River. This is one more of the many rivers that are tributaries of the larger Marañón River. The forest around Yanayacu is healthy and it seems to be a magnet for large flocks of egrets of different types, as well as king fishers, large-billed terns, cara-caras and black-collared hawks.
