Our first full day in the Amazon couldn’t have been better! Early in the morning, the sunshine broke through the deep darkness of the forest, and revealed the Marañon river and its green surroundings. The greenery is only a disguise for all the wildlife found in the area, as the Amazon is one of the most biologically diverse places on the planet.
Early this morning, we had a small taste of its biodiversity, as we explored a small creek known as “Pahuachiro” and we found lots of wildlife. Our skiffs provide the perfect way to explore the narrow “tributaries” of the Marañon river, which is the “highway” for all the species found in the area. The earlier the better! And this proved to be the right way to go, as by the time we returned to the ship, we had a long list of bird, mammals and reptiles species sighted.
Our second activity of the morning was a hike on one of the few “terra firme” locations of the surroundings. Most of the exploration of Pacaya and Samiria Reserve are in “varsea” (flooded) forest, and to find firm land to hike upon is a real plus.
As we strolled along the trail, we were able to learn from our naturalist about the intricate ecosystem of the Amazon and how it works, and we even had some up and close encounters with some of the animals that are the main representatives of the area. It was nice to see the faces of our guests when we spotted tarantulas, boas and anacondas, but even better, was to see how inquisitive our guests were with every animal, trying to find out as much as possible about their natural history and behavior.
In the afternoon, we repositioned the ship to the entrance of both Pucate and Yanayacu rivers. Both are important tributaries of the Marañon river, which in time, becomes one of the main tributaries of the mighty Amazon River.
Pucate and Yanayacu are both “black water” rivers due to its mineral contents, and once again we used our skiffs for the exploration. We found more bird species, a few species of monkeys, and even the famous three-toed sloth. Not bad for the first day!
