And our adventure started early this morning!

As the sun started to come out over the thick distant forest, it found us already eager and ready to explore the tributaries of the Marañon River.

We got into our skiffs, and under the command of our experienced skiff drivers and local guides we sailed into the narrow waterways to closer explore the flooded forest.

At this hour of the day, the activity was high, and there were many birds singing and flying back and forth. Early in the morning, is also when many of the larger birds fly high in the sky to “commute” from their “communal dormitories” (where they spent the night with other bird species), to the areas where they spend their “working day” looking for food, while many other smaller more “local” birds where already at it.  Actively searching for a meal, and at the same time, trying not to become one.

Among many of the birds that we saw during the morning there were: russet-backed oropendolas, yellow-rumped caciques, and colorful masked crimson tanagers.

After a spectacular breakfast on Delfin II, we disembarked to terra-firma to explore again, by foot, the rainforest. During our walks in the forest, led by our knowledgeable naturalists, it was very interesting to get to see up close some of the creatures that live inside of the forest. Animals such as big and hairy pink-toed tarantulas, tiny and very colorful poison-dart frogs, large boa-constrictor snakes and the famous anacondas. Though probably the best sighting was a very close-up look at a two-toed sloth.

Sloths are some of the most iconic animals of the New-World tropics. Odd-looking, slow-moving arboreal mammals, that are unique to the tropics of the Americas.

For the afternoon, and after another superb meal onboard Delfin II, we relocated to explore the Pucate River by skiff, where we had many views of several more of the creatures of the Amazon. Indeed, there is high diversity in the tropical rainforest!

And as we returned to our ship at sunset, we again saw many large birds flying high in the sky, in the opposite direction this time, heading back to the places where they spend the night.

From sunrise to sunset…full circle!  A beautiful full day at the Amazon!