This morning we were up early once again and out in the skiffs for an exploration of the waterways that flow through this life-rich basin. While at home, you may be familiar with the morning rush hour traffic sounds around you. There is somewhat of an equivalent here. There are whistles, beeps, sirens, squawks, and honks but these are not of motorcars. This cacophony is produced by exotic sounding creatures such as horned screamers, black-fronted nun birds, black-capped donacobius, and blue-and-yellow macaws. These are some of the more than two dozen bird species identified during our morning outing, along with male and female three-toed sloth, saddleback tamarin, and brown capuchin monkeys. The morning sound of the tropical rain forest in the Peruvian Amazon is not “noise,” it is a symphony of life, and it is a privilege to be in the audience for this daily performance.
7/13/2024
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Delfin II
Iricahua, Ucayali River, and Amazonas
We spent the night close to Iricahua, a small tributary, allowing us an early morning opportunity to explore its surroundings and the riverbanks of the Ucayali River. Our last day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve began with an early prebreakfast skiff exploration. Our naturalist identified various species of parakeets along the way, but the morning highlight was the unmistakable scarlet macaws perched on a distant tree. Back on board, we continued our journey to reach the community of Amazonas. Our bartender, Isaac, shared his knowledge of how to prepare the best pisco sour. We soon reached the confluence where the Maranon and Ucayali River give birth to the Amazon River. We toasted to this event for the excellent voyage we experienced. For the afternoon activity, we visited Amazonas. Our guests had the opportunity to visit homes and learn about daily life. Women leaders discussed with us the community’s positive outcomes as a result of implementing family projects. Learning about the community’s sustainable social changes was the best way to end our journey.