Yanayacu and Marañon Rivers
After arriving yesterday in the Amazon basin and boarding the Delfin II, we sailed for part of the night upriver on the Rio Marañon. We awoke this morning at the confluence of the Yanayacu and Marañon Rivers, where black tannin rich waters mixed with the browner, silty water descending from the Andes. This area is all part of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. A massive protected area of around 5 million acres, this will be our home for the next week.
A pre-breakfast skiff ride was a perfect start to our exploration. Cool conditions made for lots of activity, as the dawn chorus was extra boisterous today. Flocks of parakeets made quite a ruckus, while Great Kiskadees called their name. A group of squirrel monkeys put on a gymnastic performance, while a green iguana caught the early morning rays. A few river dolphins were also spotted, feeding right beside the ship for quite a while.
After breakfast, we made our first excursion into the rain forest. The area today was all varzea forest. As the rains increase in the Andes the rivers rise, and a few months from now they will top their banks. The forest here is quite lush and dense, and our local guides pointed out many exciting plants. Beautiful purplish bracts of the family Marantaceae were abundant, attracting pollinators to their smaller, whitish flowers. Leaf cutter ants were quite busy today, carting an incredible volume of leaves back to their nests. A few monkeys were spotted and one group got very lucky and spotted a Tayra, a large member of the weasel family.
An afternoon rainstorm didn’t deter us as we set off in the skiffs to explore farther up the Yanayacu Rivers. Our first sloths were spotted and many parrots were flying overhead. Many new birds lined the shore including stunning Capped Herons and Wattled Jacanas. Black Skimmers put on quite a show as they flew around us trolling the waters with their lower mandibles. As the rain picked up, we decided to call it a day. We returned to the comforts of the Delfin II, some excellent cocktails, another delicious meal, and thoughts of what tomorrow may bring.
