Amazon Natural Park & Yanayaquillo Caño
Today we had a day to remember! In this week our eager group of guests is already deeply connected with the marvelous dynamics of this enchanting ecosystem. This day of exploration of the Peruvian Amazon took us to a brand new private reserve found in the outside boundaries of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, the Amazon Natural Park. The area that protects this reserve is so well managed and patrolled that the Peruvian government recognized its conservation value, declaring it a national private protected area as recently as in June 2011.
We had several activities to explore in this location. We started by rowing peacefully onboard three catamarans in a paradisiacal lagoon. Afterwards we disembarked on a rustic but beautiful wooden little dock. Once inside the forest we were immediately impressed by the beauty of a primary forest where its flora is still practically untouched. While walking in the forest we admired with awe and respect the huge ficus, mahogany and rubber trees found on the trails. We observed many lianas, vines and flowers as well.
The trail leads to a very long suspension bridge (approximately half a mile in length!) that allows a thrilling and exciting walk in the middle strata of the rain forest. Many of us who crossed the many sections of the bridge had our levels of adrenaline to the top. We were above the ground watching the rain forest from a completely different perspective and feeling in some way how the inhabitants of the rain forest see the world in a dimension that is completely new for us.
After rowing back in the catamarans and once again onboard the Delfin II, refreshed with a well-deserved shower, we had our lunch. Peruvian food is internationally renowned for its exquisiteness. Onboard the Delfin II the food has an additional touch, for the meals served onboard have regional Amazon flavors that make every meal not only delicious but a learning experience as well.
The afternoon was spent exploring the Yanayaquillo Caño. We were blessed by the weather conditions for we had a beautiful sunny afternoon that made us forget that we are in one of the wettest ecosystems on Earth. We truly enjoyed this outing. This narrow stream locally known in Spanish as “caño” (roughly translated to English as “creek”), is covered with thick vegetation; our naturalists spotted several species of colorful birds like macaws and toucans as well as some monkey troops.
Finally, late in the afternoon, we came back onboard with many unforgettable feelings and memories in our hearts and minds of this full day of our expedition in the Peruvian Amazon.
