The Pacaya River
The Pacaya-Samiria Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Peru and in all of the Amazon basin. At more than 5 million acres, it is a massive area that we are exploring this week. At its heart are a series of rivers, lakes, and flooded areas that support an interesting mix of plants and animals. Today, we spent all day exploring one of the namesake rivers that penetrates deep into the reserve, the Pacaya River.
While in the morning and the afternoon we used the skiffs to explore this area, the two trips had a very different feel. Cool temperatures and cloud cover made for excellent wildlife excursions in the morning. Lots of monkeys were seen, four different species in total. Squirrel monkeys were active and abundant, capuchin large and fast, the strange Monk Saki fuzzy and curious, while the howlers were big and loud. We also saw huge numbers of birds, many focused on eating the abundant fish in this area. Frogs were also spotted, including the triangle clown frog and a gorgeous green one.
This area has some of the best protection in the reserve. A series of ranger stations and volunteer rangers help control poaching and also are involved in river turtle conservation. As the river level drops, turtles lay their eggs in the newly exposed sand bars. Rangers collect the eggs, take them to the stations to raise, and then release them back into the wild. Today, we saw the rangers collecting the eggs, and in the afternoon, we saw large adults basking in the sun.
The afternoon excursion started in the heat of the afternoon. We traveled at high speed and went deep into the reserve, soon arriving at a gorgeous lake. Here, hundreds of egrets and cormorants were feeding as macaws passed overhead. This was our spot for a swim, and the warm water felt incredible. Breaking out flotation noodles and beer, soon nearly everyone was in the water. Many pink dolphins were nearby as well, adding to the festivities.
We dragged ourselves out of the water and started making our way home. More monkeys were spotted, quite a few massive Jabiru storks flew overhead, and the bats started to come out. With massive cumulus clouds in the distance, a gorgeous sunset brought a close to a spectacular day enjoying the Pacaya River.
