Pacaya River
I must confess I have a new addiction. It has started almost since day one here in Amazonia, and today, at Pacaya River, I have realized there is no return for me.
I am addicted to bird watching. I see one beautiful macaw, but immediately afterward I want…I need…a new species. My neck is starting to hurt from the many hours looking up, with binoculars in hand, but it’s out of control; I want to observe the more than four-hundred species recorded in this area, and then, I am sure, I will want more. When I look at the guests who share my skiff, I find out that it’s been contagious. It’s impossible not to fall in love with birds of Amazonia, when each one is more beautiful or more intriguing than the other; from the prehistoric looking Hoatzin, to the turkey-like Horned Screamers, and then to the colorful Scarlet Macaws, it’s a passion that we all share on board Delfin II.
Today wasn’t only about birds, but also monkeys. We saw red howler monkeys, which indeed have red hair. They are very quiet and always far up in the tallest trees. Monk sakis are dark, with thick tails and melena that make them look as lions. Squirrel monkeys are always on the move, and in dozens.
I love Pacaya’s surroundings. It is where everything started in 1940 with only one river, and today it covers more than 2 million hectares of protected area.
The best meals are the ones outdoors, and we had a very refined breakfast underneath a gigantic fig tree. It was also our opportunity to celebrate Adonai’s birthday, with cake and songs in both, English and Spanish.
We jumped in the black waters of Yanuyacu Lake while pink dolphins and cormorants swam around. And that was just the morning!
After lunch and compulsory siesta, we moved again into the reserve, but deeper. Our mission: howling. And the mission was accomplished by finding several troops of red howler monkeys.
It was dark when we agreed to leave Pacaya behind. Fantastic lightning announced a storm. What new species of birds will I encounter tomorrow? Yes, I am addicted, and even in my dreams birds pay me a visit.
