Yanalpa Caño & Dorado River
As a wildlife biologist and photographer, the Amazon is a bit of a paradise. The diversity of animals here is amongst the top in the world, so there are always new and varied things to discover. From tiny colorful insects to large monkeys, there is a wide variety of things to see here. As a photographer, there are also beautiful trees, interesting people, and gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. From an early morning excursion till our return this evening after dark, we had great photo opportunities and abundant wildlife experiences.
Starting before breakfast, a skiff ride on the Ucayali River visited an area of moriche palms where macaws are known to congregate. We had great views of three blue and yellow macaws, as well as various parrots and parakeets. From there, we ventured through a small farm to find some tiny monkeys, the pygmy marmoset. One individual played hide and seek with us right next to the trail, and later four were observed grooming each other.
In the afternoon, we planned for a night excursion to find caimans and more. An active sloth crawled along some branches in a cercropia tree. I actually shot video of a sloth moving, not something that happens very often! From there we entered a vast lake area, filled with giant water lilies and water hyacinths. A stunning sunset with a massive thunderhead beside it was the signal for us to return, but not before closely approaching a few spectacled caimans. As well, we found some night birds including a common potoo, and a snake that was probably an Amazonian tree boa.
Our grand finale for the night was another perfect meal from the chefs and the music of the jungle beetles.
