Our last full day of exploration in the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve in Peru started with a constant rain, that stopped briefly shortly after breakfast. This rainy morning today reminded us that we have been exploring one of the wettest ecosystems on Earth. We explored “Iricahua Caño” by skiff during the relatively cool morning under a rather grey sky. This kind of weather has a magic that is difficult to explain, for the creek was very calm after the rain, letting us enjoy beautiful water reflections everywhere. This narrow water channel is covered with a thick vegetation, with many bromeliads and huge trees that make big green walls. Several species of colorful birds like macaws and toucans were seen, as well as a couple of troops of Monk Saki monkeys. We observed these monkeys for quite a while, collecting fruits, interacting with one another, moving around and even a couple of them jumping through the thick foliage.
Before lunch time, we had a “Pisco sour” preparation demonstration, conducted by Delfin II barman Aldo, with the help of waiter. All over this multicultural country, people have this drink as a national unifying identity symbol. We had a lot of fun watching how some guest volunteers shook the drinks to the tune of “La Bamba”.
After lunch, a whole group of enthusiastic guests explored Yarapa Caño by kayaks. They had a blast, for the afternoon had ideal conditions for this activity. As they were quietly paddling along the creek river, they had great sightings as well from a different perspective than that of our earlier skiff ride.
The late afternoon started sunny and warm, totally the opposite of the morning. Weather conditions change so much within a day in these realms. We spent a couple of hours exploring Puerto Miguel Caño by skiffs. After the ride, we paid a visit to the community´s artisanal market, which is one of the largest in the reserve. Most of the ornamentation of the Delfin II has been bought or has been commissioned by the owner of the ship, Mrs. Lissy Urteaga, who is a talented designer.
On our way back, we enjoyed the guests’ slide show of photos from the week during cocktail hour. A BBQ dinner was served in the most fashionable way, decorated with Amazon handcrafts and colorful flowers, with lively music was a golden finale of a fabulous expedition in the Peruvian Upper Amazon.
