Another day in the amazing Upper Amazon began with a beautiful and colorful sunrise. In the distance we could see how the tall trees of the Varzea forest were being revealed with the sun rays. Flocks of birds were seen flying from tree to tree. We were so eager to go and check this beauty that we hurried through breakfast and geared up.
We loaded the skiffs and together with the naturalist we departed to explore this amazing paradise of Llanalpa. As we got closer to the river side, a blue and yellow color was identified on the top of an old aguaje palm. To our surprise, those colors belonged to a pair of blue and yellow macaws! They performed a beautiful show for us by opening their wings and making their peculiar calls. What a great beginning!
On the trail, we saw majestic trees that survive the six months of high waters of the Ucayali River. One of them is the ficus tree that has these areal roots that allows them to absorb air and nutrients. This forest that seems like an enchanted fairy tale was loaded with life. From birds to mammals, it offered our explorers a delightful time.
We had a nice view of a family of noisy night monkeys that curiously pop their heads out of a tree hole. Red squirrels and amazon black squirrels were some of the other mammal sightings. While enjoying them, red throated caracara sang above our heads and another pair of blue and yellow macaws flew above our heads.
Back on board, Delfin II navigated up the Ucayali River. Our afternoon destination was Dorado River, another tributary of the Ucayali. Along the river we could see the fields of rice, watermelon and other crops that are planted when the water level descends, leaving the soil rich in nutrients. So for the “ribereños” it’s the perfect moment to plant crops.
We soon arrived to our destination and prepared ourselves for the late afternoon exploration. The water level of the Dorado River had descended and our expert skiff drivers managed to take us through the river’s entrance which was barely wider than our skiffs.
Good sightings of squirrel monkeys, three toed sloths, bluish fronted jacamar, white eared jacamars and many other forest dwellers were appreciated by our explorers. We were also waiting for the sunset. Our plans were to search for caimans and night creatures too.
Our naturalists turned on the spotlight and the search began! Little by little, red eyes began to take over the surface and the river edge. Black caimans and spectacled caimans came out to hang around and to look for their meals. Some were shy as we approached them while others just stayed frozen trying to give us the idea that they were not there.
Boat billed night herons, bulldog fishing bats, common parauque and many others species of animals began to show themselves as the skiff passed by. There was no doubt that the nightlife is as active as the day.
