Amazonia is a vast region of interwoven rivers that originate in the highlands of the Andes. We embarked our skiffs early this morning with weather that accurately described the environment where we are, the tropical rain forest. With our ponchos on, we ventured into Pahuachiro Caño to have our first wildlife sightings. The rain ceased for some time before we enjoyed the first breakfast of our Amazonian adventure. Several bird species were seen, and we also found our first three-toed sloths, which were well camouflaged among the abundant Cecropia trees that line the riversides.
Casual Trail was the next exploration of the morning. The rain picked up again, without deterring us from exploring the jungle for the first time. We had a nice introduction of the amazing biodiversity that exists here. We got to see the poison dart frogs that a couple local men collected for us to see. As we walked listening to our knowledgeable guides, the locals would venture into the jungle to surprise us with their findings. Pink toed tarantulas, dart frogs, and other creatures were the theme of conversation for the morning, and good subjects for macro photography.
Back on Delfin II, we repositioned to the convergence of the Pucate Yanayacu Rivers and the Marñón River. Here the black water joins the sediment rich Marañón, creating an interesting pattern of colors of dark and light browns in the water. Theses places are excellent areas to find tucuxis and grey river dolphins.
Photographers found a challenge in trying to predict where the next pink dolphin would break the surface to try to capture an image of it. The dolphins stayed for a good amount of time, giving everyone a chance to get decent looks at the almost mythological fresh water cetaceans.
For the afternoon we had a delightful skiff ride through the Pucate Yanayacu Rivers. The weather had dramatically improved, creating that very special light that comes after a good rain.
After dinner, the hotel staff performed some local music for us in the dining room. Guitars, quenas, sampoñas, and charangos, along with Amazonian voices reminded us that Peru is not only Amazonia, but also a rich country of immensurable biological and cultural richness.
