Today our expedition started very early: around 0600 we ventured deep into the Pacaya River, our farthest destination, and probably one of the most beautiful locations we will explore this week. Beautiful and sunny conditions accompanied us for most of the morning. Around 0730 we enjoyed a great breakfast outdoors; parked under a large tree, we were accompanied by the sounds of the rainforest.

Later on, our caravan of three skiffs arrived at a large, blackwater oxbow lake called Yanayacu Lake. We stopped there briefly to stretch our legs and use toilet facilities at the Pacaya Samiria Reserve Rangers’ Station. Continuing our exploration, we found monkeys, reptiles, and the famous hoatzin bird. We enjoyed a swim in the lake before returning to the ship.

In the afternoon we visited the Magdalena River. We observed an amazing and long list of Amazon birds. It was a lot of fun locating and identifying all of them! It was a long day of adventure indeed, but it had all the wonderful ingredients of a memorable expedition: remoteness, wonder, and exuberant wildlife.