Today we had a wonderful day of exploration. We experienced firsthand the cultural and natural diversity of the Peruvian Upper Amazon.
Early in the morning we had a pre-breakfast skiff ride along the Marayali River. The latter is a fairly big stream that connects the Marañon with the Ucayali River. We observed many bird species in the primetime of the day. Later, after breakfast, we went to visit San Francisco Community. We were welcomed by the villagers, especially by a group of women leaders that are part of the several projects of Minga Peru. Minga Peru is the NGO that the Lindblad - National Geographic Fund supports. We had a very hot but enlightened morning learning about the local way of living and the several productive and cultural activities that people carry on in this community.
We had a great opportunity to interact and share precious moments with people of all ages, ranging from small kids in a school class to elders and leaders. We even had time to visit the house of Doris, a local townswoman and animal lover. Doris spends her time maintaining, feeding and most importantly loving several rainforest animals that live with her.
In the afternoon, we visited Clavero Lake. We had the chance to go swimming in this remote location in the clean waters of this beautiful lake. Finally, in the late afternoon we explored the area with our skiffs and enjoyed watching many birds and several mammals. After dinner, lively music played by some talented members of the ship’s crew was a golden finale of this long but productive day in the Upper Amazon of Peru.
