Much of our day was spent around the area where two rivers, the Ucayali and Marañon, meet to form the mighty Amazon. At this stage of the year with the water so high, the rivers flood over most of the banks, leaving a huge area inundated by water. At sunrise, we set out in the skiffs to explore the spot where the Amazon begins, and a gorgeous nearby tributary.
Piraña Caño is a narrow stream leading off from the Amazon, and was filled with wildlife. Bats and iguanas, a few monkeys, and many birds were spotted. But keen eyes spotted a real gem, an anteater! A Southern Tamandua was slowly making its way through the trees, slurping town large quantities of ants. Not concerned with us at all, it made for excellent photo opportunities. This rare species was a great start to our day.
After breakfast we visited the nearby village of San Francisco. Here, we were led by our naturalists in learning about life along the Amazon. We visited different houses, chatted with locals, and learned about fishing and farming. Certainly a highlight was visiting the school. We did disrupt class a bit, but the kids didn’t seem to mind. Lots of fun and a bit of learning were had by all. We also did some heavy shopping, as the villagers make very high quality handicrafts.
In the afternoon, we explored the beautiful blackwater stream Cedar Creek. Perfect conditions for skiff exploration and kayaking resulted in great photography and wildlife encounters. Not only did we encounter many more birds and some monkeys, but we found two very interesting critters sleeping. One, a Yellow-crowned Brush-tailed Rat was curled up in a strangler fig. The finale, a Great Potoo, was a nocturnal bird with the amazing camouflage of a dead branch.
We once again enjoyed the local flavors of the Amazon and the sounds of the multitalented crew.
