Getting to know the local villagers is one of the most interesting things to do when traveling, even moreso when the location is as remote as the Upper Amazon. The Peruvian region of Pucate and Yanayacu Reserve has 94 communities with about 42,000 people in total. Their main economy is based on fishing, agriculture, and gathering and hunting, the first being their most important activity and main source of food.
Day after day in the past few days traveling within the reserve, we have observed the locals going in and out the main rivers and its tributaries on board of their little canoes, carrying fresh fish for their meals.
Today we got to see with our own eyes one of the bigger villages of the northern region of the Ucayali River, known as San Francisco. During the early morning, we went hiking in a nearby forest trail in what it would be the last of our hikes of the trip. Although the forest visit was very nice, I believe the highlight of the day was to meet the river people, or the “rivereños,” and to visit the children in the main school that San Francisco village has. Teachers did not mind us interrupting briefly their classes, as our guests wanted to say hello to the children and give away on behalf of all of them school supplies that they brought as presents for the communities.
Kids of all ages were delighted to see our guests, and many of them had quite a few question regarding where they were from, and what they do, but the most popular question was to know whether or not our guests were enjoying the country of Peru and their trip in the Amazon.
Our afternoon took us even further up the Ucayali River to an area known as Cedro Caño. Kayak and skiff rides were the alternatives and we all enjoyed a nice afternoon navigating the narrow streams of this creek, encountering monkeys, birds and incredible scenery.
