Our last full day of exploration of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve in the Upper Amazon in Peru was filled with all of the ingredients that have made this expedition a successful one, with great animal sightings, intercultural experiences, wonderful company, and excellent meals with regional flavors.

Right after breakfast, we boarded our fleet of skiffs to explore Supay Caño, a small tributary of the Ucayali River. We had a hot morning; the sun was shining, and the skies looked blue. We explored the area by kayak and skiff and watched numerous birds and other creatures, including yellow-billed terns, black-collared hawks, three-toed sloths, and green iguanas all surrounded by an exuberant green forest.

In the afternoon, we had the opportunity to go ashore and visit the picturesque village of San José de Paranapura. This small community with less than one hundred people is friendly, clean, and organized. We walked throughout the town admiring the well-kept gardens that surround the houses. All had different banana varieties, local fruits, cassava, and many other useful plants. On the farthest side of the town, there is a small pond where we saw several giant water lilies.

After this amusing visit, we had a final skiff ride in Yarapa Caño. In this location, we had a golden finale to our expedition, for we had extraordinary sightings that included wooly monkeys, macaws, flycatchers, etc.  Late in the afternoon, we came back onboard with our minds and spirits enriched with all the new adventures and feelings that the Upper Amazon has brought to our lives during this expedition.