This morning, we had our first pre-breakfast outing of the week, following the Amazon’s natural rhythm to increase our chances of seeing wildlife when it is most active (and to avoid the heat ourselves!). We started our exploration along the banks of the Ucayali River and watched the sunrise over the water. The beautiful early morning light helped us find all kinds of creatures, including squirrel monkeys, black capuchin monkeys, and many species of birds. From the Ucayali, we took a turn down a small inlet called Yanallpa Caño, a place where the river has gotten so low that it was an adventure just to make our way upstream. In that narrow waterway, we saw more amazing wildlife, including toucans, macaws, and an adorable yellow-crowned tree rat sleeping in his burrow in a tree. Back at the ship, we had a talk on the monkeys of the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, followed by a colorful and delicious fruit exhibition from naturalist Javier. It’s safe to say we all ate some fruits we’d never tried before today! After lunch, we enjoyed a photo presentation and then hit the water for kayaking and standup paddleboarding in the mouth of the El Dorado River. We left the ship on skiffs in the early evening to look for more wildlife, but instead of coming back at sunset, we stayed out to enjoy the jungle at night. With flashlights, our guides spotted white and black caimans throughout the river and its banks, and we were able to get up close for some photos. With no moon, the stars shone bright above us. We had absolutely incredible views of the Milky Way and the Southern Cross as we made our way along the river. It was an amazing day!
7/25/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali and Dorado Rivers
Today we had the great opportunity to start exploring the riverbank of the Ucayali River. We loaded the skiffs right after sunrise. As we cruised along the riverbank, different species of birds were seen. A highlight of that early exploration was the sighting of a tayra, a small omnivorous creature in the weasel family, that didn’t stay long in our view. After breakfast, we walked through Yanallpa flooded forest. Here our naturalist explained to us the importance of the floods for the Amazon forest. They also pointed out the effect of climate change over the area and how it has changed the use of the soils after the floods. It was a morning of learning about how the forest has manage to adapt to the seasonal floods and how fish and other animals depends on those events. Our late afternoon activities were held on Dorado River. Our naturalists brought out spotlights after sunset. Black caimans and spectacled caimans were the major attraction for our guests. Other night dwellers were also spotted by our naturalists, such as fishing bats, boat-billed night herons, night jars, and many other animals were seen by our guests. It was another awesome day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.