It is our second full day of exploring the Upper Amazon. Here, animals are more active early in the morning or late in the afternoon, therefore you must come out early to experience the vast biodiversity of fauna seen here.
Yanayaquillo is a long creek by the Marañon River, at 6:00 am we took the skiffs to motor along, the creeks are deep and flooded because of the rainy season. The tide goes here up to 30 feet and you can see on the bark of the trees the last year water mark, this year the water level have increased faster and it is almost reaching the tip top. So we are closer to the canopy and many types of birds are easier seen. At the entrance of the creek we found a group of pink dolphins feeding, it was amazing to find these incredible fresh water mammals jumping all over the place. Then in, we found many species of birds, and at the end the highlight was a peregrine falcon, which is rarely seen in this place, it was feeding on a bird bit by bit on one of the branches of a tall tree, so the show was fascinating.
After an hour and a half of skiff exploration we came back on board to have breakfast and then our second exploration spot was Pampa Creek. Once there we saw few toucans, squirrel monkeys, tanagers, kingfishers, and more. Then some of our avid guests went to visit Carola, a very small community where a shaman offered her services to them. The fact of encountering a person that have ancestral knowledge is a great and a unique traveling experience.
After lunch we motored for a while on the river and reached Amazon Park. It is a protected area of 50 hectares of primitive primary forest; the place is astonishing! Once you disembarked on the riverbank you walk for 5 minutes to reach a nice fresh water lagoon, the you embark on little boats, a catamaran-style, and paddling for 10 minutes or so you get the other side of the shore; Once there you walk for a hour and a half into the jungle where huge ancient trees are impressive and millions of creatures live, from a bullet ants, frogs, snakes, to monkeys and birds of all the sizes. To add more excitement to the journey we walked on canopy bridges, that takes you to the highs and you get a monkey perspective of the surroundings. At the end we have the opportunity of seeing a Capybara, the biggest rodent mammal found in the jungle. Sunset was beautiful, the day ended perfect, and everyday we got a delightful time at this incredible place of our planet: the Amazon!
