Today was once again a very special day. As we disembarked the ship for our early morning excursion in Zapote River, we noticed that the crew had loaded onto the skiff a few extra boxes, and their purpose was not to be revealed until later in the morning.
We chose for our morning skiff ride an area very infrequently visited, called Zapote. Once again, the high-water levels of the river continue to give us several options for our skiff rides. The morning was very successful in terms of wildlife, and the skies were clear and open, making us think about how lucky we have been with the weather and the lack of rain during our excursions.
After seeing several species of birds and the largest troop of monk saki monkeys of the trip, we headed onto a beautiful spot on the river, specifically chosen to unveil our extra precious cargo…our breakfast!
Indeed, we had a bit of change on scenery during our breakfast when white-gloved crew started to hand out plates with eggs, sandwiches, and fruits! Coffee was poured and fresh juice was served…all while onboard our skiff observing the wonderful settings that only the forest can provide. It was like a jungle version of Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Although no true diamonds were handed out, nature was in charge of providing the diamonds of nature, when a group of scarlet macaws flew above our heads as we were having breakfast! What a treat!
We then continued onto our exploration of the nearby town also known as Zapote. This small community is rarely visited by tourists, and therefore there was very little shopping involved during the visit. However, the main attraction was to skiff-ride through the town, as every street was completely covered by water, making it look as the Venice of the Amazon!
After a wonderful morning, we continued our navigation with the ship a bit further up on the Ucayali River. Our goal was to reach the furthest area that we will reach during our trip in the Upper Amazon. We indeed reached the desired destination, making the Pacaya River our final stop for the day. We headed out shortly after lunch into a wild adventure crossing entangled flooded marshland and continued into a section of the Pacaya known to be howler monkey’s territory. We indeed saw several troops along the way, some close and some farther. The end of our skiff journey was a well-protected lagoon which we used for a quick swim! Water was warm and calm, and pink river dolphins were making their appearance occasionally. Not too bad for our day, right?
