The Ucayali River, together with Apurímac River, Ene River, and Tambo River, is today considered the main headwater of the Amazon River, totaling a length of 2,700 kilometres (1,660 mi) from the source of the Apurímac at Nevado Mismi to the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañón Rivers.
Today, we explored one of the secondary tributaries of the Ucayali, known as Zapote River. This location has not only great wildlife, but also a community of rivereños (river people) carrying the same name of the river.
Some of the guests took the opportunity to enjoy a different way to see the Amazon, by paddling quietly in the kayaks; they explored the river banks and enjoyed the combination of the landscape and the bird sounds coming from within the forest.
Right after breakfast, we all boarded the skiffs to explorer the extensive black water system of this river, encountering many species of birds and monkeys. Some of the river people were occasionally found along the way, paddling their dugout canoes towards the main village; we passed by the main village, enjoying the views of the simple life of the river people. All of their houses are conveniently constructed on stilts, high enough from the river level, but one can see the distinctive “black lines” left by past-years high waters, and we can only imagine how different the village looked back then!
We visited some of the local women were found at the artisan market house, who were selling their hand-made products, such as necklaces, handbags, belts and many articles made mostly from seeds collected from the forest.
Our last afternoon excursion took place at Supay creek; this lovely lagoon-like section of the river gave us all once again wonderful views of the forest that we all learned to enjoy and appreciate during this very special week on board the Delfin II.
The evening was equally special, as we enjoyed a slide show of the entire trip, put together using pictures contributed by the guests themselves. It was a lovely way to finish our trip!
