The Amazon is not an area visited by many. It is a place restricted to travelers hungry to see something different, something wild. Day after day we have taken hikes into the forest, skiffs rides into creeks accessible only by water, and even kayaked the dark “clear” lagoons and caños.

Today is the last full day of our expedition in the mighty Amazon, and we can all agree that this trip has changed our lives.

Today, after a quiet early skiff ride into the Zapote River, we headed to visit one of the nearby settlements known as Zapote village. At this time of the year we are able to see land around the schools and houses, but it is only because the water levels are down far enough for land to be observed. During the high water season the whole village is flooded, creating a Venice-like environment, and their villagers have adapted to this unique way of life.

After a brief stop in the Zapote community center, we continued our ride along the riverbank and into one of the many creeks along the main river. With a significant amount of land in sight, we heard sounds not too familiar to us—they came from land-based species that need to work their way through the forest to access the now far-away river.

In the afternoon, the skiff ride into Supay Caño gave us all the chance to observe the forest in a different way. We of course took pictures, but we also took the opportunity to look at the river, the forest, and the villagers with our own eyes, creating the long-lasting memories that will be with us for the rest of our lives.