It was time to meet the magnificent primary rain forest. We started our exploration walk early in the morning, admiring layers of vegetation above us throughout the walk. These different layers make the rainforest unique and diverse. As we explored, we met large trees that are the tallest ones in the forest. These trees make up the emergent layer, reaching over 90 ft. high. Here, walking at ground level we can see how thick these giants are but not how tall because the thick and tangled canopy blocks the view of their crowns.
This walk took us through the understory meeting organisms that live with the little sunlight that reaches the ground. Here we have some insects like: ants, centipedes, little frogs and of course many types of plants. Most plants have large leaves to catch as much sunlight as possible. Regarding animal life, this place is interesting because they are distributed on the different layers of the forest. Some are ground dwellers, others live up high in the canopy and others are part of the emergent layer. The canopy and the emergent layer are where sunlight, fruits and flowers are always plentiful.
In the afternoon we had a skiff ride and kayaking exploration at Nauta Creek. The superb wildlife makes this place one of a kind! Here we had many bird sightings, particularly black collared hawk. There were sloths and several troops of squirrel monkeys. This season is great for skiff exploration and the forest seems to be at its the best!
What a great day we had.
