It is our second full day of exploration in the Amazon jungle. Today our ship is at the foot of the riverbank close to trees and plants. We can hear the many types of birds here: some who come out to feed, others to hunt, others to migrate by day in search of food, like the parrots and parakeets, which make a peculiar sound when they fly by.
In the morning we went on a walk at the Amazon Natural Park. This is a very interesting area because here you can find pristine and primary forests. We walked for few minutes and then we crossed a lagoon paddling on very small canoes. Once on land the power of the jungle is notorious—huge trees everywhere that make us appear so tiny, one can hardly see the sky. Every step you take helps you find more creatures: tiny frogs, insects, bullet ants, snakes, and so on. The trees are giants, and air plants such as bromeliads, helicons, orchids, musses, ferns, and lichens cover them. Huge and thick veins grows from the ground to the top of trees. The scenery is amazing, like “Avatar”, the movie. We finished our walk learning a lot from our naturalist guides, and experiencing the real jungle.
Later in the afternoon we visited Nauta Creek, a minor tributary of the Marañòn River. Our skiffs took us to the interior to look for wildlife. The first creature we found was a female sloth resting quietly at a cecropia tree. We moved slowly, paying attention to all the sounds we could hear and looking at the canopy to find animals. We saw many types of birds, such as Amazon king fishers, terns, tanagers, herons, flycatchers, and barbets. We also found a caiman lizard basking on top of a branch. But the highlight were the playful monkeys we saw, and four creamer woodpeckers knocking the bark of a tree.
Nauta Creek is a wonderful spot. We had a great afternoon and our guests were very happy to see many types of jungle creatures. The sunset turned the sky into oranges and purples, and we headed back to the ship. Far in the distance we could see its warm lights that showed our skiffs the way back home. Behinds us will stay all the good memories and very enjoyable moments in this mysterious place on earth. And at night after dinner, the crew “orchestra” will play some music to serenade our guests. A happy ending to a happy day!
