We continued exploring the Upper Amazon as we navigated along the Ucayali River.
Early morning and late afternoon skiff rides were filled with amazing wildlife
and gorgeous scenery. To mix it up a bit today, we stayed out until after dark,
returning in skiffs searching for nocturnal animals.
Mike learned early on that the best way to escape Ohio was to become a marine biologist. During college at Wittenberg University he attended a semester at Duke University's Marine Lab — that time only confirmed his love for all things oceanic and ma...
Leaving Delfin II at 06:00 for our morning skiff ride, we explored the Yarapa River and monkeys were everywhere! We saw common wooly monkeys, monk saki monkeys, and common squirrel monkeys. We weren’t monkeying around! In addition to the monkeys there were woodpeckers galore! We photographed crimson-crested, yellow-tufted, and cream-colored woodpeckers as they were busily hammering away at trees and termite nests. Our afternoon was spent at Amazonas Village getting an introduction to life along the river. We enjoyed demonstrations of food preparation, basketmaking with palm fibers, and hand-dying with local plants to give the baskets vibrant colors. We also had an introduction to Minga Peru, a group serving 40 different communities in this area. Our evening was topped off with a toast to the beginning of the actual Amazon River, where the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers converge. Salud!
Today we explored the Pacaya River, deep in the protected area of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. The sheer beauty of this area, with its massive trees, extensive wetlands (at this time in the season) and incredible numbers of birds, made for a morning that left us in awe. In the afternoon, we got to experience the rain that makes the rainforest, but it did not deter us from exploring for a few hours from our skiffs and enjoying the brilliant natural interpretation of our local guides.
During our early skiff ride this morning we were treated to a special sighting of an animal endemic to the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve: Isabel’s saki monkey! We spotted a pair of them, eating breakfast right above our heads in perfect light. Cameras clicked and whirred as we watched and photographed these magnificent monkeys! After lunch some guests chose to explore the Dorado River by kayaks and paddleboards before leaving on a skiff ride. We explored through the sunset and into the night on our wild caiman adventure! Searching for glowing eyes in the dark, we spotted several spectacled and black caimans lying motionless on the surface of the river, seemingly posing for our cameras!
