Today we awoke along the riverbank of the Rio Ucayali, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. After a delicious and colorful breakfast, we set out for our first adventure in the small skiffs to look for wildlife in Clavero Lake. We were immediately greeted by fishing river dolphins, pink and gray, making for a great start to the day. Our morning brought us countless bird species, a pygmy marmoset, and long-nosed bats. Back on board the Delfin II, we enjoyed presentations about the natural history of the area and photography in the jungle before setting out in the late afternoon in the skiffs again. This time, we explored the narrow passageways of Supay Caño, seeing many local fishermen in small canoes along the way. We were greeted with more birds, a sloth, and another pygmy marmoset! It was a great start to our week exploring Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
5/11/2024
Read
Delfin II
Amazonas Natural Park and Pucate River
We are reaching the end of an amazing week exploring the Upper Amazon aboard Delfin II , and it has been an astonishing trip in many ways. This morning we explored the Marañon River. We disembarked on the riverbank of the Amazon Natural Park, a protected area where a primary forest of the jungle is full of birds and wildlife. Three small catamarans took us around the lake, paddling slowly and observing the fauna. Once in the jungle, we walked for about two hours to explore this emerald world, where trees cover the sky and the light doesn’t reach the ground. Inside it is dark; plants struggle with each other for photosynthesis, and some even strangle their neighbors to survive. In these dark areas we observed birds which by evolution are sensitive to sunlight. One such bird is the capped manakin; this small, interesting creature feeds on fruits and makes unique mechanical sounds with special modified feathers in its wings. In the afternoon we explored the Pucate River. We spotted many kinds of birds like herons, parakeets, macaws, and toucans. Then at night we enjoyed the slideshow of the week, a compilation of all the great memories and experiences from this incredible week we have had aboard Delfin II . The Pacaya Samiria reserve is a place to protect, to love, to enjoy as we did, because of its vast biodiversity, its complex net of rivers and creeks, and the flora that holds life.