We arose bright and early for our very first excursion into the Amazon, and it was like someone had put in a request to the dolphins. Pink and gray dolphins appeared in abundance as we entered the Flor de Castaño, feeding and courting. Our day would be full of bird and other wildlife sightings as we explored deep into an oxbow lake, where the river pinched a meander as it shifted course over the years. Later in the day after several aboard enjoyed a kayaking exploration, we ventured into Supay Creek. We looked for elusive pygmy marmoset monkeys, the smallest in the world, and were treated to a rare sighting as a little group of monkeys licked sap from a tree. Our day was full of such creatures as sloths, yellow-headed caracaras, osprey, cormorants feeding and black-collared hawks and even a paradise tanager. The day proved to be but an appetizer for all the wonders yet to come.
4/13/2024
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Delfin II
Iricahua Creek and Amazona Community
We began our day exploring Iricahua Creek just before breakfast. The clear skies of the morning allowed us to enjoy all the sightings that nature had to offer us. The flooded forest was covered with lush vegetation and our naturalists explained the capabilities many plants have to survive the six months of high waters. For our afternoon activity, we visited the Amazona Community. The friendly inhabitants had prepared an interesting presentation of their daily life for us. The extraction of sugar cane juice, their local cooking methods, and the preparation of the chambira palm fiber were some of the daily activities about which we learned. We all gathered in the main house, called maloca. Here a group of teenagers shared their experience on how the NGO Minga Peru had supported them in becoming young entrepreneurs. It was a life changing experience for all of us. What a lovely way to finish our expedition through the Upper Amazon.
