The Pacaya River
The Pacaya-Samiria Reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Peru, bordered by the two main rivers that form the Amazon, the Ucayali River and the Marañon River. Within this area is a maze of smaller tributaries, permanently flooded lakes, and seasonal wetlands. Incredible amounts of fish live in this system, and in turn support an array of birds. With so many flooded areas, most species here are tied to the rising and falling of the river. The sediment rich waters coming down from the Andes nourish this ecosystem and this massive amount of water is one of the key factors that affect everything living here.
Today, our focus was on the Pacaya River. This is a long, winding river system that got us closer to the heart of the reserve. A series of ranger stations line the way, and these are the only people living up in this part of the reserve. They help to patrol the reserve and prevent illegal hunting and logging. This protection was evident by the amount of wildlife encountered.
Wildlife was abundant and new species for today included river turtles, Hoatzin (an amazing bird!) and a few new monkeys including White-fronted Capuchin, Monk Saki, and Red Howler Monkeys. Old standards but still incredible included: Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, Squirrel Monkeys, Horned Screamers, and Spectacled Caiman.
Our final destination for the day was deep into the reserve at Yanayacu Lake. Here many of us took a refreshing dip in the water. Yes, there are caiman and piranha here, but these are not to worry about. The pink river dolphins swimming near us were much more interesting! A massive thunderstorm developed, and we got a great lightning storm and our first rain of the trip! As we retuned back downstream, the night time creatures replaced the day time, ending a spectacular day here deep within the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve.
