This morning was rainy, warm, and quiet, which are normal aspects of the jungle. This emerald world is so astonishing and it does not matter if it is rainy or sunny, we are ready to explore this marvelous place. At 8 o’clock, we disembarked on the riverbanks, where we were greeted by some locals who were curious about our presence there. Our guides led us along a trail into a primary forest of the amazon. As soon as you left the river bank, huge trees and thick vegetation surrounded us; they sky is practically obstructed, and just a bit of sunlight illuminates the jungle. Our experts and fearless naturalists explained the medicinal properties of some of these plants, and all the ancestral knowledge that has passed down for generations and used to cure illnesses. In fact, the jungle is a living laboratory where humans can find many useful things, for example plants that cure the flu, headaches, stomachache etc. or important plants for manufacturing, such as rubber trees. It is so fascinating to collect the natural rubber with your hands from those trees and to feel the texture of it; you realize how important mother nature is, and you respect it even more. After walking for a few minutes we reached a canopy bridge. It was a very exciting to cross these bridges, walking 40 to 80 feet above the ground, exploring the top of these giant trees covered by air plants, flowers, bromeliads, orchids, creeper plants and wildlife.

Later in the afternoon, we navigated to Nauta Caño, a branch of the Marañòn river. We rode our skiffs upriver for about two hours, along the coast, in search of many species of birds, jungle creatures and plants. It was raining in the beginning, but soon the sun came out, and the wildlife activity during this excursion was amazing. Some of our intrepid explorers were interested in kayaking, so they jumped into these quiet vehicles and enjoyed the solitude and quietness of the jungle, where birds and animals make so many sounds to communicate each other. We found many varieties of birds, terns, egrets, flycatchers, swallows, hawks and more. Around 6:10 pm, we headed back to our riverboat. The sunset was beautiful, the trees and clouds reflected in the water and the scenery was breathtaking.

After dinner, some of our guests went for a night hike into the jungle, to enjoy the sounds and to see nocturnal animals. We finished our day exhausted but so happy and pleased to be exploring this unique place on our planet.