The Pacaya is one of the rivers that gives its name to the amazing area we are visiting. This area is a prime destination worldwide for its variety of wildlife and the sheer numbers that concentrate here. We set out for a half-day outing to spot thousands of birds from over 70 species. We observed turtles, river otters, pink dolphins, countless monkeys, and various other mammals. Afterwards, all agreed it was a formidable experience. To top it off, some brave guests dared to jump in a black water lake for a refreshing swim with pink dolphins. At night, we set out for a hike in the forest, the first real hike of our expedition. With the aid of torches, our intrepid guides found a myriad of insects, spiders, and frogs.
5/20/2023
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Delfin II
Upper Amazon
Today is the last full day of our expedition, and what a magnificent day it was! We have truly been amazed by the beauty of the forest and our daily encounters with wildlife. On our last day, we maximized our time and departed very early in the morning. We headed to visit a small creek known as Pahuachiro. It made for a great final skiff ride, as we encountered many of the birds we have seen before, and even some new ones to add to our bird list! Later in the morning, we went to terra firma and hiked over a trail known as “Casual.” This trail is named after a small village located a few miles away, and it truly provided us with marvelous encounters to complete our Amazon expedition. Some of the locals joined us and became “local guides,” hiking through the forest and returning with precious cargo…snakes, tarantulas, poison dart frogs, etc. So many curiosities would have escaped us if we had been by ourselves, and the assistance of local people in spotting wildlife was very much appreciated! It all finished where we started, but the area looked somehow different. Locals had created modest stands to display handcrafts and carvings that some of our guests purchased as souvenirs! Right after we returned, we navigated to the confluence of the Marañon and the Ucayali Rivers and enjoyed a nice “camu-camu sour” to celebrate our navigation on the Amazon River itself! Lunch was served shortly after that. We enjoyed a great presentation on the region’s Indigenous folklore, which was presented by one of our naturalists. Our afternoon was spent visiting a nearby village known as Amazonas community, which gave us an understanding of what it is like to live here. Food tasting, strolling in the village, and even more shopping was not a bad way to finish our day and our expedition in the great Upper Amazon!
