We set out in the skiffs before sunrise this morning, eager to get to the mirrored waters of the Pacaya River. Red howler monkeys, pink river dolphins, and three-toed sloths greeted us along the way. Soon, we tied off to shore and enjoyed an amazing breakfast as we floated under a tree full of hoatzins in the bush and waited for the fog to lift. Incredible animals and reflections in the water kept us happy throughout the morning, and soon we were jumping into the river for a swim to cool down. Pink dolphins surrounded us in the water! Hundreds of neotropical cormorants decorated the trees above, and we all felt pretty darn lucky to be where we were. After lunch and a photo talk on board, we set out again in the skiffs in the late afternoon. We watched local fishermen haul a net into their canoe before exploring the riverbank of the larger Ucayali River, ending our exploration in the city of Requena and watching children play soccer and volleyball on the beach. Another wonderful day here in the Amazon!
7/25/2024
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Delfin II
Ucayali and Dorado Rivers
Today we had the great opportunity to start exploring the riverbank of the Ucayali River. We loaded the skiffs right after sunrise. As we cruised along the riverbank, different species of birds were seen. A highlight of that early exploration was the sighting of a tayra, a small omnivorous creature in the weasel family, that didn’t stay long in our view. After breakfast, we walked through Yanallpa flooded forest. Here our naturalist explained to us the importance of the floods for the Amazon forest. They also pointed out the effect of climate change over the area and how it has changed the use of the soils after the floods. It was a morning of learning about how the forest has manage to adapt to the seasonal floods and how fish and other animals depends on those events. Our late afternoon activities were held on Dorado River. Our naturalists brought out spotlights after sunset. Black caimans and spectacled caimans were the major attraction for our guests. Other night dwellers were also spotted by our naturalists, such as fishing bats, boat-billed night herons, night jars, and many other animals were seen by our guests. It was another awesome day exploring the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
