This is the beginning of our life-changing expedition in the Amazon rain forest, and today we had our first taste of this vast green jungle, that is going to be our exploration site for the week. This morning, we woke up on the shore of the Marañón River. The first sightings were of the local people, travelling in their dugout canoes, as flocks of birds flew overhead, all along the river. The sounds of birds and insects echoed through the forest, just like a great concert!
Pahuachiro Caño is one of the many small creeks and tributaries of the large Marañón River. It has black water that creates a mirror effect, reflecting the trees and the clouds. The first sightings were egrets fishing on the river, as well as many raptors, such as yellow-headed caracaras, perching on top of the trees. The best part of the morning was watching a troop of saddle back tamarin monkeys feasting on fruit and jumping on the trees. These little monkeys are real characters, almost like circus performers of the forest. Their acrobatics were just fascinating! They are masters of the canopy.
Later in the morning, we had an introduction to what the rain forest is all about. After breakfast, we explored Casual Reserve. Here, with the help of people of the community to which the forest belongs, we had the opportunity to see some exotic animals. Without their help, we would never have found any of these creatures, like the anaconda, a little forest turtle, some poison arrow frogs and tarantulas.
In the afternoon, we boarded our fleet of skiffs to explore Yanayacu-Pucate River. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon, and this river has black water as well. As we explored the forest along the riverbank, we spotted flocks of egrets and some sloths. Moments later, we were surrounded by curious pink dolphins! We continued our afternoon exploration until suddenly we spotted another three toed sloth. This time it was not just a fury ball attached to a tree, it was close and we watched while it climbed up the branches. This has been a very special day, with so many sightings, and the finale was a beautiful golden sunset, to remind us that more discoveries await us tomorrow.
