This is our first day in the Amazon rainforest! After a long journey, we have now arrived, and we are surrounded by the greatest network of rivers on the planet. The upper Amazon is a vast combination of terra firme and varzea forests, and there are giant trees that emerge above the canopy layer, most of them at least a hundred feet tall! The terra firme forest is always above water level, and has the largest and highest trees. On the other hand, the varzea forest gets flooded for at least four months of the year.

This morning we started the day with a visit to a small creek called Pahuachiro. This place is the best introduction to the fauna of the Amazon region, and here we had our first bird sightings of the week. Some were raptors, and others were song birds. The most exiting part was spotting our first troop of squirrel monkeys, jumping and feeding on the trees.

At mid-morning, we landed for an exploration walk at Casual Forest. This forest is protected by the members of the Casual community, a group of people that live alongside of the Maranon River. The forest here is unpredictable and it always brings surprises. Once we landed, we walked into the woods for only ten minutes before we spotted a three-toed sloth fifteen feet away and coming towards us, until it was only six feet away and at eye level. What a fantastic beginning! We continued walking into the forest and we had more great sightings. Our guides showed us dart frogs, tarantulas, a red-tailed boa and a young anaconda!

In the afternoon, we explored Yanayacu River, which means “black water” river. Here we boarded the skiffs and headed up the river in search of more wildlife. The banks of the river are dotted with birds, including red-collared hawks and a flock of hoatzins, and the highlight of this site was the reflection of the forest on the black water of the river. After a great outing with all of these sightings, it was time to come back to the Delfin II and celebrate an amazing day in the Upper Amazon with the typical Peruvian drink, the Pisco sour!  

It was an outstanding day with marvelous sightings!