San Francisco Community / Clavero Lake, 5/10/2017, Delfin II
Aboard the
Delfin II
Amazon
It is always important when visiting an area to include in the experience the human part of it. Today was the day for this. We visited the small community of San Francisco by the river’s edge to see how people make a living in this very remote part of the world.
We visited their school and their homes, and with the aid of our local guides, got to talk to the children and the teachers at school then other local people inside their homes. They were happy to talk about how it is to live so far away from the rest of the world.
We were very happily impressed by how welcoming the people of San Francisco were to us!
Nicknamed “Indio” (Indian) because of his powers of observation and quiet nature, José has almost two decades of experience working as a naturalist and photography guide; as well as being recognized as an expert birder and nature photographer in Cost...
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We began our day exploring Iricahua Creek just before breakfast. The clear skies of the morning allowed us to enjoy all the sightings that nature had to offer us. The flooded forest was covered with lush vegetation and our naturalists explained the capabilities many plants have to survive the six months of high waters. For our afternoon activity, we visited the Amazona Community. The friendly inhabitants had prepared an interesting presentation of their daily life for us. The extraction of sugar cane juice, their local cooking methods, and the preparation of the chambira palm fiber were some of the daily activities about which we learned. We all gathered in the main house, called maloca. Here a group of teenagers shared their experience on how the NGO Minga Peru had supported them in becoming young entrepreneurs. It was a life changing experience for all of us. What a lovely way to finish our expedition through the Upper Amazon.
We went out this morning for another adventure on our skiffs exploring the rivers of Pacaya and Magdalena, tributaries of the mighty Amazon. We left Delfin II even earlier, so eager we are to go experience it all. As always, the Amazon didn’t disappoint. We took breakfast with us, and halfway through the morning we found a nice shaded spot under the trees by the river to eat in our skiffs. Not just some snacks, but a full breakfast with full silverware, hot coffee, tea, eggs, pastries and more — Delfin II style! The mornings are so great here! The air is nice and fresh, and the golden light is fantastic for photography. The clear blue sky contrasts nicely with the dark, mirror-like, tannin-rich water. We enjoyed a great symphony of sounds of the forest awakening, with the strange loud calls of distant horned screamers and troops of red howler monkeys. What a combination — howlers and screamers! The highlight, though, was not only to hear them but to see them very well too. The large horned screamers were flying with their slow wingbeats side-by-side to our speeding skiffs; a family of also large howler monkeys (the biggest monkey species here) moved rapidly through the canopy of the trees on the water’s edge, very close to our skiffs. Another magical moment in a magical place.
Today our guests had the opportunity to explore Belluda Creek, which flows inside the Ucayali River. It’s a narrow creek that can be explored by kayak and skiff. Right after breakfast, we all geared up and left to explore this well-known creek. We were excited to discover many different species of mammals and birds. Our naturalists explained to us the important role that each of these animals has in the conservation of the forest. Our afternoon activities were concentrated in Dorado River. We loaded our skiffs and went out to explore the river until sunset. With spotlights in hand, our naturalists began to point out the nocturnal wildlife that was waking up to search for their meals. We had a great day exploring this part of the reserve.
