After two early mornings the last couple of days, we gave ourselves a bit of a rest today and started our skiff rides after breakfast in the Yarapa River. We enjoyed incredible sightings of blue-and-yellow macaws perched in the canopy and flying overhead. We spotted a sloth, long-nose bats, and a big male woolly monkey in the trees above. Along the way, we stopped to visit a family building a small lodge for ecotourism and got a closer look at some of the jungle animals they have as free-ranging pets, including an uakari monkey, a peccary, and two small capybaras. It was a fascinating window into the human-wildlife relationship here among communities living within the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Back on board and underway, we celebrated entering the official start of the Amazon River with a special drink from our bartender at the point where the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers merge. After lunch, we sailed down the Marañon and visited the community of Amazonas to get a look at life for people living in and near the reserve. We learned about traditional foods and handicrafts from a number of women in the community before hearing their stories during a presentation on Minga Peru. This local nonprofit spearheads many important projects for the communities in the Upper Peruvian Amazon. Many of us took home memories we won’t soon forget from our first day, which we spent connecting with the people of this special place.
11/18/2023
Read
Delfin II
Casual Rain Forest and Amazonas Community
Today we explored Pahuachiro Creek before breakfast, looking for special sightings along the Maranon River. Pahuachiro Creek is a small body of water with beautiful forest on both sides. This area is home to creatures such as yellow-headed caracaras, black-collared hawks, large-billed terns, and some species of monkeys. In the morning after breakfast we explored Casual Rain Forest on the riverbank. As the name suggests, it is a rainforest! It is a vast green jungle with an interesting trail that leads through an amazing collection of giant trees and palms where many types of animals hang out. As we explored the forest, we had an encounter with the master of the jungle! We spotted a red-tailed boa slowly moving among the bushes. Its camouflage is impressive — without the expert eyes of the local guides we would have missed such an event. These forests are so full of life; besides the abundance of trees there are the many creatures here that we saw with our own eyes. On the ground there were snails and tarantulas, and the sounds of many insects that we cannot see due to their camouflage. The Upper Amazon is not only a vast green forest but also home to many human settlements divided into small communities close to the riverbanks. Today we visited Amazonas Community to learn about the local culture and way of life. It was very interesting and exciting to spend some time with the leaders of the community, hearing their stories about education, fishing, and agriculture. It was a very enriching experience for all the visitors. Over the years we have visited different settlements along the rivers of the Upper Amazon, and we have seen how their lives have improved in terms of education, empowerment, and production of fine handicrafts. Today we had an opportunity to buy some souvenirs produced by the women of the community. Their figures and weaving are amazing, very colorful and of good quality. All these items are made from natural palm fibers found in the surrounding forest. It was another amazing day in the heart of the rainforest!
