Today was the last full day of this amazing week. We started with an early breakfast before setting out for the Amazon Nature Park, a large parcel of private, protected land adjacent to Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Local guides rowed us in “catamaran” canoes across a small lake to begin our hike in the forest. We spotted many incredible creatures, mushrooms, and plants along the way, and we even got to see the remarkable sap of the rubber tree. Our hike included a section with nine suspension bridges in the mid-canopy, some up to 90 feet high. It was a wonderful way to get a new perspective on the forest. After returning to the ship and having a delicious lunch, we watched a large group of both pink and gray river dolphins fishing near our boat. Some adventurous souls went out for one last swim, this time in the Rio Pucate. Dolphins swam nearby. We went out in the late afternoon for one last skiff ride together as storm clouds filled the sky. It never rained on us, however, and we enjoyed spotting saddleback tamarins, blue-and-yellow macaws, and long-nosed bats. It’s been an incredible experience this past week!
5/24/2025
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Delfin II
Yarapa River, Amazonas Village, Peru
Leaving Delfin II at 06:00 for our morning skiff ride, we explored the Yarapa River and monkeys were everywhere! We saw common wooly monkeys, monk saki monkeys, and common squirrel monkeys. We weren’t monkeying around! In addition to the monkeys there were woodpeckers galore! We photographed crimson-crested, yellow-tufted, and cream-colored woodpeckers as they were busily hammering away at trees and termite nests. Our afternoon was spent at Amazonas Village getting an introduction to life along the river. We enjoyed demonstrations of food preparation, basketmaking with palm fibers, and hand-dying with local plants to give the baskets vibrant colors. We also had an introduction to Minga Peru, a group serving 40 different communities in this area. Our evening was topped off with a toast to the beginning of the actual Amazon River, where the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers converge. Salud!