We have had a great week during our expedition and today was not the exception. We had a full day exploring two remote locations: Atun Poza in the morning, and the Pacaya River in the afternoon.
Today we experienced firsthand the extraordinary biodiversity that inhabits the rain forests and the sudden climate changes typical of this ecosystem.
In Atun Poza we observed many bird species like flycatchers, horned screamers, some birds of prey, and a couple of three-toed sloths. We observed a couple of monk saki monkey troops as well. This unusual monkey species is one of the most impressive and attractive found in the whole Amazon region. It was for me the highlight of the morning. Monk saki monkeys look out of place. They have a very thick and long dark fur that makes them look bigger than they really are. This long fur is believed to be used as protection from insect bites.
A wonderful and very rare sighting occurred today. We spotted a Tamandua! This is a medium sized arboreal anteater. I have seen only two of these elusive mammals in the last ten years. Tamanduas are placed in the zoological taxonomy together with armadillos and sloths in the Edentata Order. All these animals lack or have very few teeth and all have strong and long claws. Tamanduas feed exclusively on ants that they extract from their nests with a long and sticky tongue. It is believed that all anteaters have a very slow metabolism to survive just eating ants. A marvelous example of adaptation and specialization in nature!
In addition to the latter animal species sightings we had the thrill of eating our breakfast outdoors on board the skiffs! This experience is simply amazing, covered with the rain forest we had our early meal served in the most fashionable way, white gloves included, with the green surroundings and a concert of sounds as companions.
At lunchtime the kitchen galley showed us how to cook a local dish by the name “juane,” which is the most typical in the city Iquitos and in the whole area. Later on during lunch we had the “juanes” we helped to prepare served as a side dish in our tasty lunch.
In the afternoon we had plenty of time to go far and beyond the Pacaya River. A very strong tropical sun marked the beginning of our adventure. Little by little rain clouds covered the area and we had a constant heavy tropical shower during the rest of the outing. We cruised around and trough vast flooded plains filled with water hyacinths and other floating vegetation. The latter experience is by itself surreal for we felt like floating in a big green carpet. The skills and knowledge of our naturalists and drivers amazed all of our guests for at no point they did not know where they were for we were immersed in a rain forest labyrinth.
Late in the afternoon we had time to swim in the middle of a beautiful lake with the company of the sounds of forest and a heavy drizzle rain. The way back was a real adventure, the floating vegetation was thicker than before, strong winds and constant rain made our way back a memorable one for we all helped to cross marshes in a three skiffs convoy.
Late in the evening at around 18:30 we finally arrived back to the Delfin II with the wonderful feeling that we spent a great and peculiar day in one of the most intriguing and fascinating ecosystems on Earth, the enigmatic Amazon. After a warm shower a great dinner was the proper ending to share our impressions of this long but unforgettable day.
