We spent a very special day on our expedition in the Upper Peruvian Amazon!
Early in the morning, we had a prebreakfast outing. We explored a narrow creek known as Pahuachiro Caño. By 6:00 a.m., we were looking for rainforest creatures. We found tanagers, egrets, hawks, woodpeckers, toucans, kingfishers, and more. In addition to great animal sightings, we enjoyed the unparalleled and amazing sounds and landscapes of the rainforest as the day began.
After breakfast, we geared up in rubber boots and went for a walk in an area known as Casual. With the company of our natural history staff and three local native scouts from a nearby community, we explored a “terra firme” rainforest trail. We had an in-situ introduction to the fascinating ecology of the Neotropical rainforest. Our naturalists and the well-trained eyes of the local scouts made a great team. We observed several rainforest creatures, including a couple frog and lizard species and a couple tarantulas as well. The icing on the cake of this morning’s outing was the spotting of two beautiful snake species: a juvenile anaconda and a rainbow boa.
In the early afternoon, a torrential rain shower reminded us that we are visiting one of the wettest ecosystems on our planet. When the rain stopped, we started the afternoon’s activities by kayaking around Nauta Caño. After that, we went on a skiff ride along the stream.
We came back to the ship at around sunset as the forest transitioned from day to night. The scenery was spectacular! We saw some silhouettes of rainforest creatures on top of the canopy as they prepared to rest while the bats and insects were just emerging. It was a magical finale for an unforgettable day of exploration.
