Today we awoke along the riverbank of the Rio Ucayali, one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River. After a delicious and colorful breakfast, we set out for our first adventure in the small skiffs to look for wildlife in Clavero Lake. We were immediately greeted by fishing river dolphins, pink and gray, making for a great start to the day. Our morning brought us countless bird species, a pygmy marmoset, and long-nosed bats. Back on board the Delfin II, we enjoyed presentations about the natural history of the area and photography in the jungle before setting out in the late afternoon in the skiffs again. This time, we explored the narrow passageways of Supay Caño, seeing many local fishermen in small canoes along the way. We were greeted with more birds, a sloth, and another pygmy marmoset! It was a great start to our week exploring Pacaya Samiria National Reserve.
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!
