Exploring the Upper Amazon aboard the riverboat Delfin II, we navigated along the Ucayali River. In the heart of the great Amazon Basin, the bird sightings are phenomenal all along the riverbank. We used skiffs to explore the small tributaries, where the forest is denser and more flooded.
In the morning, we visited a large lagoon called Flor de Castana. It is a fascinating place for nesting birds, including woodpeckers, trogons, and parrots, even some raptors. This place has a lot to offer, such as the opportunity to see dusky-headed parakeets in nesting season. In addition to egrets and herons, we also spotted some mammals such as sloths and pigmy marmosets!
In the afternoon we planned a visit to Supay Creek, another tributary of the Maranon River. The region is a flooded forest with a diversity of plants. Among them are secropia trees that happen to be the favorite food for the slowest mammals of the Amazon rainforest: the sloth. As we explored the forest, we spotted one young individual just a few feet away from our skiff! Some would say they have the cutest face among mammals!
We also explored the river from kayaks. We went downstream during this fantastic outing, watching for birds and enjoying the sounds of the insects on both sides of the river. This forest is full of life! At the end of our kayaking outing, we boarded skiffs and went for a final sunset exploration of the forest. It was worth it as we reached a colony of special swamp birds called hoatzin. They nest in groups and are quite large with beautiful orange-brown feathers on most of their bodies and conspicuous crowns that decorate their heads. We saw many active and rather noisy hoatzins.
What an amazing day!
