We are reaching the end of an amazing week exploring the Upper Amazon aboard Delfin II, and it has been an astonishing trip in many ways. This morning we explored the Marañon River. We disembarked on the riverbank of the Amazon Natural Park, a protected area where a primary forest of the jungle is full of birds and wildlife. Three small catamarans took us around the lake, paddling slowly and observing the fauna. Once in the jungle, we walked for about two hours to explore this emerald world, where trees cover the sky and the light doesn’t reach the ground. Inside it is dark; plants struggle with each other for photosynthesis, and some even strangle their neighbors to survive. In these dark areas we observed birds which by evolution are sensitive to sunlight. One such bird is the capped manakin; this small, interesting creature feeds on fruits and makes unique mechanical sounds with special modified feathers in its wings.
In the afternoon we explored the Pucate River. We spotted many kinds of birds like herons, parakeets, macaws, and toucans. Then at night we enjoyed the slideshow of the week, a compilation of all the great memories and experiences from this incredible week we have had aboard Delfin II. The Pacaya Samiria reserve is a place to protect, to love, to enjoy as we did, because of its vast biodiversity, its complex net of rivers and creeks, and the flora that holds life.
