Cruising up the Ucayali River is a special treat. While most tourist vessels only spend three to four days in the Pacaya -Samiria Reserve, our weeklong journey allows us to reach less-traveled areas like Belluda Creek and Dorado River. This morning’s skiff excursions were world-class, as we entered deep into the flood forest to see various macaws and monkeys in the canopy above. The day concluded with a twilight cruise through Dorado River, where we found several juvenile white caimans with our spotlight and a common potoo owl.
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!
