Atun Poza & Pacaya River
Awakening to dense fog, we boarded the skiffs on the Ucayali River and entered the oxbow lake known as Atun Poza. As the fog lifted, a gorgeous landscape was revealed. We visited with some fishermen, saw lots of wildlife, and eventually wove our way through some narrow channels to a large lake. This was our breakfast spot.
And what a spot it was! Nearly the entire surface of the lake was covered with floating vegetation, and almost all of it was in flower! Dominated by vibrant purple water hyacinths with a touch of white and yellow, it was probably one of the most stunning picnic places any of us had ever been to. Add to this Wattled Jacanas walking on the vegetation, Horned Screamers calling nearby, and parrots flying overhead, and we had ourselves one spectacular breakfast spot.
In the afternoon we went deep into the reserve on the Pacaya River. Here, our main focus was on another lake, this one a blackwater lake. Our goal for the afternoon was swimming, and we were not disappointed. Warm water, cold beer, and pink dolphins equal a pleasant time. Surrounding the lake we found many groups of Howler Monkeys. As we slowly made our way back, we also encountered a few groups of two species of capuchin monkeys, continuing our great luck from yesterday.
A sliver of a moon was setting as the stars came out when we arrived back to the Delfin II. Jupiter was high overhead and another delicious meal awaited us onboard.
