We have really enjoyed each of the outings because of the great weather we are having. This is the rainforest but we have not had any rain! But, of course it is raining somewhere, we’ve seen it happening miles away and the water in the rivers continues to rise.
This morning we headed into the flooded forest in Atún Poza for early morning exploration and breakfast out there. We call this “The Jungle Café,” we explored the forest for a while and then we looked for a nice place in the forest to have breakfast. As we had breakfast in the forest we had a troop of squirrel monkeys jumping and eating fruits from the trees in front of us!
As we explored the forest we spotted the first pair of forked tail flycatchers. These beautiful birds migrate from Argentina and reach the upper Amazon rainforest by the thousands at the end of February. We also spotted several black collared hawks perching on the trees along the riverside. Some were basking in the early morning sun and others maybe waiting for an opportunity to find their first meal. The best part of this outing was a troop of monk saki monkeys doing acrobatics a short distance from us.
In the afternoon we explored the deepest region of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. It is a fabulous ride with plenty of opportunities to do bird watching along the river. This is a vast, flooded area with floating vegetation and large trees. All the way across the forest the water is black. The reflection of the grasses and the forest is breathtaking! It seems like the forest has its own giant mirror.
At the end of this long ride into the heart of the jungle we reached Yanayacu Lagoon. We stopped the skiffs and it was time to celebrate with beers in hand! The water here is dark and quiet except for the moments in which pink dolphins breach or come out to take a breath.
Later on as we returned there was a noisy troop of fast moving squirrel monkeys ten feet overhead! We stopped the skiffs and just watched them as they moved across the forest. Maybe they were heading to their roosts but they were still seizing some fruits as they moved.
Another beautiful day in the upper Amazon!
