Our expedition on the mighty Amazon started with high spirits! After breakfast, we put our rubber boots on and we went for a hike in the vicinities of San Jose community, in an area known locally as Casual.  We had the company of three local native scouts from the community, who helped us to locate wildlife in their well-maintained rainforest trail. This introductory walk and the knowledge of our naturalists helped us to understand the fascinating ecosystems that exist in the tropical rainforests.  We photographed several spiders, amphibians and reptiles that our experienced scouts and naturalists spotted.  In the afternoon, we went to an Amazonas village. This visit gave our visitors the extraordinary opportunity to watch and experience the lifestyle of the people in the Amazon. One of the highlights of this cultural visit was an informal but meaningful meeting with some town representatives of Minga Peru. This non-profit organization, founded in 1998, has adopted a mission of promoting social justice and human dignity for women and families in the remote rural areas of the Peruvian Amazon. They have been developing various projects in the area, including educational workshops focused on the protection of the environment and the development of leaders. They also broadcast radio programming twice a week, reaching more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, focusing on the prevention of domestic violence, the management of natural resources and spreading knowledge of health issues. This has become a popular way to reach the most remote communities in the area. They also work to provide technical training to women and community members in agroforestry, crop cultivation and the construction and management of fish ponds, which has proven to be invaluable to the mission of increase the economical sustainability of many people.