Today Delfin II reached the most remote part of the Ucayali River for our journey. We took off on our search for wildlife at six thirty in the morning. As we crossed the entrance from the Ucayali into Pacaya River, a number of pink river dolphins were seen feeding in the rich convergence of the white water of the Ucayali, and the black water of the Pacaya.
We experienced light rain and pleasant temperature. The overcast skies also favor the activity of some of the birds that we saw. One of the highlights was a pair of scarlet macaws (ara macao) that were feeding on a tree not too far from us. Red-bellied and blue and yellow macaws were also seen today. A surprise that probably none of us expected was the sighting of at least three Amazon manatees! These elusive creatures are very hard to see, and they are not very abundant. Although what we could see was a very small part of the manatee's back, the presence of these animals indicate that the wild essence of the Pacaya River is still alive.
For breakfast, our hotel staff prepared "The Jungle Café." We tied up the three skiffs and our naturalists tuned into waiters to serve us breakfast, surrounded by the jungle and the sound of horned screamers and festive parrots!
We came back on board for some down time, and a presentation on plate tectonics and formation of the Amazon, by National Geographic photographer, Kitty Coley. We enjoyed yet another wonderful lunch before our siesta time and got ready for our afternoon outing.
We headed back out into the Pacaya River, but this time we made our way even deeper into the heart of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. We arrived to Yanayacu Lake, where we had the chance to take an Amazon swim! Pink river dolphins could be seen in the proximity while we refreshed ourselves in the lake.
After numerous wildlife sightings, including red howler monkeys, we waited for the sun to go down and for enough darkness to spot caymans with spotlights. We found several large black caymans and many small spectacled caymans along the shores and we also saw several boat-billed herons, potoos and fish-eating bats along the way.
