We set out again for an early morning skiff ride in Pahwachiro Creek, a smaller channel off the Marañon River. It was a cloudy and moody morning, but we were greeted with scarlet macaws overhead. Deeper into the creek, we came upon hundreds of great egrets perched in the trees and along the riverbanks. We could also see the fish they were there to catch! As we slowly motored by, the egrets took flight all around us, and it was a truly magical moment. After another delightful breakfast on board, we set out in an area called Casual for our first exploration of the Amazon Rainforest by foot. Local scouts helped us find all kinds of cool creatures along the way, including a poison dart frog, a gecko, a red boa constrictor, a tarantula, and a green anaconda. This community makes beautiful wood carvings, and many of us decided to take one home. Back on board the Delfin II, we had a fascinating talk on medicinal plants by naturalist Jairo Flores. After lunch, small groups went kayaking in Nauta Creek, and then we all explored the area by skiff in the late afternoon. We were excited to see more squirrel monkeys, long-nosed bats, horned screamers, and even an Isabel’s saki monkey settling in for the night. There’s always something new to find in this amazing ecosystem!
4/18/2025
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Delfin II
Pacaya River
The Pacaya River is the most remote destination of this journey. With less inhabitants and the protection of the park rangers, this area is a real wildlife mecca. We invested the entire morning searching for wildlife. To make the experience even more special, we had breakfast at “The Jungle Café”, a very nice plated breakfast on board our skiffs, surrounded by wilderness. We took this opportunity, so we didn’t have to interrupt our wildlife experience of exploring a remote area away from the ship. Since the level of the Amazon has reached record high levels in this area, the quality of our wildlife viewing opportunities was exceptional. We had great sightings of multiple red howler monkeys, three-toed sloths, and many species of birds. We ended our morning by swimming at Yanayacu Lake. Here, a few pink river dolphins showed up, curious about their visitors.