A 6:00 a.m. wakeup call had us on the skiffs and exploring by 6:30 am, right when the wildlife wakes up from the evening slumber and gets ready for the day. Today we explored the Atun Poza area, which is a beautiful place full of wildlife. We immediately spotted squirrel monkeys, Hoatzin birds, and a gorgeous troop of capuchin monkeys, which was a real treat. We then had breakfast on the skiffs at the “jungle café”, which is just a fancy way of saying eating on the boat in the jungle. It was a real treat, and everyone was impressed with the amount of detail that went in to making sure we had a full breakfast out in the jungle.
Back on the boat, one of the naturalists, Rudy, gave a great presentation on how local ceviche is made. Not only was it entertaining, but the ceviche tasting incredible. Another great lunch followed, then Antonio gave a photography talk in the lounge on lines and symmetry, which was really fascinating.
Everyone enjoyed a bit of downtime before we headed back out on the skiffs for exploration on the Pacaya River. We saw lots of wildlife, including a beautiful roadside hawk and a pair of blue and orange macaws in flight. We headed straight for the Yanayacu lagoon, under threatening clouds that looked like rain was on its way. If we were going to get wet in the rain we might as well get fully wet….so we jumped into the river and took a swim as it did start to rain. It was fun floating in the river, beer in hand. A wet skiff ride took us back to the boat to get dry and warm before cocktail hour started in the bar as we cruised downstream. An excellent dinner of duck with pasta and vegetables was a great way to end another day in the Amazon rainforest.
