Our first full day in the magnificent Peruvian Upper Amazon was full of surprises. We started our expedition in high spirits and with lots of expectations. Early in the morning, we went for a short but amazing skiff ride on a small creek known locally as Pahuachiro Caño. We saw and heard several bird species.
Right after breakfast, we went for a hike in an area known as Casual. This outing was an introduction to the Neotropical rainforests. We ventured in the forest led by our naturalists and escorted by three members of a local community to help us spot some of the very well camouflaged wildlife. As we walked deeper in the forest we were able to spot several species thanks, in big part, to the scout community members. A green anaconda was found near a small stream by the side of the trail, its head was visible for a few seconds and then dove to show up again and climb to the vegetation showing the full size of the body, nearly 9 feet long. Its beautiful pattern made this snake a very well camouflaged hunter. We observed several frog species, a couple of tarantulas and several insect species as well.
In the afternoon, after a great lunch and a photography presentation, we explored Yanayacu River, one of the tributaries of the Marañón River by skiffs. The early and late hours of the day are the best ones for spotting creatures of the rainforest. The wildlife found around this location is incomparable, we spotted kingfishers, herons, hawks, parakeets, parrots, a couple of sloths, and several pink dolphins during our exploration. We came back to ship at sunset with a fiery red sky as our companion. The latter scenery was spectacular!
