How wonderful it is to get to know a place for the first time. On our first day of our expedition through Amazonia, we discovered many new things. Our concept of the Amazon gradually started taking shape in our minds through what we learned by observing with our own eyes.
On our first skiff ride of the trip, we decided to take off early to take advantage of the pleasant temperature and better bird activity in the early morning. As the jungle woke up, we scanned the sides of the river for wild creatures. We had our first sighting of a three-toed sloth. Birdwatchers were delighted with every new species we saw today. Amazon kingfishers, black collared hawks, great black hawks, mealy parrots, black capped donacobius, and slate colored hawks were some of the species seen during our first hour of exploration.
Casual is a trail maintained by the locals, and we used it to venture into a healthy tera firme jungle. This is the higher land, which does not flood during the high water season. Two locals that call the jungle home took off into the thick vegetation to look for animals to show our group. First we saw an interesting toad and a few frogs, including poison dart frogs. Our highlights were a couple of anacondas and a tarantula that we all had the chance to see.
We traveled through a black water river by skiff for the afternoon. A strong rain had just gone by, and the pleasant temperature and soft light made for a spectacular experience. We saw five more three toed sloths eating Cecropia trees. Our expert guides spotted Amazon umbrella birds, lettered aracaris, sand colored nighthawks, and an orange cheek parrot. We also enjoyed the presence of a good number of pink river dolphins that randomly emerged from the tannin rich black waters to breathe, before they continued on their hunt for fish.
