You know it is going to be a great day when during breakfast, the smallest monkey in the Americas, the pygmy marmoset, is spotted right outside the windows. We had already done a skiff ride and seen both squirrel monkeys and saddleback tamarins, along with loads of birds, a sloth, and many iguanas. Our journey here in the Amazon was only just beginning, and what a start it was.
After breakfast, we walked in a beautiful section of terra firme rain forest, led by our team of naturalists and joined by some local villagers. Here, we not only learned about the many medicinal uses of rain forest plants, but we got to see an array of amazing critters. As we slowly walked along a nice trail, our local villagers would appear out of the jungle clutching something interesting. Poison dart frogs, tarantulas, lizards, and millipedes were exciting, but an anaconda was an incredible discovery. A “baby” at only seven feet long, it was wonderful to see this infamous snake.
In the afternoon, we again took to the skiffs to explore one of the blackwater streams that penetrate into the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve. Dolphins surrounded us as we slowly searched for wildlife. More iguanas, many birds, bats, and bugs were on the agenda. We were here, in the Amazon! After a gorgeous sunset, we enjoyed the tastes of the Amazon and the sounds of “The Red Howlers.”
