The Upper Amazon in Peru is a very special area on our planet. This emerald world is surprising and charming, with flora and fauna unique to the region and also incredible people and their communities along the rivers and creeks.

This is our first full day of exploration along the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, a vast area protected by the government of Peru. The area is bordered by the Ucayali, the Marañon and Amazon rivers. We woke up early in the morning to explore Clavero Lake, and the first encounter was with a school of pink dolphins just at the entrance of the lake. This large lake has a lot of wildlife, but it also hosts a village, where residents lead an interesting lifestyle, so different from life in the big cities around the world. We took our skiffs into s creek, finding many kinds of land birds of all sizes and colors, including hawks, kites, tanagers, flycatchers, and more. The highlight was a blue-throated cotinga, a small bird with very bright blue color all around its body. The blue is so vibrant that it can be seen from a far distance.

In the afternoon visited Supay Creek, finding many types of land and river birds, such as king fishers. Birdwatching is so fascinating here. We have an incredible variety of animals that migrate many miles. Today we counted about 73 different types of birds during our visit of two hours.

The sun goes down quickly here at the equator, and the color of the sky turns into warm orange and red. The black rivers are like mirrors, creating a perfect setting for contemplative thoughts at the end of the day.