Pacaya-Samiria Reserve
We started our day very early in the morning with a skiff ride into one of the streams of the Pacaya River. One of richest ecosystems in the tropical rain forest, this area supports an incredible number of species of primates and birds. At this time of the day the wildlife seems to be more active, we were very lucky in finding different species of primates jumping from tree to tree in the upper part of the canopy including monk sakis, squirrel, red howler, and capuchin monkeys.
Our breakfast took place on board our fleet of skiffs, all surrounded by a unique flora and fauna; a monk saki with its gray and black body, naked face and big eyes, was staring at us while we were eating. Everyone enjoyed this moment of peacefulness, listening to the jungle symphony. Shortly afterwards on our way back to the ship, a community of riverbank people welcomed us to show us their handicrafts and how they live.
In the afternoon, we boarded our skiffs again to go to a big lagoon deep in the flooded rain forest called Yanayacu. At this site our guests were offered the possibility of swimming, then we continued exploring the flooded tropical rain forest. This is paradise for a botanist, and we could go through a carpet of aquatic plants that covered the whole surface of the river, one particularly extraordinary species was the giant Amazonian water lily. Many species of birds were also spotted, such as horned screamers, hoatzin, macaws, turkey vultures, and parakeets.
As we were making our way back to the ship, the light and the mist formed a spectacular show of reflections in the black water and a rainbow was formed. This was the perfect opportunity for pictures; pink and grey river dolphins were also spotted!
