Zapote & Supay Caños
Our last full day of exploration of the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve in Peru started with an early skiff ride in a relatively cool morning under a rather grey sky. We explored “Zapote Caño,” a wide river that today was very calm, letting us enjoy beautiful water reflections everywhere. We had great sightings of some birds of prey, toucans, woodpeckers and a saddle-backed tamarin monkeys troop.
A whole group of guests explored this area by kayaks. They had a blast for the morning had ideal conditions for this activity. As they were quietly paddling along the river they had great sightings as well from a different perspective.
After breakfast we went again to the Zapote River but this time we entered a small channel that connects the river with the Urinahua community. The whole settlement is under water at this time of the year. We went by many houses and greeted many locals from the skiffs. The rainforest reminded us why it is called this because a tropical warm rain fell on our way back to the ship.
Before lunch time, we had a “Pisco sour” preparation demonstration conducted by Delfin II barman Mario Alban. All over this multicultural country, people have this drink as a national unifying identity symbol. We had a lot of fun watching how some guest volunteers shook the drinks to the tune of “La Cucaracha.”
The afternoon was sunny and warm, totally the opposite than in the morning. We spent a couple of hours exploring Supay Caño by skiffs. This narrow water channel, locally known as “caño” is covered with a thick vegetation with many bromeliads and huge trees that make big green walls. Several species of colorful birds like macaws and toucans were seen as well as a couple of monkey troops. In our way back we enjoy the guests’ slide show of the week during cocktail hour.
A BBQ dinner was served in the most fashionable way, with decorations of Amazon handcrafts and colorful flowers and lively music. It was a golden finale of a fabulous expedition in the Peruvian Upper Amazon.
At the end of this expedition, I can tell you that not only it has been extraordinarily good for wildlife sightings but it has been filled with all the required ingredients that make a trip a memorable one with cultural experiences with the local inhabitants, wonderful company, variable weather, excellent meals with regional flavors, striking landscapes, and unforgettable memories.
