Our expedition in this magical place brought us to one of my favorite locations in the reserve today, the Pacaya River. Very early in the morning, at around 05:45, we went as deep and as far into the Pacaya River as we could. This river is the farthest destination we will travel during this week’s expedition. The remoteness and our willingness to expect the unexpected made this morning’s skiff exploration a very special one. Our three skiffs formed a caravan to explore the Pacaya River. It was a relatively long morning filled with memorable sightings. We had the chance to swim in the middle of Yanacocha Lake as well. This experience was surreal. Hundreds of egrets and neotropical cormorants flew above swimmers while pink river dolphins were seen at a short distance from our location.

In the late afternoon, we explored a riverbank of the Ucayali River. As the river level is very low, large sand banks were seen everywhere. We had a great time walking along the beach and observing the Amazon from different perspectives. Some guests covered themselves in mud, a mud therapy in the middle of the Amazon! Younger guests played soccer with some Delfin II crewmembers who help set up a tent where we enjoyed cold drinks. Coconuts were opened, and we tasted the delicious and fresh coconut milk. Later, we continued navigating along the Ucayali River.