After heading upstream along the Ucayali River for a good portion of the night, the captain found a suitable spot to tie-up the Delfin II along the bank of the river. Our wake-up call came at 5:30, with just enough time to grab a cup of coffee, before boarding the skiffs for the morning excursion. The guides had a particular area that they wanted to explore, in hopes of finding one of the large parrots of the Amazon Basin, the blue-and-yellow macaw. These are a magnificent and beautifully colored parrot that frequents this particular region of the Ucayali, because of the presence of a particular type of tree that they use for nesting. We were not disappointed! Almost as soon as we crossed the river to the nesting area, a large number of the birds were visible sitting high in the tops of large trees, just back from the river bank. Everyone on the skiffs was treated to great views of the macaws as they flew from tree to tree, or sat in mated pairs on the highest branches; truly a wonderful sight!
The birds finally headed off to feed, and we continued on toward another destination slightly up-river from where we started. This time, our goal was to get close to some of the giant water lillis that are native to the Amazonian region. Some of these aquatic plants can reach over four feet in diameter, and can have beautiful blossoms. Again, we were not disappointed, and found an area with a number of the large plants. Soon it was breakfast time, and just as we were returning to the ship, the skies opened up and a torrential rain started falling. Perfect timing!
Because of the extreme rain, the decision was made to abandon the activity for the remainder of the morning, and head toward our afternoon destination at Dorado River. Along the way, we had several presentations, one on “Wildlife Photography”, and another on origami towel folding which was presented by one of the cabin stewards, both entertaining and fun!
Finally, it was time to board the skiffs and explore the Dorado and the back-water areas off the main river. We were rewarded with sightings of a sloth, a large variety of birds and a large troop of squirrel monkeys along the way. Our other goal was to stay out a little later this evening and look for caiman as it was getting dark, using a spotlight to see the reflection on their eyes. Finally, after much searching, we did find one small caiman, which we were able to approach very closely for great looks.
Soon, it was again time to return to the ship, take a quick shower, eat dinner and reminisce about the wonderful day that we had!
