Casual Forest & Piranha Creek, 4/16/2022, Delfin II
Aboard the
Delfin II
Amazon
On our last day in the Amazon, we went for a morning hike in the forest. This walk took our group on a trail loop. We observed a tarantula and poison dart frogs.
In the afternoon, we reached the start of the Amazon River at the convergence of Maranon and Ucayali Rivers. We enjoyed a celebratory toast while floating in skiffs. Later, with a beautiful landscape painted by the sun, we explored a small island where hundreds of noisy parrots displayed their flying skills. We spotted squirrel monkeys by the shore on our way back to the ship.
Ramiro is Ecuadorian, born in the highlands and raised by the sea. Growing up in the Galapagos was for him an opportunity to learn from up close the importance of understanding and respecting all forms of life. He started his studies in biology and e...
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We went out this morning for another adventure on our skiffs exploring the rivers of Pacaya and Magdalena, tributaries of the mighty Amazon. We left Delfin II even earlier, so eager we are to go experience it all. As always, the Amazon didn’t disappoint. We took breakfast with us, and halfway through the morning we found a nice shaded spot under the trees by the river to eat in our skiffs. Not just some snacks, but a full breakfast with full silverware, hot coffee, tea, eggs, pastries and more — Delfin II style! The mornings are so great here! The air is nice and fresh, and the golden light is fantastic for photography. The clear blue sky contrasts nicely with the dark, mirror-like, tannin-rich water. We enjoyed a great symphony of sounds of the forest awakening, with the strange loud calls of distant horned screamers and troops of red howler monkeys. What a combination — howlers and screamers! The highlight, though, was not only to hear them but to see them very well too. The large horned screamers were flying with their slow wingbeats side-by-side to our speeding skiffs; a family of also large howler monkeys (the biggest monkey species here) moved rapidly through the canopy of the trees on the water’s edge, very close to our skiffs. Another magical moment in a magical place.
Today our guests had the opportunity to explore Belluda Creek, which flows inside the Ucayali River. It’s a narrow creek that can be explored by kayak and skiff. Right after breakfast, we all geared up and left to explore this well-known creek. We were excited to discover many different species of mammals and birds. Our naturalists explained to us the important role that each of these animals has in the conservation of the forest. Our afternoon activities were concentrated in Dorado River. We loaded our skiffs and went out to explore the river until sunset. With spotlights in hand, our naturalists began to point out the nocturnal wildlife that was waking up to search for their meals. We had a great day exploring this part of the reserve.
Last night we had a peaceful night’s sleep as Delfin II was tied to a tree on the edge of the river (Anchors are useless here in the Amazon, as they would only drag along the bottom of the river with nothing to grab.) Early morning we eagerly awoke for another adventure. In the tropical rainforest it makes a lot of sense to do exactly what the wildlife does, to start early when it’s cooler, waking up hungry and active. Luckily, we can afford the time to enjoy a wonderful breakfast onboard Delfin II before going out… And so we did! Today we explored much further into the tributaries of the Amazon, into Clavero Lake and Supay Creek. We had great skiff explorations with wonderful sightings of many of the interesting animals of the Amazon basin, including the iconic pink dolphins which accompanied us everywhere, and titi and saki monkeys. The highlight of the day was no doubt the smallest but the hardest of all to see… seven inches of monkey, the smallest primate in the world! We spied tiny pigmy marmoset, and indeed we saw them running up and down the branches of the trees by the water, not far from our skiffs. It was an exceptional sighting in an exceptional place. Just another day in the Amazon!
