We woke up early in the morning with the will to explore more of the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. We could hear the cobalt wings, parakeets singing and getting ready to leave their evening perch. It was time for them to look for their early morning feeding place.
We loaded the skiffs and started navigation of the Pucate River. A small pod of pink dolphins were having a morning feast right next to the Delfin II. Gray dolphins decided to mark our way up the stream. Along the shore, great egrets and ringed king fishers were waiting for their breakfast prey.
As we passed next to the communities settled along the river bank, we could see how the inhabitants were already performing their early morning activities. Some were doing laundry, others fishing for their breakfast and most of the kids were just gathered to wave hello to us.
Different species of parrots and parakeets flew above our heads, filling the air with their calls. Great black hawks and black collard hawks were perched on either side of the river bank. The lush forest was just stunning. Just listening to the variety of bird calls was delightful.
We stopped under the shade aside the river for breakfast. What a great place to have breakfast while pink dolphins were also hunting for their food. We saw a weird log drifting, but as it got closer to us we clearly identified that it was no log, it was a giant river otter swimming. That was one of the great sightings of the morning.
Back on board, we repositioned Delfin II for our afternoon activity. We soon arrived to a private reserve known as Amazon Natural Park. We landed close to dusk. It was a great experience to cross a small man-made lake as we looked for more wildlife. Later we hiked through an almost untouched forest with majestic trees. The highlight was the hanging bridges that are found close to the canopy of the tallest trees. It was a spectacular view from here.
As soon as the sun had set, we hiked the trails with flashlights. The nightlife of the forest is so unique. From frogs to crickets were seen as we made our way towards the exit of the trail. Different sounds were heard. No doubt that the night sounds can be so unique.
Our last evening stop was in a small hut of a lady shaman. She welcomed us in her own dialect. Being a Cocama Native, she spoke to us about her training in botanic medicine and how she had become a shaman. And before we left her hut, she blessed us with the Amazonian blessing rituals, shaking certain bush branches and smoking. An interesting way to finish our daily expedition!
