Today was our first day of exploring the Peruvian Amazon on board Delfin II. Our first outing took place at the tributary of the Marañon River, called Yanayaquillo. We explored the Varzea, which is a magnificent biome where the entire forest gets completely flooded for a few months of the year. The river is at a record high, and it’s almost hard to believe that the rain forest can become an aquatic environment!
One of the highlights of the day was visiting a real shaman, and Carola didn’t disappoint. She is one of the very few women to hold this position and has gone through an arduous training, living for eight years in the jungle. She started her training as a 14-year-old girl, and now is the only medicine woman who oversees the well-being of multiple communities along the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers.
