Our first day exploring the Upper Amazon began early before breakfast. We loaded the skiff with our naturalist and navigated through a small creek that flows inside the Maranon River. This small creek is known as Yanayaquillo Creek.
It was a foggy morning, but it didn’t bother us. The wildlife was so active that we had a delightful exploration. Different species of birds sang as we passed slowly along the riverbank. Curious mammals like the yellow-crowned brush-tailed rat showed up to welcome us to their paradise. We could clearly see that the wildlife in the Upper Amazon is very active at dawn.
After breakfast, we visited a private reserve called Amazon Natural Park. Here we had the opportunity to walk through a mature forest in “Tierra Firme.” We crossed swinging bridges and learned about the forest dynamics of this area. For around six months, most of the forest in the Upper Amazon is flooded by the water that melts from the Andean Mountains.
Back on board, we cruised to our afternoon destination, the Yanayacu River, which is part of the protected area of the Pacaya Samiria Wildlife Reserve. Kayaking and skiff explorations were our options.
We all returned from our activities delighted. Mother Nature granted us lovely sightings of birds and different species of mammals. A spectacular sunset bid us goodnight while also inviting us to continue our expedition in the Upper Amazon.
