A dense fog covered the Ucayali River when the sun struggle to show again it rays. It was our last day exploring the Pacaya Samiria Reserve. We had spent the night close to the Iricahua River. From the skiff we could see the tall trees of this forest.
We soon arrived to the entrance of the trail. We climbed a couple of steps to reach it. A dense forest welcomed us. This unique varzea forest was loaded with different trees and the songs of birds were heard by all of us. Some of the birds sighted here were the glorious paradise tanager with its seven colored feathers feeding a small fruits. Scarlet-crowned barbets and the lemon back barbet were disputing their foraging area. It is so interesting to stop and see the behavior of the forest animals.
Back on the Delfin II, we continued to our afternoon destination, the Yarapa River. Several ferry boats and barges navigated through this river. We could see all the products that was transported from village to village. From plantains to fuel, wood, cars and many other items were moved along the river. This was the highway of the Upper Amazon. A long the river banks we could see how the topography is changing with every rise of the water level. On low water, the village people take advantage of it to plant crops like corn, rice and camu camu.
As soon as we arrived to Yarapa River, we geared up and loaded our skiff for the last skiff expedition of the day. The scenery was spectacular. The lush green of the forest along the river was reflected on the black waters. Wildlife didn’t wait to show up; as if they wanted to give us the grand finale.
The first sighting was a pygmy marmoset feeding on the sap of a tree. The shutters of the cameras could be heard so easily. Then on another end a woolly monkey started to call our attention by getting close to our eye level. We could have spent more time with them but something pulled us ups the river. We looked up towards the canopy and for our surprise, Mother Nature granted us the view of one of the most wanted primate of the Upper Amazon, the monk saki. He stayed for a while till all our guest had seen him with his furry tail. Then he turn around and jump into the dense canopy. That was the cherry on top of the ice cream. What a way to finish our exploration!
