Day 5 and 6 in Peru Amazon Rainforest

Peru 🇵🇪 9-29-2021 til 10-14-22

October 5, 2021

Another beautiful morning exploring on the skiffs.  

We spent a lot of time cruising through Pacaya-samiria National Reserve located between the Ucayali and Maranon Rivers. It is approximately 2.000,000 hectares (1 hectare = 100 acres)

The guards who stay in the guard housing throughout the reserve are all natives and volunteers- they get no salaries but get the advantage of fishing and farming in the areas.  Mostly the guards are there to stop poachers 

This AM we saw flocks of black skimmers and baby skimmers 

Other sightings- these woodpeckers

Also saw the following birds:  those loud crazy horned screamers, slate colored hawk, a lot of black collared hawks, great kiskadee, lesser kiskadee, redneck long wings.  

This is Great kiskadee 



Hoatzins

Very exciting to see a sloth high up in a tree; brown capacine monkeys and a Howler monkey with a baby on its back!!!

Exciting find - this small anaconda in the bushes.  All the guides knew I really wanted to see an anaconda so they worked very hard to find this.  This one was too coiled hand hidden for the guides to pull out.  

Another beautiful sunset while out on skiffs





Guides found the cute little Caiman (Amazon alligator)




While we were in skiffs we saw some very large caimans swimming around.  

We also spotted a huge black caiman - this is the largest of all the Caimans.  George estimated it to be about 12 feet.!!!

Again the beautiful sounds of night in the rainforest.   

October 6, 2021

All day out on the skiffs and look what Julio pulled out for us!!!

A huge Anaconda!!

It was fun and interesting to hold.  They are so muscular and very strong.  Smooth skin- not scaly or slimy 





Phil wrestling it!



Anaconda are not venomous - they are constrictors.  You could feel the muscle strength trying to hold it.   They bite their prey to stun them, then they constrict, strangle and swallow the prey whole.   They will then hide in branches, downed trees along the shoreline while they digests their prey. Anaconda’s jaws open 180 degrees and can swallow,  capybaras, wild pigs, sheep, dogs, tapirs, deer and have been known to down Jaguar.  

Next up we stopped at a turtle egg rescue in the Pacaya Samiria reserve 

Theses people collect the turtle eggs and bury them in large wooden sand boxes.   When they hatch there is only a certain number they release back in the wild to maintain the number that is ecologically best so as not over

These left over turtles mostly get shipped to Japan for food.  Some are kept by locals also for food

Salting fish

One of the cute turtles - food or set free???

Then off for another fancy picnic  lunch on the skiffs 

Jim. & Carolyn Langon, Phil, Jenny and Priscilla.  Cheers!!!






Back to cruising on skiffs - more villages 







Another attempt at Piranhas fishing.  Today was more successful 

Priscilla caught a few!

Ricky got a beauty 


Priscilla had this Piranha fishing down and kept catching them

Fixing up the rods 

 

I got 2 but they came off the hook as soon as I pulled them out of the water. As fishing stories go - mine were humongous!!:)

Some of the other skiffs caught a few the guides kept and chef surprised us at dinner with cooked piranhas  for anyone who wanted to try. I did try a bite but it was not to my liking - greasy and fishy.  They have tons of bones too 

Super exciting to see this big mommy sloth in the tree eating leaves !!

Sloth high up in tree!



Our wonderful waiters Carlos and Harvey showed us how to fold fancy napkins!   Just like the towel animals, I failed at this too!





All the meals were so del And beautifully served.   Usually 4 to 5 courses and always a yummy dessert!   Lunch was always as big and elaborate as dinner was.