Our next adventure was to take us further north in Peru, to the town of Iquitos, before embarking on a three day adventure 5 hours deep in the Amazon jungle.
Immediately upon arriving in Iquitos the heat and humidity hit us, making us nervous for the jungle and how we’d fare over the next few days. We’d signed on to a three day tour of the Pacaya Samiria reserve with Amazon Experience, hoping to see pink river dolphins, go pirhana fishing, and go on hikes deep into the jungle.
The tour started at 8:30am with a collection from our hotel, before going round to get the rest of the group. This time we were joined by three others, an American and two polish who didn’t seem scared of anything! We then drove the two hours to Nauta, along the only road in the region, before having a quick lunch and then jumping in a tuk tuk to take us to our river boat. It was then three hours downriver to the Pacaya Samiria reserve. Cruising down the river in the boat was a relaxing experience, and it wasn’t long before we had our first sightings of both grey and pink river dolphins which had us all scrambling for our cameras. When we got to the reserve the river narrowed, giving us the chance to spot wildlife on both banks of the jungle. For our first night we were staying in a small community called Buenos Aires and upon arrival we were greeted by the happy owner who showed us to our basic lodgings. We then had a dinner of chicken and rice before being instructed to put on our wellies for a nocturnal walk to spot insects. Following Jesus, our guide, around we spotted frogs, ants and multiple spiders, before finishing with a tarantula hiding in the tree by our lodge. It was then time for our first night sleeping in the jungle, but not before the polish guys in the group pointed out all of the other tarantulas who were living in the ceiling above our bed!
The next morning we woke at 5am, after one of the best nights sleep of our trip, in preparation for a trip along the river to take in the sun rise and watch the animals awaken for a new day. Not far after setting off we were treated to multiple dolphins popping up as they hunted for breakfast. As we navigated further down the river we were treated to numerous birds fishing along the rivers edge, and diving into the waters around the boat. After an hour we headed back to the lodge to get breakfast ourselves, as our guide packed the boat with camping gear in preparation for the evening ahead.
From the lodge we ventured another 2 hours deep into the forest down river, in the direction of a campsite just next to the river bank. During this journey keeping our eyes on the waters ahead and on the forest canopy, we were fortunate enough to see black saki monkeys, as well as a number of macaws, kingfishers, egrets, and many other birds and fauna.
When we arrived at the campsite, we were greeted by another group who had already arrived to camp. We were to join this group for a jungle walk, but not until we had set up our tents and enjoyed a lunch. Following the other groups guide, armed with a machete, the jungle walk started by heading directly into the trees. We often had to turn around as the way was blocked, winding our way further from the camp. About halfway into the walk we were surrounded by the sound of howler monkeys so followed the guide at a quick pace to see if we could spot them. When we arrived there was one monkey sat high in the tree (it took a bit of time to spot as he was quite high up so initially looked like a brown blob!). We then set off at another brisk pace and were rewarded with a family of spider monkeys swinging through the trees. As the walk continued we came across a fire ant tree which some of the group held on to to show their strength (we declined the opportunity), and a tree which produced fruit with worms in them that apparently tasted like coconut. This we did decide to try, although Sarah’s worm was about a tenth of the size of everyone else’s! The walk finished viewing a huge tree, before we headed back to camp.
It was then time for a quick dinner before we headed out at night in the canoe, hoping to spot caimans. Travelling on the canoe with only the sounds of the jungle, under torch light was an incredible experience.
We navigated the river side to side in search of the illusive caimans, however it wasn’t long until we spotted one. Pulling up to the side of a fallen tree, our guide stood up and the next minute after a splash he was holding a baby caiman he had just grabbed from the water. We all quickly jumped out the canoe to get a closer look, thankful the mother caiman was no where to be seen. Back at the campsite we were treated to the sounds of the jungle as we settled down for our first night under the jungle canopy.
Waking early the next morning it was back out on the canoe for a spot of fishing. After finding an appropriate spot our guide handed out the makeshift fishing rods, alongside some meat leftover from the night before to use as bait in the hope of enticing Piranhas. Within a few minutes the two polish had caught multiple fish, including one Piranha. Miraculously Sarah was next to catch a fish - a large, local river fish. This was quickly followed by another smaller fish caught by Sarah, and then the piece de resistance - the red bellied Piranha. Ali meanwhile spent his time feeding the smaller river fish the meat on his rod, rather than catching any! Back to the camp, pleased with our haul, it was time for breakfast. After our omelettes our guide then surprised us with the fish we’d caught that morning grilled for us to try. The Piranha was actually quite tasty.
Our time in the Amazon was coming to an end, having come so deep into the jungle we now had to make the return journey to Nauta. Our first section of the journey took us 2 hours back to the village of Buenos Aires where we were able to buy some local souvenirs, and have a final lunch. The next part of the bum numbing journey was another 3 hours back to the town of Nauta, where after a quick Tuk Tuk transfer we were back in the shuttle and making our way back to Iquitos.
We absolutely loved our time in the Amazon but were very grateful to be back in the hotel for a shower, and back under the fan!