I guess it's only fitting that our last major trip here in Peru would be a return to the same area we came to for our first trip. Sam likes the animals, I like the birds and we all like the scenery. On our first trip we flew into Puerto Maldonado then took a boat up the Madre de Dios River for an hour and a half to a lodge in the rainforest. This trip our flight was again into Puerto Maldonado, but after arrival we rode a bus for an hour to the boat launch on the Tambopata River. The next leg was ultimately seven hours upriver into the heart of the Tambopata Reserve. Among other treats, Marnie and I found out where the macaws and toucans live. |
One of the differences on this trip was that it was near the end of the dry season while our first trip was in the middle of the wet season. The difference was very evident from the fact that we didn't have to carry Sam on hikes due to standing water on the trails threatening to spill over tops of his boots and the amount of dry land along the river. The dry season seems to have yielded better landscape photos, the subject of the first slideshow.
The animals here didn't disappoint either. There were 5 species of monkey, 4 in abundance, not only in the treetops but also down low and easily seen. Many times we were able to see groups moving through the trees doing monkey things like swinging vine to vine or hanging by the tail. Every morning the red howler monkeys would let loose with what sounded to me like jet engines revving. There were caiman, capybara, long-nosed bats, lizards and a peccary that let me know who owned the territory, and it wasn't me. The animals are the subject of the second slideshow.
Finally, the birds here didn't disappoint either. Marnie had a near-religious experience when 2 macaws flew over the boat last year and has been disappointed in not having seen any toucans. The problem with macaws and parrots is that they are always screaming overhead so you always know when they are around, but they never seem to land or even fly close. This place is known for its clay licks where macaws, parrots and parakeets come to eat clay for its mineral content. We were treated to 3 species of macaws and 6 or more of parrots/parakeets all flying in and out, landing in trees and on the clay lick. Added bonuses were the cacophany created by hundreds of these birds at their raucous best and seeing hundreds of them wheeling overhead in flight. Marnie also got to see three species of toucan. We all left happy.
And, last but not least, a final photo ode to the lush and diverse flora of the rainforest...