At exactly 5:00am I was startled awake
by the annoying sound of my alarm clock. Sitting straight up I briefly forgot
where I was but as I glanced out our bungalow window reality returned. Prior day instructions suggested we be in the
main lodge at 5:45am in hopes of, depending on weather, watching the sunrise
and taking a morning tour of the Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve.
The reserve is also known as the ‘forest of mirrors’
and a paradise for bird watchers. The Peruvian Government established the
reserve in 1982 with the express purpose of preserving the wilderness resources
and the beautiful landscapes of the area.
With an area of 8,042 square miles, the reserve houses a great diversity of wildlife and aquatic life: 449
bird species, 102 mammals, 69 reptiles, 58 amphibians, 256 fish and 1,204
plants. Threatened and endangered
species also reside in the reserve and include the jaguar, black alligator,
giant river otter, the manatee, four different species of primates and two
different species of turtles. The
reserve is also home to five of the eight species of Macaw found in Peru. I was especially interested in viewing the
‘pink’ dolphins I had read so much about.
Were they really ‘pink’?
With over 1,200 varieties of flora one
can find a great diversity of medicinal plants and trees that can reach a
height of 150 feet or more. In certain
areas you can still find rubber trees, which are now being preserved after the
famous rubber exploitation of 80 years ago.
What
I found surprising was the number of ethnic groups that call Pacaya-Samiria
National Reserve home: 94 communities,
21 of them of the Cocama ethnic group. The total population of the Reserve is
42,000 people with their main economic activities centered on fishing,
agriculture, gathering and hunting. Fish,
of course, is considered the most important resource because of its role in the
ecological process, its economic value and nutrition value provided to the
local people. Access to the reserve is by
boat only and is controlled by the Peruvian Government and limited to
determined zones after payment of an entrance fee. Our fees were included with our
accommodation.
Average
temperatures range from 68-91 degrees with an annual rainfall of between 80-120
inches. Considering we were in the
rainforest I thought annual rainfall somewhat low when compared to over 400
inches annual on the island of Kauai.
Although
clouds thwarted our attempt to see the sunrise we spent a little over 6 hours cruising
inside the reserve. I believe 4-5 hours would have been sufficient, mainly because the boat did not have any
type of back brace and the seating was not conducive to a 6-hour ride but, then
again, maybe my age had something to do with that. I ended up sitting on my life jacket to
provide a little additional padding.
A
couple hours after leaving the lodge we maneuvered the boat to one side of
river and made a brief stop for breakfast. We did not leave the boat, as there
is no dry land. It reminded me of the
swamps of Louisiana but without the Spanish moss hanging from the trees. The breakfast was
well received and done quite efficiently considering we were sitting in a boat
in the middle of the Amazon. A sandwich,
boiled egg and a liquid version of yogurt was provided on
individual plates along with salt, pepper and napkins. All in all we enjoyed the experience of the morning
but were glad to return to the lodge for lunch and a rest.
After
a nourishing lunch it was time to do some piranha
fishing. What an adventure and a thrill
that proved to be. I’m not sure what our
poles were made from but it looked like a tree branch with a simple line and
hook. Basic but effective nonetheless. Our guide, Carlos, took us to 4 different
areas to enjoy our fishing experience. I
was surprised at how quickly the piranha would bite. They were very smart however and trying to
hook them as they nibbled away on our bait proved to be quite a challenge. We did manage to hook several during our
outing and discovered this wasn’t a catch and
release. I was surprised that, no matter
what the size, we kept everything we caught.
After
a couple hours of fishing it was back to the lodge, a refreshing dip in the
pool and a little rest before dinner.
Another wonderful day brought to an end by watching the sunset from our
bungalow deck.
Our final morning started with
breakfast at 8am followed by a jungle walk at 9am. Once again our guide Carlos brought to our
attention the varieties of flora and fauna along the route, along with insects,
snakes and other wildlife native to the jungle.
We also learned the art of using termites as a natural mosquito
repellant and also how to building a shelter for spending a night in the
jungle.
At the furthest point on our hike we found hanging
vines. I expected Tarzan to swing by us
at any minute. Each of us took turns
playing ‘Tarzan” by swinging on the vines that we could reach from the ground.
Arriving back at the lodge at 11:30am gave us plenty of time
to shower, pack and prepare for our 2:15pm departure dockside. I will
miss the friends we have made and also the unique experiences we encountered
over the past three days. Samiria
EcoLodge has made our time in the Amazon one to remember for the ages.
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