Saturday afternoon, January 26, 2019

Our afternoon excursion was on the Yarapa River. This river is outside the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve, so there is more water traffic there. We boated past several Eco-lodges, including The Treehouse, where all of the lodges are up in trees. Most of these eco-lodges are quite basic, for guests who want to experience nature without the amenities. (We did see some solar panels and electrical cords, so they aren’t completely off the grid.)

We spotted a couple more Pygmy Marmosets who played hide and seek with us. They really are adorable. There were a couple of Wooly Monkeys jumping through the trees and playing with each other. They reminded us of the acrobats with Cirque du Soleil. They cling to the branches and swing by their prehensile tails. It’s amazing that they don’t fall in the water, which is a good thing since they can’t swim.

We did see a Coatimundi running up a branch, but weren’t quick enough to get a photo. They have long noses like anteaters, but are related to raccoons. They spend most of their time in the trees.

Suddenly, our guide became very excited. “My friends, my friends, you are very lucky. There is the world’s largest Toucan – the White-throated Toucan.” It was difficult to spot at first, hiding behind a branch. With some maneuvering by our pilot, we got to see this magnificent bird. It was joined by a second one that we couldn’t see, though.

We managed to see a Yellow-crowned Brushtail Tree Rat peeking out of its hole in a tree. We had seen one at dusk the other day, but this one was much easier to see. It obliged us by climbing out so we could see the entire body.

After dinner, several crew members entertained us with music and singing. They call themselves “The Chunky Monkeys.” Several of us got up to dance for a while. It was a lovely final evening here in the Upper Amazon.