Our trip to Peru ended with a visit to the Amazon off of the Tambopata river. For the four of us this jungle was a must-see, but first we had to get there! Our flight was canceled from Cusco due to weather ~ it is dangerous to fly over those high mountain passes in heavy fog. This is where Maria came through for us again to divert us to an overnight bus ride so we’d still get to spend three days in the jungle.
It turned out to be an equally dangerous trip by bus! Once we hit 16,000 ft crossing the east side of the Andes, we ran into a blizzard around midnight.
It was a scene that none of us care to remember as we struggled to sleep and breathe.
After more progress and massive switchbacks the bus stopped again for a landslide to be cleared.
Following a 1.5 hour river trip we arrived at our destination 24 hrs later than planned ~ all part of the adventure!
The lodge we chose was rustic and perfect for our taste. Cabins with candles and a gravity (oops - cold) cistern shower, no electricity except plugs for charging for three hours in the communal restaurant each evening, trails and wildlife all around with necessary mud boots for trekking.
Right in front of the lodge we saw a snail kite.
Then we heard... and eventually spotted, a red-throated caracara.
Not to mention the noisy night monkeys that slept in the lodge bamboo by day!
The jungle is familiar ground for all of us and we felt right at home here. All of the usual critters were there just like Central America ~ birds, butterflies, frogs, monkeys ~ but different!
We took advantage of every waking hour to explore. Upon arrival we took a night hike in the dark and it was a unique experience.
Plenty of animals come out at night ~ especially spiders! ~ and everyone did very well spotting with their flashlights.
Glasswing butterfly
Dusky-throated antshrike
Stick insect
Fuzzy caterpillar
The coolest thing we encountered was the veil of the bride mushroom. It was starting to drop its veil on our way out and by the time we returned to the lodge on the trail it was fully deployed.
Morning came at 5:30 AM for a trip to the clay lick. This is where the birds gather to eat clay that adds salt and minerals to their diets. The dusky- and blue-headed parrots went at it, while the chestnut-fronted macaws stayed in the trees grooming each other in pairs.
Other birds observed were a yellow-tufted woodpecker munching on berries and a black-fronted nunbird catching a caterpillar.
We took another hike after breakfast and then a boat ride on a lake in the afternoon ~ more critters!
Horned frog
On the lake we fished for the elusive piranha & saw the most unique bird called a hoatzin, reminiscent of a turkey.
And then there were monkeys. Being familiar with howler, capuchin and spider monkeys we were fascinated by the new world monkeys living deep in this continent. There were brown capuchins here who were bigger and apparently smarter than most animals in this jungle.
We were lucky to see a saddle-back tamarin. Our guide had a great eye by the way! The tamarin scooted up the tree and had distinctive way of moving and quite a long tail.
So did the squirrel monkeys - they move fast! We saw these on two occasions and they were chatty and at times swinging like tarzan on the vines. Very fun to watch. The three short days were absolutely worth the extra travel for this group.
