Sacred Valley to the Amazon

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Friday, 26 April 2024 - Took one last river safari ride on the Amazon, returned to the familiar plant-covered lake visited earlier in the trip, observed a variety of birds including Wattled Jacanas and Yellow-Headed Blackbirds, then visited the Manatee Rescue Center outside Iquitos to see young manatees and caimans before beginning the journey back toward Lima and home.

peru2024 — We return to the same plant-covered lake we visited four days previously.

peru2024 — Looking straight up through the leaves of the trees.

peru2024 — We come upon the same Wattled Jacana male protecting his nest. Below his beak you can see the eggs, they are tough to see, gray with black markings.

peru2024 — A Rusty-margined flycatcher.

peru2024 — The plant life on the lake we move through.

peru2024 — A tree full of Yellow Hooded Blackbirds, the male has the bright yellow head and the females are not as bright.

peru2024 — The birds flying close to the water. They seem to gather on the water plants.

peru2024 — A male Yellow Hooded Blackbird sitting on a branch while a female flies by.

peru2024 — We leave the ship and drive to the Manatee Rescue Center outside Iquitos. At the center they take in many types of animals who are confiscated by police or surrendered by people who cannot manage the animal as a pet.

We could see two young manatees in small pools.

peru2024 — We were there when feeding time started and the manatees were given bottles of a milk-like liquid.

peru2024 — A few small caimans were in a pen.

The goal of the center is to return the animals to the wild - where possible.

peru2024 — They had many birds - typically confiscated as they were being smuggled.

peru2024 — Finally, we came to the big fish we had been served several times - the Paiche.

The Paiche is among the largest freshwater fish in the world reaching almost 10 feet long.

peru2024 — A very primitive fish with 23-million-year-old fossils of the species found in Columbia.

peru2024 — Designers have begun using the skin of the Paiche as leather to make jackets, shoes, and handbags, and to cover furniture.

peru2024 — Paiche produce boneless steaks and are considered a delicacy. In the Amazon region, locals often salt and dry the meat, rolling it into a cigar-style package that is then tied and can be stored without rotting, which is important in a region with so little refrigeration.

peru2024 — Paiche are particularly vulnerable to overfishing because of their size and because they must surface periodically to breathe. In addition to gills, it has a modified and enlarged swim bladder, composed of lung-like tissue, which enables it to extract oxygen from the air.

From here we return to Lima and then on to the USA. A great trip for all of us!!!

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