The Amazon Rain Forest - Day 1

We flew into Puerto Maldonado on Sunday and made our way, by bus then boat, to Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica resort. We had read, and prepared for, limited luggage weight allowance on the boat, but we were able to bring our full bags. The resort is fantastic. We have our own cabin with its very own set of hammocks to laze away the hours when we are not exploring the jungle. No electricity from 3p to 6p and no WiFi so very peaceful. There are Agouti running around like squirrels (related to Guinea pigs - pic below).
We took a night boat tour on Sunday night, looking for White Caimans (small alligator like creatures), and Capibara - biggest rodents in the world. We saw both. At one point we sat in silence in the middle of the Madre De Dios river, tributary off the Amazon, listening to the night sounds and appreciating the incredible night sky. A memorable moment!
Monday we got a wake up knock at 5am. By 6:30 we'd eaten and were back in the boat. (Most excursions start with a boat trip). Our guide's name is Paulo. We took a 2 mile hike into the jungle to Lake Sandoval where we got back into a boat and had the rare and incredible experience of watching river otters find and eat fish while Red Howler monkeys rested above them in the trees. We also saw many Black Caiman, birds, and a snake too.
After lunch and a short rest at our room, we headed out on a hike to the canopy walk. We saw many very cool palm trees, including the fascinating erotic tree that is believed to have Viagra like effects (pics on other camera!) and the tree that's covered in red ants and has been used to torture filanderers and other criminals by tying them naked to the tree.
The canopy walk was great - high above the jungle floor. We took a boat back to the resort and then played cards with Dave. At 6:30 we headed out for a night nature walk. We saw 2 types of tarantulas, an opossum, and owl monkeys (also called night monkeys because they are the only nocturnal monkey in the world). Dinner in the lodge afterward was very good.Read more