visita a la selva

Last week, Dave came down to visit and we took a trip to the jungle of Peru. Being in the jungle was such a cool experience. The culture, climate, and surroundings made me feel like I was in a whole new country. We started in Tarapoto, which is a city in the cloud forest. We visited an amazing waterfall there. The next day, we took a 12 hour boat ride down the Rio Huallaga (tributary to the Amazon) to the little town of Lagunas. The only boat we could get to take us to Lagunas was a local boat where everyone takes their own hammock on the boat. We were surrounded by mothers and children swinging in the hammocks. Once in Lagunas, we met up with our guides, José and Johvita. For the next three days, we explored Reserve Pacaya Samiria, which is Peru’s largest national reserve. José and Johvita took us in a conoe up and down the small rivers and lakes that make up the Western part of the reserve. There, we saw macaws, crocodiles, anacondas, crocodiles, capuchin monkeys, wooly monkeys, butterflies, spiders, lizards, turtles, and many river fish including pirahnas. After the reserve, we took a 2 day boat cruise down the Rio Huallaga to the city of Iquitos. On the boat, we got to see river dolphins, flocks of tropical birds, and views of jungle villages on the river. We spent two days in Iquitos. Our favorite part was our visit to a butterfly farm and animal preserve, where we met several monkey amigos, jaguar, giant ant eater, tapir, three-toed sloth babies, and butterflies of every color. We ended our trip by spending a few days in Lima. We had a great time.