Amazon Adventure

Traveling to the Amazon Rainforest to learn about the wildlife that inhabit the Upper Amazon region of Peru was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. AMAZON ADVENTURE is the story of my incredible journey through the world's most spectacular rainforest. From the moment I flew into the regional capital city of Iquitos, until I returned to the United States, my travels on the world's greatest river, the Amazon, and its tributaries, my trip included one thrilling moment of discovery after another. Racing down the Amazon River in a fast boat from Iquitos to the isolated Explorama Lodge nestled deep in the rainforest, I was amazed by sheer number of plants and animals that call this part of the world home. Iquitos is located 2,200 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, yet the river is so wide at that point that you can barely see one shore to the other (further downstream as the river gets bigger, and bigger, and bigger, you can sail down the middle of the river and not see either shoreline!). Altogether the river is over 4,000 miles long, and over its long journey from a small stream high in Andes Mountains in Peru, until it finally empties into the Atlantic, the Amazon River contains an unbelievable diversity of animal life including stingrays, electric eels, bull sharks, lungfish, pink river dolphins, manatees, caiman (reptiles related to alligators and crocodiles), as well as more different species of fish than live in the Atlantic Ocean.As I traveled through the lush, green rainforest with my guide Roldan, I saw a vast array of rainforest animals from quick-moving spider monkeys, to barely-moving sloths, as well as tapirs, capybaras, poison dart frogs, and many other living creatures. One highlight of this part of my trip was seeing the bright blue wings of a morpho butterfly flash past, and observing a giant wasp dragging a young tarantula across the forest floor. After thoroughly exploring the area surrounding the Explorama Lodge, we boarded another boat and traveled to the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research (ACEER) to learn about the important work they are doing to preserve the Amazon Rainforest, and the plants and animals that call the Amazon home. Undoubtedly, the most exciting part of our visit was our walk along the ACEER's canopy walkway. Swaying back and forth as went higher and higher into the canopy gave us a view of the rainforest that was incredibly beautiful and thrilling at the same time. Reaching the highest point of the walkway at 180 feet, we found ourselves looking down at the tops of 100-foot tall trees!Once we left the ACEER site, we found ourselves back on the water, and it wasn't long before we had yet another amazing experience. As we cruised along in our small boat, suddenly we heard a loud splash. When we turned around to see what would make such a loud noise, we saw a large river dolphin shoot out of the water in a playful leap. What a sight! The final leg of my amazing journey through Peru's Upper Amazon region was aboard an fantastically beautiful boat named La Amatista. This large river boat was complete with luxury, woodlined cabins, and views of the surrounding rainforest that looked like something straight out of a magazine. Each day we would sail out from La Amatista in small boats to explore the tributaries of the Amazon River. On one such trip early one morning we were greeted by the loud barking sounds of a tree filled with large red howler monkeys. They weren't happy with our incursion into their territory, and were not afraid to let us know about it! On yet another side trip in our small boats, we tied up on some trees in a black-water lagoon where we used impromptu fishing poles to fish for a local favorite - red belly piranhas! Being that close to water filled with the hungry, vicious "swimming teeth" gave new meaning to the locals saying, "Sometimes you eat the piranha, and sometimes the piranha eats you.