A small corner of the world’s biggest rainforest
If like me you have an overactive imagination and see the world in a somewhat dramatic light then the Amazon for you will also be one of those places you heard about when you were younger which seemed like a far away, misty land filled with deadly creepy crawlies, unknown animals all hidden in a dense humid jungle which you could very easily ( and most probably) get lost in and spend the rest of your days eating bugs and living in a tree wearing nothing but leaves and mud!
Whilst that all sounds like a lot of fun I think at the age of 24 its about time to find out what it really is all about. So off we went and did exactly that.
A 10 hour bus journey East from Cusco, on the border of Brazil and Bolivia, you will find Peru’s Puerto Maldonado. As a small group of 7 we took a water taxi and a 2 hour trek to get to Lake Sandoval where we spent a few days exploring the Caiman and Piranha infested water and surrounding jungle.
First impressions. Mud. Mud mud mud and moreeeee mud. If I was a pig I would have been in heaven.
With only human powered transport allowed in the reserve all supplies had to be dragged or carried on the back of an army of porters, which turned the ground to mud. Having been fitted with gum boots (wellies) we sloshed our way very happily along the well trodden path to a small dock.
Nestled in the dense jungle we found our canoe. 5 minutes of paddling through a narrow passage and the jungle ended, giving us our first view of Lake Sandoval. A 2km wide oxbox lake.
Our accommodation was just minutes away, so we headed in to drop our bags and have some much needed lunch.
Back on the lake for dusk, the sky swirled from purpley pink to orange and we drifted gently around the lakes edge taking in the orchestra of rustling trees home to humming insects, singing birds, and playful monkeys.
With the sky becoming darker, the insects grew louder and much more active. The Caimans kept themselves to the edge of the lake and could only be spotted using our head torches to catch the glare from their eyes in the distance. Believe it or not, the Caimans where much more afraid of us than we were of them. So many had been killed in the past for their skin that they are now endangered. However, our guide managed to catch a baby Caiman which we carefully held as we were battered by moths, mosquitos, beetles and dragon flies. It was literally raining insects. Time to head back thank you!
Second day we were up and out by 4:30am in order to spot parrots feeding in the morning. On the way back we were met by a whole family of giant otters who were playfully hunting piranhas in the lake. At every turn there was something to see, including two Caimans fighting over a dead sting ray. Sting rays…in the Amazon…WHAT?!
Moving away from the trodden paths we trekked through the jungle in the afternoon. Trees towered above us and vines looped and swung in all directions. With a simple tap of a twig outside of a nest, huge Chicken Spiders would emerge to protect their babies. Bees and Mosquitos buzzed passed and ants of all sizes and deadliness trailed across branches beneath our feet. The Jungle was so alive and powerful, every insect, plant and animal had its own agenda and place whilst working together all at the same time.
As we were feeling “at one with nature”, our guide told us about a delicacy found in the jungle, more commonly known as the termite. Breaking through a termite mound he collected enough for each of us to eat, such a treat! Once you get over the fact that they are alive, and crawling and crunchy they really just taste like wood. (No photo evidence of this…something I’d rather forget).
What better way to cool off from a humid hike than to go swimming? Like crazy people we swam in the lake. Not a separate section of the lake, not a pond nearby, the lake we had seen Piranhas and Caimans in just hours before. Under promise from our guide that no one has ever been hurt swimming in Lake in the past we went for a dip. We survived to tell the tale — all limbs accounted for!
If that’s not enough nature for one day, we went on a night time walk. In silence we turned off our head torches and stood in complete darkness in the centre of the jungle listening to the sounds around us. Wonderful but truly petrifying.
Our final day we spent hiking further into the jungle followed by piranha fishing in the evening.
Our guide caught a piranha within 10 minutes, so we all felt confident that we would catch something.
That was until a Caiman caught sight of Chris’ bait and stalked him for half an hour. A very tense first time fishing expedition for me.
With all of its potential to be the scariest place in the world, the Amazon holds a certain charm which is surprisingly calm and magical. I imagined snakes wrapped around my legs and spiders jumping around me, instead everything kept to itself (for the most part) and I made it out alive. Back to civilisation, next stop Lake Titicaca.
