Growing up, I loved watching the Planet Earth documentaries. You can imagine it was a dream-come-true for me to finally go to the incredible Amazon Rainforest in real-life. During my stay, there were two things I could not get rid of: my sweat and my smile.
As you can imagine, the Amazon is a hot, humid place. It was very different from the rainy season in Cusco I had grown accustomed to, but it was a welcome change. We woke up early and went to the Cusco Airport to take our plane to Madre de Dios Region. The instant we touched down, I could see the heat radiating off the pavement. We stepped outside into the brilliant sun and loaded ourselves into the hot passenger van. We stopped briefly in the town center to grab waters and ice cream before continuing our Puerto Maldonado adventure.
After our thirst was quenched, we loaded back into the van to drive a short distance to the shore of Madre de Dios river, which is a tributary river to the Amazon river. There, we loaded into a boat that was very close to the surface of the water and headed out to our destination. As we motored down the river, I was captivated by the tall trees and wide expanse of nature around me. Eventually, the boat slowed and docked itself at the Monte Amazonico Lodge, where we would be staying for the next few days. We shuffled into the "no shoes allowed" communal dining space and were told about what the next few days would entail. Then we got keys to our individual lodges and set off down the long paths to settle in.
Each lodge held two to three people with our own beds, mosquito nets, and bathroom. My best friend (you might remember her from my 2018 Spring Break!) stayed together in the muggy lodge. There were nice hammocks on the decks for relaxing as well. There was a small pool in the back to cool off in, and no shortage of nature. In fact, we saw massive snakes, tarantulas, exotic insects, and more. Nonetheless, we felt safe in our lodge and excited for what was to come.
Monkey Island
Soon after settling in, we were told to go find our size in rain boot from the outdoor shelf. These were provided to us by the Lodge, and very crucial throughout the remainder of our stay. The Amazon has a lot of muck and high mud you have to maneuver through, and at some points, we had to walk through the river (at low depths). After we were all fitted with our boots, we headed out to the dock to get in the boat again and head to Monkey Island.
Getting out of the boat when we arrived was an adventure in and of itself. There was a super-thin board resting on the edge of the boat leading down into the water. We had to climb out of the boat and walk down the small board into the river and then made our way to the shore. It wasn't very deep, but it was still a little intimating. Then we set off into the dense forest with our guide in search of the wild monkeys that are known to populate the island. As we walked, our guide gave us lots of interesting information and pointed out special plants and things to avoid. He was very adamant about not touching the trees because bullet ants lived in them.
When I was young, I watched a documentary about an indigenous Amazonian tribe that uses bullet ants for their coming of age ceremonies. They are repeatedly subjected to the fury of bullet ants and their hands go numb and turn black from it. I have always been tormented by the idea of it, but never thought I'd be face to face with a bullet ant. The guide slammed his fist against a tree to demonstrate the danger. As he quickly removed his hand, ants started crawling out of the bark and left me rightfully frightened. Though it was difficult to maneuver through the forest without touching anything (or having anything touch you), you can believe I kept my distance from the bullet ant trees.
As we walked further and further into the forest, the landscape got wilder. You could tell this was a place uninhabited by humans, and that was soon verified by the screeches of monkeys in the distance. We looked and looked, but they were hiding from us. Unfortunately, we never go to see the monkeys on Monkey Island, but it was still a fun experience, and I saw plenty of monkeys throughout the rest of my time in Puerto Maldonado.
Tambopata-Candamo Reserve
The following day, we hopped back in the boats to head to the Tambopata-Candamo Reserve. There, we hike through more muck while our guide pointed out various animals and nature components special to the Amazon. I still couldn't believe we were actually there. We saw a tarantula nest, which stood out to me the most. Instead of weaving webs, they live in underground dens. I've seen tarantulas in zoos or even as pets, but those have all had the poison removed from them. Before this trip, I'd never been face-to-face with a wild, yes it can kill you, tarantula. But somehow, I wasn't very afraid. I kept my distance and they kept theirs, and all was well.
Sandoval Lake
Inside of Tambopata- Candamo Reserve is Sandoval Lake. It is like a hidden oasis in the middle of nowhere. We must have been walking for over two hours when suddenly, we appeared at a small dock with canoes. The water they floated on seemed to lead through mangroves into nothing-ness, but we were prompted to pile into the boats. With two people controlled the oars, we ventured through the small canal observing many animals along the way. Then, all of a sudden, we emerged into a beautiful lake lined with palm trees and the most radiant sun. You know those movies where they're going through something scary, and they all of a sudden the land in the center of the earth and it's just the most beautiful oasis they've ever seen? That's what Sandoval Lake felt like to me. I was overcome by its simple beauty.
We paddled around the entire lake as our guide showed us the otters playing (who knew there were otters in the Amazon!) and Caimans patrolling the waters. At multiple points, we paddle to shore to observe Monkeys jumping from tree to tree and playing with each other. It was unbelievable. After rowing three-fourths of the way, we docked and climbed a small hill to a hut with restrooms. Outside there were hammocks overlooking the lake, and I just laid there for a while soaking it all. Before getting back in our boats, we were given the option to jump in the water very close to the shore (as you remember, there were caimans in that water). I was all set. I watched from a careful distance as people splashed around and then we all clambered back into the boat and set off to the canal once again. We docked the canoe where we had found it and began our hike back to the port we'd entered.
Caimans and Piranhas and Spiders, Oh My!
In the Amazon, there is, of course, no shortage of scary animals. While staying at the lodge, we went on a "nightcrawlers" tour, a Caiman tour on the water, and saw a plethora of other animals during our stay. I think the pictures can tell you about what I saw better than words, so here you go...
otters, caimans, piranhas, monkeys, tarantulas,
Kayaking
If you know me, you know that I love kayaking! I think it's so peaceful and beautiful to be out on the water, I love the physicality of controlling your own boat, and I love to race with my friend's on the water. Kayaking on the Amazon was a whole other level. We loaded our Kayaks on to a motorboat and made our way up the river. Then, we tossed the boats in the water and hopped in. The motorboat trailed behind us for safety and as a lookout while made out way down the river. The thrill was unbelievable knowing that caimans, piranhas, and countless other creatures lurked in the water below me. In fact, at one point the motorboat had to redirect us from some caimans emerging near our boats. Talk about crazy!
Zip-lining
As with kayaking, if you know me, you know that while I'm not necessarily afraid of heights, I am terrified of falling. That means I'm not afraid of airplanes or roller coasters - things where I'm up high but strapped in tight. It also means that I am afraid of jumping from high (and even no so high) places. It is safe to say I had never gone zip-lining. Who in their right mind would voluntarily jump off a ledge held up by some wire and zoom through the air? Not me....at least until I went to the Amazon. If you ask me, that a pretty awesome place to have your first zipline experience. I'll admit that I was terrified to jump and it took A LOT of encouragement from my friends, but once I did, it was amazing. As I flew over the Amazon canopy, I felt so free. What a liberating experience. I *might* even zip line again someday, but I'll definitely leave the flips and tricks to those far more daring than I.
Check the blog gallery or my Instagram for photos!
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