Into the Wild - Five Days in the Pacaya-Samiria Natural Reserve

The majority of contemporary society has disconnected itself from nature to the point that those who choose to seek for virtually untouched nature can only find it in remote and isolated places. Humans tend to forget that we are also part of nature – and we build our modern world detached from it. Worse still, we destroy nature in the name of ‘progress’, forgetting that nature is life. The wonderful inventions of man may make our lives somewhat more comfortable and last a bit longer, but without nature there would be no life in the first place. One of the main sources of life on Planet Earth is this amazing part of the world called the Amazon Basin, which stretches over eight countries and is home to an immense amount of different species of plants, animals and fish. Several human indigenous populations also live throughout this vast natural expanse of the world, many of whom are in contact with the modern world and others who aren’t.

The Aguarico River near Lago Agrio in Ecuador

Despite having lived in the Amazon for almost two years, I lived in a town - and a town is a town even if it is built in the middle of the jungle. Therefore, every chance I’ve had to spend time in the jungle itself, away from the town, has been a chance to get in touch with the real Amazon. I’ve always referred to these moments as going into the ‘deep jungle’, where one hears only the sounds of nature and leaves behind the petty problems of modern day life (and in my case, the stress of working with victims of atrocities). Due to deforestation for wood and agriculture, as well as the exploitation of petrol and mining, it isn’t easy to find large stretches of accessible jungle which are more or less intact. To get to such parts of the jungle, you must either make your way into extremely remote areas only reachable by canoe and sometimes by little planes, or you can visit a natural reserve. A natural reserve is not a man-made park but is simply a designated area where humans are only allowed to interact with nature in very limited and controlled ways. In such a manner, the natural area is protected from being destroyed by human intervention whilst hunting and fishing is either prohibited or controlled.

The Samiria River flowing through the natural reserve

Trees cut for their wood and sent to Iquitos

 

Pacaya-Samiria is the second largest natural reserve in the Amazon jungle. It takes about 22 to 26 days to row across it all by canoe and, even then, you would have only seen the areas around one of the rivers. With five days at hand, we weren’t going to go very deep into the jungle since we had to row two days in one direction and then three other days to return (the return journey is harder and slower since one must row against the current). This area was not always a natural reserve and, in the past, a few families lived here scattered around in a few pockets of the jungle. Rubber was extracted from the trees growing in the area (as happened in several areas around the Amazon) during the rubber boom, mainly between 1879 to 1912 - but rubber extraction from the Amazon continued until the 1940s. More recently, petrol was extracted from the area but this damaging activity for the environment was thankfully stopped. The Pacaya-Samiria was declared a natural reserve in 1982, meaning that the families who previously lived here had to relocate to nearby areas outside from the reserve.

Thick vegetation in the jungle

On the morning of our journey into the wild, we got up early to gather the basic necessities we were going take with us for the next five days and left our backpacks in the wooden house of our host in the riverside town of Lagunas. Our guide, Adolfo (a local man in his thirties), and his very quiet partner came to pick us up on a moto-taxi to take us to the little river that leads into the natural reserve. Xavi and I each had a small bag with some clothes, mosquito repellent, toiletries (and toilet paper), towels, torches and our cameras. It must have been an approximately twenty minute ride on an unpaved road into the jungle to the entrance of the natural reserve, where visitors must register themselves with the authorities in charge of protecting the area. There were very few people around, though for the first time in ages we did see a small number of other foreigners who were also heading in the same direction. Groups going into the reserve are kept small since it is only accessible by canoes without motorized engines. Basically, you must row to get anywhere – which is easier when entering the reserve since the river flows inwards, whilst you must row against the current on your return (unless you have the time and energy to row across the whole reserve).

Adolfo rows through the narrow river

Xavi and I helped our guides to load the little canoe with the few things we were taking with us into the jungle. Apart from our small bags, Adolfo brought along some bread, rice and eggs, a couple of pans, mineral water, rubber boots and a two-pronged harpoon for fishing. Once all was set, Adolfo and his partner started to row and the canoe glided gently along the narrow river. Every stroke of the oar took us further into the unspoilt territory of the natural reserve. At one point, this little river joined another larger one, the Samiria River – one of the two rivers which give the area its name. In this part of the reserve, the rivers are still very narrow, making you feel really close to the nature around you along the banks of the river.

You can touch the trees as you pass under them

 As the hours passed peacefully, floating through endless bends in the river with only the gentle sound of the oars hitting the water, the songs of birds in the trees above and the infrequent screech of a monkey in the distance, we noticed the jungle coming to life. Here, the wildlife does not need to live in hiding from the humans who represent death for their species. The fact that motorised engines are not used gives the animals and birds even less reason to be scared. Nevertheless, in the jungle, the animals and birds do not come close to humans as they would in urbanised areas or zoos, where a dependence of animals on humans has been created. One could describe the animals in the wild as being very shy and they generally flee when they see humans approaching. You will often hear the sounds of animals in the distance that you will never see with your own eyes. I much prefer this far more natural interaction with wildlife than that false – and rather sad – interaction with caged animals in a zoo, where animals are seen from much closer but doing nothing more than eat and feel miserable. It is glorious to see free monkeys at a distance, flying from branch to branch as they cross the river, or the various types of birds that soar above the trees over a sea of never-ending green. It is that magnificent sense of freedom.

Flying monkeys, jumping across the river from branch to branch

A bird perched on a tree

That night, we stopped in a little wooden cabin and slept in beds with mosquito nets. The supper consisted of eggs and rice, cooked over a fire. A few other foreigners also stopped here for the night, but too few for anyone to be intrusive to the other. We met a group of four middle-aged Spanish persons and I chatted with a fifty-something year old man who was once an engineer but decided to move to a small village and become a carpenter. It was his first time in the jungle – proof that you’re never too old to try something new if you really want to. Most people heading into the jungle for three days stop here, spend the day in the area and then row back on the third day. We had five days, giving us time to head further down the river. Wooden structures for sleeping are much more basic beyond this point. As the food was cooking on the fire, we all chatted and Adolfo treated us with a series of politically incorrect jokes – so obviously and innocently unaware of the existence of political correctness that actually made him endearing. Fireflies gave a magical show in the darkness – brightly glowing green specks flying gently around the trees and bushes. The sound of crickets provided the soundtrack. The following morning, we got up early and set off down the river. From here onwards, we hardly met anyone else. Alongside our little wooden canoe was another with a local guide and a French traveller who was heading into the reserve for twelve days.

Basic wooden and straw huts for sleeping

A firefly keeps us company on the table

The strength of flowing water is impressive as it eats its way into the riverbanks, creating new paths for the river to flow though and dropping huge trees in the process. Many of these tumbled trees create obstacles for the canoes as they float down the river. At times, the canoes knock into them or get stuck as they try to pass over a half-sunken tree trunk. Breaks from rowing are needed at around midday, as the oppressive jungle heat is at its worst. At this time of the day, there is nothing better than jumping into the cool river for a swim. There are piranhas in the river but they don’t eat people as happens in the movies. At most, they may take a bite at you if you have an open wound. Moreover, most wildlife is asleep at midday, giving very little reason to be rowing along the river at this time. Indeed, life in the jungle is at its peak around sunrise and sunset, when animals, birds and fish wake up and feed, or look for a resting place for the night. Despite the darkness, the jungle is also very much alive at night, as nocturnal animals come out to hunt.

A bird on a fallen tree in the river

 

At night, we went out on the canoe in the darkness – with a torch each to find our way around. The idea was to catch fish for our meals and also spot a type of alligator called caimans, who spend the daytime buried in mud by the riverside and then wake up at night. They are easily spotted due to the little red glimmer in their eyes when a light is shone upon them. Adolfo managed to grab a small white caiman (the black ones are apparently far more aggressive) and let me hold it but the alligator proved to be rather strong and let himself free, jumping back into the river (which is where we wanted to leave him anyway after a brief acquaintance). Less lucky were the fish, since we wanted to eat them. There are several types of freshwater fish in the river, the largest being the huge ‘paiches’, which can grow as much as over two metres in length but are protected from being fished in the wild. Fishing of other species of fish is allowed in this natural reserve but within certain limits. Given that Adolfo’s chosen tool for fishing is a two-pronged harpoon, there was little chance for us to go over any limits despite the fact that Adolfo proved to be very precise with the harpoon.

A caiman swimming in the river at night

It's in his eyes

Harpooned - fish for supper

I had a good dose of beginner’s luck as I harpooned a poor fish at my first attempt. I proceeded to catch three other fish (two of which literally flew out of the water and into my arms – actually, one onto my head), confirming my motto: if I can kill it, I will eat it. I don’t eat animal or bird meat since I could never kill those creatures but I somehow never had a problem with fish. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I grew up on an island. I certainly had to problem in putting a harpoon into a poor fish, though I did feel somewhat bad for my catch (apparently not bad enough to prevent me from doing it). Xavi had no luck and only managed to harpoon one of the fish that had already been caught and was on our boat. Despite his weak attempt to claim the fish as his own catch, I eventually convinced him to the contrary and told him that he’d have to eat eggs and rice again the next day.

Catcher of dead fish (Xavi pretends he caught this fish himself)

Over the following days, our main meals consisted of freshly caught fish. It is a great feeling to cultivate or catch your own food. It makes you feel less dependent on money and the suffocating capitalist system. This is how many indigenous tribes still live in the Amazon. The jungle provides all they need – water, food, medicines and material to build shelter. The basic structures where we slept at night were made of wood and used woven palm tree leaves as a roof, providing protection from the rain and keeping the structure cool even when the sun is at its hottest.

Fresh fish roasted on a fire with plantain

We got to know the French traveller, Estefan, and discovered that he works as a guide during the winter months in the Norwegian Arctic region, taking people for rides in the snow with sledges pulled by huskies and catching fish from holes cut into the ice of frozen lakes. He told us that such excursions are extremely expensive nowadays, being affordable only by rich older persons who barely appreciate the experience. He would be happier to interact with persons with more love for nature and the Artic wilderness. I had once gone on such an expedition for a couple of days in the north of Sweden but it surely mustn’t have been that expensive since I was a penniless student at the time. Speaking to Estefan made me remember my time living in Sweden and travelling through Scandinavia about 15 years previously. Strange to have such memories in such an extremely different environment and climate.

Estefan eventually headed deeper into the reserve, where he hoped to spot larger creatures such as manatees and dolphins as the river became wider. With some luck, he could also spot a jaguar (always a rare sighting) drinking from the river during the early morning. Arriving at the reserve in September (the dry season), the rivers are much lower than in the wet season so such large animals do not come to this part of the reserve until the river rises again from October onwards. Nevertheless, we did get lucky in coming across a group of what looked like river seals (but were probabely large river rats called nutrias) as we headed back up the river.

A river rat (nutria) swims in the river

With the dry season coming to an end, we were treated to a ferocious thunderstorm one afternoon. The ominous grey clouds approached very quickly, and one could tell that it would soon rain heavily when a chilly wind started to blow. Birds flew towards trees for protection from the wind and impending rain. The gush of wind indicated that it was also best for us to run for cover since, a few instances later, a huge downpour started and lasted for about half an hour. Xavi decided to take a shower under the downpour – shampoo and all. The storm was all over soon enough, but the air was much cooler afterwards and the mosquitos came out in swarms to bite once the rain had stopped. Thankfully, a number of large frogs also made an appearance to eat the mosquitos. Such is the climate in the jungle – suffocating heat and bursts of intense rain. During the wet or rainy season, the periods of rain are much longer and much more frequent, with river levels capable of increasing by as much as ten or fifteen metres in some areas – turning what is currently dry land into a flooded forest with trees sticking out of the water. During the dry season, you can walk around the areas by the riverside, admiring gigantic trees and discovering their amazing properties. Rubber trees start oozing white rubbery liquid when scraped, as human flesh bleeds when cut.

After the storm, frogs come out to look for food

Tall Xavi dwarfed by the trees in the jungle

 

We spent the last two days rowing against the flow of the river to get back to Lagunas. Xavi and I took it in turns to help Adolfo and his partner in this physical struggle. Adolfo showed incredible physical strength, constantly rowing with clockwork rhythm and continuity. Whilst we unfortunately never got to know much about Adolfo’s quiet partner, he did tell us much about himself. He told us stories of his time in the army, posted in the jungle close to Ecuador. One memorable story was of an army colleague of his who got lost in the jungle for a week and was almost dead by the time he was luckily found. Adolfo also talked about his unhappy experience living in the big city of Lima and his decision to return to the healthier life in the jungle. He recently did himself honour by remaining to work as a guide for the same agency even after the owner died and his young daughter took over. Adolfo said he did this out of respect for the deceased man and his family. Despite telling jokes of a dubious nature, Adolfo proved to be a good man when it mattered most.

Adolfo about to cut wood for a little fire

As we headed back towards that part of the world connected by technology, we wondered what had happened in the rest of the world as we lived for days in glorious natural isolation - rowing a canoe, catching fish, swimming in rivers and admiring the countless stars in the clear skies without light pollution. As we slowly won the struggle against the strong currents of the river and headed back to where we had started, I already started feeling a strong nostalgia for the natural world I was leaving behind – wishing with all my heart that I would return to spend more time in another place like this in the not-too-faraway-future. The first news we received upon returning to Lagunas was that the people of Scotland had voted in a referendum to remain part Great Britain. We also faced an exuberant local political campaign in full swing, with much flag-waving and false promises – all in the midst of a little jungle town. It’s a strange world we live in.

Starry night without light polution

Along the Jungle River by Cargo Boat

 

After the bendy three hour van ride, Xavi and I were greeted by the humid tropical heat of Yurimaguas – the climate I have loved for the past two years of my life in the jungle. We found a little wooden hostel right by the Huallaga River (which eventually joins the Marañon River and takes its name, then joins the Ucayali River and forms the Amazon River) and decided to spend the night there. Having checked our options for further travel, we came up with the following plan: to catch a cargo boat heading down the river towards the village of Lagunas and, from there, head with a local guide into the Pacaya-Samiria Natural Reserve for five days. Pacaya-Samiria is a huge area of protected jungle, where there is plenty of biodiversity and the chance to interact with the wildlife - including monkeys, alligators, piranhas and a number of different species of birds. Going further into the reserve (generally you need at least ten days), one could also see larger animals such as dolphins, manatees and, if you are really lucky, you could also spot a jaguar drinking from the riverbanks.

The town square in Yurimaguas

Wooden hostel along the Huallaga River in Yurimaguas

Yurimaguas is bigger and more vibrant than I expected. We walked around and came across two ports. At the smaller port, plantain and other agricultural products were being unloaded from small boats arriving from nearby villages. Dozens of people, including children, were busy carrying products from the boats to the little market at the top of the hill. At the market, you could find all sorts of things from fruit to exotic animals (probably being sold illegally but pretty much in the open). The larger port was even more bustling with activity, with strong men loading and unloading heavy items from cargo boats such as large planks of wood and various boxes with products for local consumption. Yurimaguas is currently the last town connected by roads to the rest of Peru, making it a very important centre for commerce. From here onwards, the only means of transport are boats of different sizes and planes flying to Iquitos. The following morning, we were going to travel on one of these cargo boats which we were currently observing. Simply sitting and watching this frenzy of activity was an interesting enough way to spend the late afternoon.

Small port where canoes bring agricultural products to the market

An elderly lady takes a nap at the Yurimaguas market

Local delights such as roasted plantain and worms

Men at work - the cargo port in Yurimaguas

Loading the cargo boats

I spent the evening chatting with one of the workers at the hostel and a girl from Lima who is travelling around the country, getting herself involved in environmental and community activism. She talked about a number of serious environmental issues around the country concerning mining, the draining of lagoons which are essential to local communities, and also about plans to build dams along the upper section of the Marañon River, considered to be the mainstem source of the Amazon River. The latter particularly sounds like a crazy idea since the Amazon River is essential to keep the jungle alive – and the jungle acts as the lung of the earth. This would be yet another attack on the balance created by nature that allows humans to thrive. On one side, you have fair talk about the development requirements of a country whilst, on the other hand, we have the simple equation that humans breathe in oxygen and emit carbon dioxide. Humans also create multiple other sources of carbon dioxide. Plants and tree reverse the process, absorbing carbon dioxide and emitting oxygen. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that killing trees on a massive scale will eventually mean killing mankind. I feel that more awareness is needed on the importance of conserving the Amazon and the destruction it is currently facing from various culprits (mining, petrol extraction, deforrestation, pollution, etc).

A river boat carrying large logs that were once trees in the Amazon

That night, Xavi was fighting against a massive attack of diarrhea (possibly due to a ‘Chinese’ meal in a little restaurant which also doubles up as a motorcycle shop). We were rather concerned about going off into the deep jungle after a very long ride on a cargo boat with Xavi in this condition – but, in the end, we decided to go anyway. The slow boat ride to Lagunas was about 10 hours long. We took some food (though you do get fed a small meal on board) and water (essential due to the heat). Since I don’t eat meat, I had no option but to get my own food – something simple that will survive the heat (I chose brown bread and peanut butter) – since meals onboard always consist of meat.  We also needed to make sure that we were on the boat in good time to tie up our hammocks in a decent spot. A kind local showed us how to tie a good knot and proceeded to tie all our knots! Before long, the whole upper deck was full of people and their hammocks, whilst the lower deck was full of all sorts of cargo – including live animals, moto-taxis, crates of drinks, sacks and boxes full of goods. There was a rather filthy toilet on board, which was Xavi’s salvation.

A cargo ship that also carries passengers down the Huallaga River towards the Amazon River

Hardly a place for another hammock on the cargo boat

Tied up - a strong knot to keep that hammock from falling

Achieving the impossible - passing a moto-taxi over a plank of wood

The journey by cargo ship along the Huallaga River was not just scenic but also very interesting, due to various stops at riverside villages and settlements where goods, people and animals were loaded and unloaded. At times, seemingly impossible goods were loaded onto the boat over a smallish plank of wood, such as a moto-taxi and some huge boxes.  I felt an urge to stay and explore each of the riverside settlements we stopped at – but that would require months of travelling. Xavi and I were the only foreigners on the cargo ship and I soon started chatting with one of the locals. He was a middle aged indigenous man, originally from the highlands of Peru. He told me that there has been a lot of migration towards the jungle over the past few years, due to people looking for opportunities and cheap fertile land that would allow them to escape from the poverty in the mountain areas.

Riverside villages at settlements

Riverside villages at settlements

Riverside villages at settlements

The sudden increase of population in the jungle was not always a peaceful event, with some clashes occurring between the indigenous jungle populations and the settlers coming from other parts of Peru. Nevertheless, my new friend also talked about many cases where this migration occurred peacefully and where recent arrivals (such as himself) were taught by the locals how to cultivate the crops that grow in the jungle. The jungle has a totally different climate to the highlands and, consequently, different crops are grown here which the new arrivals had never cultivated before. The man also spoke about the lack of awareness by the local population regarding environmental issues and how they polluted the river without thinking twice. Indeed, over the course of the boat journey, I saw several persons (young and old) simply throwing their rubbish into the river, despite the fact that the boat had bins on board. Having lived for two years in the Ecuadorian Amazon, it’s not the first time that I’ve seen such blatant pollution of the rivers and jungle in general by the locals. If I once had a notion that the locals (including modern indigenous communities) lived in harmony with nature, it has sadly long gone.

An uphill struggle - unloading goods at the riverside villages when the river is low

A female passenger heading home to one of the riverside communities

 Books are great company on the long slow cargo boat journeys down the river. My choice for this part of the travel are two classics by Mark Twain, ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ and ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’ – probably due to the important role a river plays in both books (in this case the Mississippi River). I read through half of the first book by the time we arrived in Lagunas, about ten hours later.

Lagunas is a rather large and spread-out town, but it isn’t connected by road to anywhere else except another nearby village. It does have its share of moto-taxis zooming along the narrow paved roads since people tend not to walk much due to the stifling heat during the day. The town has a large generator which provides electricity early in the morning and between the late afternoon and evening. For the rest of the time, the town is without electrical power.

The main square in Lagunas

At the tiny port, we were met by the owner of the little local travel agency that will arrange for us to go into the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. There are three agencies in town and all more or less offer the same things for similar prices. It is much cheaper to book a visit into the Pacaya-Samiria (or any other jungle expedition) here than in Iquitos or elsewhere. In the end, we paid 150 Peruvian Soles each per day (we booked in Yurimaguas so it possibly could have been cheaper had we sorted things out directly with the agencies here, thus avoiding to pay a commission to the other agency there) and an additional 20 Soles per day as a fee to enter the natural reserve. From Iquitos, the same expedition could cost more than double the price. The 150 Soles include the canoe, a guide or two (generally the guides come along with their partners who cook and help to row), three simple meals per day, water and somewhere to sleep. Other basic items such as rubber boots, mosquito nets and a harpoon for fishing are also provided.

The market in Lagunas

Wooden houses in Lagunas

The night before leaving for the jungle expedition, we slept at the little wooden home of the agency owner (a young woman who took over from her father after he died from illness some months ago) and her family. After an evening walk through the town (a funny mixture between some rather modern buildings and several more basic wooden ones), we had a good sleep to have a lot of energy for the adventure ahead – we were about to lose all contact with the rest of the world for five days and simply live in the natural environment of the protected jungle area.