In the wilderness lies the preservation of the world.
Moving mud patches and many, many bananas
I grew up in central Peruvian Amazonia, having a whole jungle as my backyard. I studied Forest Sciences and have traveled my country’s forests long and wide, but I have to say: Tambopata is different. From the moment I jump into the peque-peque -this long wooden boat and classical feature of Amazon rivers- in one of Puerto Maldonado’s ports, loaded with water, food and many, many bananas for next days, the vibe changes as the trip into the reserve begins. Once you leave the city behind, it’s showtime. Keep your eyes peeled, animals love to go down to the river. Sadly, with human populations growing and cities expanding, continuous forests are farther out than they used to be…now we have to travel longer distances to see undisturbed forests and their wildlife. Nonetheless, Tambopata delivers. I barely blink as we go upriver, I don’t want to miss anything. I’m sweeping left and right to not oversee anything on either of the riverbanks. I had to look twice to be sure, but I see a small group. At first glance they seem like they are part of the landscape, just a patch of mud. Until the mud starts to move and I realize it’s a Capybara…yay!