South America Day 30

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11th February

After another early start we were off for a 5 hour trek around the primary forest surrounding Chalalan. Again we encountered lots of huge trees and other forest plants some with unusual shapes and flowers. Our guide once again shared extensive local knowlage with us on plants used for medicine, dyes and food. We spotted a large hawk bird, brown Capuchn monkeys, squirell monkeys & heared but did not see Peccaries - wild forest pigs. As the forest is far more dense than the Pampas, viewing wildlfe is much harder and the guides use sound to track the animals on the trail.

After lunch and a lay in the hammock we headed out on a dugout canoe on lake Chalalan. We paddled around the lake spotting more wildife over to the opposite bank where we left the canoe behind. After a 20 minute trek up into the forest we came accross a lookout platform built by the community overlooking the lake and the forest beyond. The forest stetched for as far as the eye could see to a large mountain range in the distance, nothing but trees.

On our way back in the canoe to the lodge we spotted a troop of squirell monkeys so paddled over for a look and as we were watching a young monkey missed his branch and tumbbled 10ft into the water. Luckly he managed to get out ok but wasn't happy about being wet, scratching himself for ages.

After dinner we headed back out in the canoe in the dark for night spottting. Just as in the Pampas we soon spotted Caimen eyes and made our way over. This time they were only small babies less than a foot long being looked after by big mamma in the distance. Soon after a larger caimen floted by the canoe and we spotted a snake hanging from a tree in wait for flying bats.

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