A night-time boat safari at NKMNP is much more productive than the day safaris…
Thankfully this morning’s adventure on the river did not involve wrangling poachers, which gave Christi and I more time for animal spotting. I will tell you that spotting wildlife, let alone photographing it, in the jungles of South America is a lot tougher than on an African safari or in the Galapagos Islands. Jungle wildlife is skittish, or it lives way up in the canopy, or it’s just too darned small. So either bring a humungous lens or resign yourself to committing the experience to memory.
Having said that, the scenery is simply spectacular and we did spot a pod of playful Amazonian river dolphins during our morning boat ride, while in the afternoon we see noisy howler monkeys as we traipse through dense jungle foliage. Funnily enough, there is an abundance of wildlife in and around Flor de Oro, which is actually easier to photograph (such as the crested caracara) than the critters we spot on safari.
Tonight, Fernando, the enigmatic manager of Flor de Oro, takes us on a night-time boat safari. It is undoubtedly the most exciting thing we have done so far. He brings a spotlight with him, which is dazzlingly bright and opens up a new world for Christi and I. The wildlife may be expert at hiding during the day, but eyeshine now reveals their hiding places and we see frogs and toads, snakes, and caimans. Lightning streaks the distant sky and it feels kind of eerie out here alone on the Itenez River, speeding along into an all-consuming darkness.
Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes.
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