The Amazon: the call of the jungle

There are no roads that dare to enter, you can only arrive there by plane or boat. Despite the attempts of the timber industry, the jungle still manages to prevent roads from being opened.

As soon as I got off the plane, the humidity and the heat hit me, although I got used to it as I went through the streets of Iquitos.

The city experienced its economic splendour thanks to the rubber trade, which was extracted from the trees that cover the extensive jungle.

Upon arriving at the port, I found the boat that would be my home for the following 4 days: the sober and elegant Aria, an Aqua Expeditions cruise that navigates the waters of the Pacaya-Samira National Reserve (the branches of the two largest tributaries of the Amazon, the Ucayali and the Marañón) and the place where I was going to live amazing experiences.

The cabins, carefully decorated and full of details, boast wonderful windows that allow you to enjoy the landscape at all times.

The roof is also a peaceful place to contemplate the environment, an inviting spot for meditation and relaxation.

Once inside the reserve, surrounded by lush vegetation, we had to use smaller boats to navigate the canals, silently, as we tried to spot the local species of birds almost as if it were an ambush.

The second day, before sunrise, we went out on the boats to enjoy a unique breakfast. We were lucky enough to spot a sloth, get close to a nice group of children, and even catch piranhas!

In fact, the Peruvian Amazon rainforest is one of the areas with the greatest biodiversity and endemic species on the planet. So much so, that in 2011 it was declared as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.

In this amazing place I was especially moved by the light: sunsets are intense, full of energy, the surrounding nature is overwhelming and it reminds us how vulnerable we are in front of Mother Earth, and at the same time how ungrateful human beings can be.