Arajuno Jungle Lodge and Foundation 16th November

A view shots of the lodge and its surrounding buildings.

My cabin that I shared with Shane, Sonia and Stu.

ne of the many picky picky boats or canoes that ply the river all day long from the school boat at 5.40am to the last passengers off the local bus at dusk.

The river is a major thoroughfare when the roads can b so poor and seen here are some planks that have been sawn and are being carried downstream.

We got on board one of the canoes and motored down the river until we reached Amazoonica, a wildlife refuge.

Before we disembarked, we watched some woolly monkeys in the trees.

Then it was into Amazoonica to see all sorts of birds, red and blue toucans.

An anaconda/ Many of the animals here have been rescued from illegal owners and some have got so used to people that they would not survive in the wide. This anaconda has to be fed by hand as it has lost its ability to hunt for itself. It was rescued from its owner when it got to big for his flat.

A tapir, there are a pair at the refuge and just behind it is its calf.

A better view of the calf.

A peccary., one of a daily in their own enclosure within the forest.

This caiman was hard to spot as it was sitting so motionless in the dappled shade and its colouring matching well with the water and the vegetation.

After the wildlife refuge we were due to go back to the lodge bt the water levels were so ow that we had to go downstream and pick up a larger tributary around an island. Where the two tributaries met there were gold banners, shifting through the gravels in search of gold. Some were working their pan by hand whilst these two operations were a little more sophisticated.