INCREDIBLE!!! I don’t even know where to begin, just unbelievable. The biodiversity is un-real. There are more species per square hectare than anywhere else in the world! Insects, monkeys, caiman, birds birds birds, tapirs, snakes more birds, more monkeys SO awesome!
In order to get there we had to fly (30min), take a bus (10 min), a boat (2 hours), another bus (1:30 hrs) and another boat (2 hrs). We went to the University of San Francisco in Quito’s biological diversity station on the Tiputini River. Where they host student groups and researchers from around the world. The trip there was a little painful as I was sick but it made the trip home more exciting!
We spent the majority of our time trekking through the forest. They wanted us out there as much as possible. We would go in small groups on our own or with guides. It was funny cause I could sit or walk through the forest on my own and see oh you know a bug or two, some birds… but with a guide you saw birds frogs snakes monkeys nests burros every plant family, it is incredible what they could find and knew.
We learned how to identify a couple more plant families as well but it didn’t compare to the number of families there, but still kinda cool to know a little bit about what your looking at, not just green. We had another drop off were we were left in our own little spot in the forest where we were to observe as much as we could and get to know the forest. One task was to get naked in the forest, check. Although it was kinda like, “ok I’m in the forest and now I’m just naked in the forest. We were supposed to feel the forest, and humidity and such… I didn’t really get it. Another task was to take a nature poo. I wasn’t allowed to do that cause I was sick and they didn’t want any bad bacteria or whatever, but don’t worry I crossed that one off the list later in the week ;) haha too much info? The big fig trees there have buttressing roots, which sometimes form little secluded areas called los baños para los espiritus, or the bathrooms of the spirits, well they aren’t just for the spirits…
We went on a night boat ride were we saw 3 different types of caiman: the negro, nano, and spectacle. We got really close to one, the negro and it didn’t even swim away
In the mornings we would meet at 5:30 to see all the early morning action, were as the afternoons were a quieter due to the heat. One morning was the Puente (bridge) these are wood and wire bridges that connect platforms up in the canopy. From here we saw all kinds of birds: toucans, parrots, tanagers, guans, the brightest colors I have ever seen. The ants were kind of a problem on the tree we were in but luckily they weren’t the conga ants (or bullet ants, called so because the pain of the bit is comparable to getting shot, didn’t have an encounter with one of those)
Another morning was the tower. Same idea, more birds and monkeys: spider and tamarind monkeys, crawling across the canopy in the distance. And another was the flotada. Were we took the boat up the river and floated back down. More birds! But we got to get out and float along side of the boat which was cool.
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