Today was a full day going to the Marasha Reserve, in Peru. We left the hotel to take the boat that would take us across the river to Peru, and found out that instead of walking through “Fantasy Island,” we could take a smaller, wooden canoe from Leticia to the docking area on the other side of the island.
This was much better because it has been raining a lot and the unpaved paths are very muddy.
The ten-minute canoe ride was pleasant and uneventful.
From the canoe we loaded onto the fiberglass transport boat and took off toward Marasha. The ride on the river took about 30 minutes. We arrived on the low-water level shores of the Peruvian side.
During the summer season, when the river level is high, the boat would come up all the way to the welcome center, but since it is winter and the water level is low, we had to walk about 1000 yards on a dirt/mud trail, covered partially with wooden planks.
At the welcome center we rented rubber boots (essential for the walk through the jungle), and met our guide, a native of the area, who explained what we were going to do: we would walk almost two miles through the jungle, looking at plants and animal life, and then get to our destination, the Marasha Eco-hotel, for lunch, rest, and recreational activities. The walk through the rainforest was what I expected in some regards, and very different in others. The path was mostly muddy, so the boots were a great help. Lots of bug spray kept the mosquitoes at bay. They were not nearly as bad as I thought they would be. Since we were walking through the “submergible” forest, there was lots of water on either side of our path – the swamp-like conditions are the perfect habitat for alligators and anacondas.
My expectation, given the bio-documentaries I have watched, was that we would see snakes hanging from trees, monkeys swinging from branch to branch, macaws and toucans, and maybe an occasional jaguar. What we found out was that the large animals hide from humans, so it is very difficult to see them. What we saw, mostly, were insects, grasshoppers, and frogs. This is not to diminish the experience. It was fascinating!
The diversity of plants was incredible – from small bushes to tall trees, small leaves to gigantic leaves, parasitic trees that wrap themselves around the host, the acai palms with its stringy red roots (which apparently are great for treating malaria and hepatitis B), the Ceiba of the Amazon (the second tallest tree in the world) with its unique trapezium-like trunk, the hanging vines that one can swing from, the thorny trees, the trees with “pin-striped” roots, and many more.
Two require a little more explanation. There is one tree that has a symbiotic relationship with ants. The tree is hollow, so the ants can live in its trunk, and the ants protect the tree from any external threats. If one as much as touches the trunk, thousands of ants come immediately to ward off the intruder. The other one is the “walking tree,” so called because it is a parasitic tree, but once it kills the host, instead of dying with it, it throws new roots that help it move to another tree that it can feed from.
In terms of animal life, we saw a tiny “crystal” frog, and another, even smaller black one that imitates one of the deadliest animals in the world – its poison can cause a cardiac arrest.
Then there were huge ant colonies hanging from trees, and termite colonies so large that they looked like tree trunks.
Our guide taught us that if you get lost in the rainforest, one of the best sources of nutrition are a particular type of termite. He taught us how to eat them – you basically poke a little hole in their nest, then press lightly with your finger until several of them crawl on it, then just put them in your mouth and chew. Not only are they nutritious, but they taste like mint and are useful for breathing.
We came across a huge centipede that looks like a thick metal bracelet with legs. The guide picked it up and placed it on our hands so we could hold it. I was brave enough to try it, and it wasn’t bad at all. I actually felt pretty brave.
There were also grasshoppers, spiders, butterflies, and birds. Our guide spotted a sloth on the top of a very tall tree. He used a laser to point it out, but even then, it was hard to see. We also saw some squirrel monkeys jumping in a tree – or rather, we saw the branches moving because the monkeys were jumping. I didn’t get to see the monkeys themselves. It was fun, nonetheless.
Our guide was very knowledgeable of all the vegetation and animal life. Not only did he know the trail very well, but he can spot the animals that we would have walked past without noticing. He also showed us a picture of himself and two friends holding an anaconda that they found on that path a few months ago. All of that prompted one of the children in our group to ask him what is the most dangerous animal he has ever seen in the forest, to which he replied, without hesitation, “humans.” It is fascinating to experience the rainforest with someone who has grown up in it.
We reached the Marasha Natural Reserve, which features a nice hotel – a compound of wooden buildings, piers, and walkways. Everything was very clean. The buffet lunch was delicious, and after lunch it was time to relax.
The hotel is on the edge of a lake that during the flood season is connected to the river, so it has piranhas and pirarucu fish in it. It’s not suitable for swimming, but they have encased a portion of it with filters and wooden planks so one can swim in the same water as the exotic animals. In fact, three smaller pirarucus swim in the same enclosure. There are also a couple of covered piers with hammocks, great for relaxing.
I attempted artisan fishing for piranhas, using a wooden stick, with nylon and a hook to which we attached chunks of beef. Although I could feel the piranhas eating the bait, I had no success in catching one. It seems they outsmarted me. But the experience was still fun.
One can also go canoeing or kayaking on the lake. We chose the canoe, and our guide continued showing us the marasha palm from which the hotel gets its name, the lotus plants, the stenchy turkeys, and other plants and animals.
On the other edge of the lake we came to a stop by the “grandfather” ceiba (tree), which is estimated to be about 400 to 500 years old, is gigantic and beautiful, and considered to be a source of good energy. Another group was using ropes to climb to a platform on its top from which to zipline to the other side.
After returning to the hotel, we had a little more time to relax on the hammocks, and then started the return trip. One can walk back the same path one came through, but we chose to take a canoe and go by the canal that connects the lake to the river.
I don’t know how these guys navigate such a narrow waterway with dense vegetation on either side, but they are skilled navigators, and we got back to the welcome center in less than 30 minutes.
As we were walking to the boat we saw heavy rain coming in our direction, but fortunately we got in the boat and managed to avoid the rain. Along the way we saw water buffalo and birds standing on their backs.
We got back to the dock, took a canoe back to Leticia, then walked through town, relaxed in the pool, had dinner, and called it a day.
chiquipolowood 