Sacha Lodge, Fisheating bats, Pygmy Marmosets

We fly high over the Andes. It is breathtaking to see snow tops at the Equator. We arrive in a sleepy river town and are welcomed immediately with our new guide for the next few days. We have over 2 hours on the river- it obviously is the major highway of the area. There are barges full of trucks going in both directions. The lodge is beautiful and a group is leaving the next day. Luckily for us, just as in the Galapagos Islands we again have the place to ourselves. We are well taken care of. There are many small buildings with thatched roofs. We are very interested in the high numbers of animal diversity in the Amazon. We are not disappointed. We spend hours 170 feet in the area, scanning the jungle for birds. We see over 90 different species. The brightly colored toucans, parrots, macaws, trogons, honeycreepers, and tanagers keep us well entertained. It is beyond my imagination (as we live in New England) that you can see so many colorful birds in a short period of time. Of course the jungles also include sloths, kinkajoos, Red howler monkeys, Squirrel monkeys, Titi monkeys and leaf cutter ants. I had never heard of the Pygmy Marmoset- it is a 5" long monkey with a very distinct face. Every day we went to their favorite trees to get that rare chance to see such a small and endearing monkey. The trees were immediately adjacent to the lodges, they were not afraid of us. The guides included a local native guide who gladly explained local plant and animal lore. We spent 4 days at this lodge and we were never bored. The food was very good and plentiful. We were out at 6am until 1pm. Enjoyed a large lunch then took a two hour break (our hammock time). We went out again at 4pm returned by 6pm for dinner and proceeded out again at 8pm for a night walk several times. I definitely would like to return to the Amazon- there are too many plants and animals to see in one trip.