As our safari boat edges forward beneath the inky night sky, our path dimly lit by stars and a single light on the front of the vessel, our guide Victor silently signals for the driver to stop.
He then plunges his bare hands into the shallow water by the bank and we collectively gasp as he holds up a small caiman, the carnivorous semi-aquatic member of the alligator family that makes its home in the Amazonian rainforest.
Expertly grasping the creature, we get a close-up view of how the spectacled caiman takes its name from the ridge between the eyes that give it the appearance of wearing a pair of glasses. After we take photos, Victor lowers it back over the side and it swims silently away. It is one of many spellbinding moments on a cruise along the Peruvian section of this mighty river and its basin that has a diversity of life unequalled anywhere.
Peruvian culture
A staggering 60% of Peru is covered by this immense green quilt of jungle where more than 25,000 plant species, 1,800 types of birds, 360 mammals, 250 amphibians, 300 reptile species and 2,500 varieties of fish vastly outnumber the 6% of the country’s population that share the same remote environment, many of them ethnic tribes isolated from the outside world.
この記事は WOMAN'S WEEKLY の October 1, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は WOMAN'S WEEKLY の October 1, 2019 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Patchwork PROJECTS
Easy ideas to show off English paper-piecing techniques
Night train to BERLIN
Germany's exciting and varied capital is now reachable by train from the UK
French FANCY
Raymond Blanc's right-hand man, Benoit Blin's favourite bakes
Are you missing out on BENEFITS?
Here's how to find out what you are eligible for
TRAY bien
All-in-one tray bakes, packed with flavour
We took a grown-up GAP YEAR!
Who says taking time out is just for students?
'I'm obsessed with reality TV!'
THIS WEEK'S COLUMNIST Author and presenter Louise Minchin
What to eat and do for A HEALTHIER GUT
Fix those problems and boost your wellbeing
Picture palaces
In an age of cinema complexes, we celebrate five historic and beautiful picture houses that have stood the test of time
'My diet during Bake Off is cake and alcohol!'
Dame Prue Leith on the popular baking contest