After completing the beautiful Ausangate hike to the Seven Sacred Lakes, my group and I descended through many microclimates into the Peruvian Amazon, one of the most biodiverse parts of the world. We started in the town of Puerto Maldonado, and then drove 3 hours into the Amazon basin, and finally took a 30 minute boat ride along the Las Piedras river to our secluded jungle lodge. Interestingly, although people often associate the Amazon with humidity and mosquitos, my group and I went there during what locals call a friaje, which is a cold front that comes with strong winds and cool temperatures.

The Las Piedras river, located in Southeastern Peru, is one of the longest rivers in the Amazon Basin, and is home to many indigenous communities, although unfortunately I did not get to see any. Interestingly, a day after I came home, articles came out with rare photos of the uncontacted Mashco Piro tribe, who came out due to illegal logging, and were seen around 40 miles upstream along the Las Piedras river. We spent a lot of our time hiking through the jungle learning about the area, one example was seeing how the lodge uses camera traps, which are used to monitor animals in their natural habitat. We got to see videos of wild jaguars, monkeys, and many more animals in their wild habitats.

As the lodge we were staying in also had an animal rehabilitation branch, we also spent some time seeing and learning about the animals being rehabilitated. The people at the lodge explained how they take animals who come from places of abuse, such as zoos, and bring them into their animal rehabilitation center to evaluate them. They will then determine whether the animal will ever be able to live in the wild on its own, and if yes, then they begin the long process of attempting to turn the animal back into a wild animal.

Ultimately, my time spent in the Amazon rainforest taught me a lot about how deforestation and other climate change factors are permanently changing the region, and how they are greatly affecting the lives of the wildlife, and the local people. My trip to the Peruvian Amazon was simply unforgettable, making it one of my favorite places that I have ever been, as the landscapes were breathtaking, and unlike anything I have ever seen before. I hope to one day return to the Amazon rainforest to further pursue my passion for anthropology, connect with the local communities, and immerse myself in their rich culture.