YARINA VILLAGE in the Peruvian Amazon

It's 7am on the Yanuyacu river and our small little crew of five are heading to the village of Yarina for breakfast. Having slept out in the jungle last night breakfast will be welcome. It's a mysteriously, magical, misty morning on the river. We are in the Pacaya Samiria Reserve on a tributary of the Great Amazon River in Peru, South America and have been enjoying our first trip in this extraordinary fresh, unspoilt environment over the past days.


Moored at the Yarina Village
A night trip in our little wooden boat introduced us to the night time sounds of the night river and the hunt to see alligators in their natural night -time environment, which our guides were adamant we would experience. What an amazing, wonderful contrast from Cork City, suburbia, Ireland.

Yarina, we will learn is a small village of about 35 families situated in the reserve and is dedicated to the preservation of a species of turtle, and to eco tourism and preservation of the Amazonian jungle.

The head of the community, Arvildo Uraco Candquiri, welcomes us warmly as his wife is preparing the mornings rice dish in the open air Tambo or hut
Preparing a meal in Yarina
where hammocks are the rule of thumb for lounging in the strong mid-day heat to come. The children are gathering curiously as us Gringos wander from the river into their domain. Curious and welcoming and as open hearted and warm as the generous rays of the sun, these children are themselves like small suns as they innocently track your every move.

Wide eyed and adventurous they live here in this village of Yarina with their families in the community environment of survival and support. It shows, they are innocent and happy in their lack of those things that they do not know they lack i.e. sweets and toys.

So taken were we with the views of head of the village and his enthusiasm to show us around, feed us and generally, his invitation to us to let the outside world know of what it is they are doing here in Yarina and the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, that we will most definitely be returning.

Not only to see and support this tiny village of indigenous Peruanas. but also to re explore the Amazon jungle and to swim again with the local pink and grey dolphins that are evident in abundance here on the river, what a thrill !!

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