Last Updated on June 24, 2019 by PowersToTravel
Forums and blogs had warned me about Amazon River cruises that advertise four or five day journeys with the option for nine days, saying that the middle day was always spent in the town, as supplies are on-boarded, departing travelers move on, and new travelers arrive. However, I can say that the day spent in Nauta was one of the highlights of the trip.
We arrived at Nauta in the morning, climbed up the rickety stairs, which appeared to have grown ten feet taller in the time since we first arrived on the Amazon. Our guide slowly led us on a walking tour of the town, first through the vegetable, meat and fish markets, the clothing market, past the fresh meals stalls, out to the town square. It was fascinating to see what fish they had taken from the Amazon River. The smells of the street food were so good that it made me question our five-star meals on the ship, just for a moment.
We strolled through a town square decorated with painted statues of historic figures, past a school with brightly colored murals depicting historic and mythical figures, to a park encircling a freshwater lake. The lake was home for injured turtles, and very large fish of some sort. At a nearby bakery our guide bought stale rolls for us to feed to the turtles and fish.
In the park, once again, the villagers spread out blankets and sold us native crafts, and once again Greg and I bought, while the other tourists just walked on by. To me, the souvenirs brought home and put on our walls and shelves do exactly that, remind us of our adventures. Others on the trip seemed to think that souvenirs sellers were just stealing their money. I felt the locals were working very hard for the small bit of money they were charging, and since they were out in the park, that it was highly likely the money was going to the worker.
We stood on a large stone dock/pavilion, rested in the well-appreciated shade, and threw rolls to the fish. It was extremely humid and our walk through the town had been very draining. I just can’t imagine living in such an environment. When we were on the river, we had felt the wind in our hair, and were propelled by motors. Here we had to fight for every step.
Next, thankfully, the tour company rented tuk-tuks for all of us, and took us on a ride through town and out into the country to a high point for us to view the Amazon from above. The breeze in our faces was refreshing, and the views of countryside, at slow speed, were entertaining. Eventually we were taken back to the Cattleya for a final lunch. I was somewhat sad to leave Nauta as there had been so many photo opportunities; I could have spent the day wandering the streets and markets.
We navigated northward to the joining of Marañon River, on which we had been traveling to this point, with the Yucayali River, to which we would be going. This confluence is the actual starting point of the Amazon River. Greg wanted to be sure we caught the moment he experienced the Amazon.
Sadly this was the end of our Cattleya experience, as we were some of the departing passengers. W.S., Elaine, Raymond, Mae, Greg and I had chosen the Cattleya – Treehouse Lodge combination, and the Treehouse Lodge boat was on its way to pick us up at the confluence. Sadly Brian and Ronnie now had the boat now to themselves. They seemed so sad to let us go. At the time we were excited to move on to new adventures, although sad to leave our comfortable king bed in air-conditioned cabin.
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