Around 4 p.m. we headed for shore and, after some searching, found a break in the jungle where we could make it onto dry land and fortuitously where there appeared to be the shell of an old jungle shack. The sun dropped fast and the jungle darkness enveloped our little camp to the accompaniment of screeching howler monkeys and the rustles of untold creatures foraging within the under growth. We fell into our hammocks, pulled our mosquito nets tightly around us, and drifted into a contented slumber.
Can’t beat the real thing
Next morning we were back out on the water shortly after sunrise, keen to get a few kilometres under our belt before the intensity of the sun caught up with us. By lunch we had made it to the end of the lake and back into the relative civilisation of the Rio Dulce where there were once again small settlements. We pulled into the first we came across, paddled round an expanse of water lilies and hopped onto a rickety pontoon attached to a shack which turned out to be a make shift bar. A Coke tasted like heaven and gave us some relief from the dehydration caused by hours of paddling in tropical heat.
As we pushed further down the river, jagged lime stone cliffs began to tower above. They were crowned with jungle so thick it made you wonder how anything could navigate through them. We kept close to shore as the shadow along the river edges gave welcome relief from the searing sunlight.
