I had not been to Kew for some years…about 35-40 I would guess – and when I finally returned some weeks ago, there were some surprises awaiting. The Hive was one of them, and another one was the Treetop Walkway. 18 metres up in the canopy, you could get a closer look at lime, sweet chestnut and oak trees – as well as a bird’s-eye view of Kew Gardens.
Take the lift up with me to the canopy! Not quite like the Amazon in December, but still great.
The last days at Sacha Lodge, we spent most of the time 40 metres up – above the canopy of the rainforest. In fact, ”Sacha” means ”forest” in Quichua, the local language here.
The biodiversity is extremely rich in the Amazon, and the list of birds sighted at Sacha, for example, is at 605 species – in an area of 5000 acres. 12 species of monkeys and plants somewhere in the thousands. Trees are about 100 species per acre – no wonder my treeloving spirit soared in the canopy!
Climbing down again and walking back to the lodge – Luis Andi shared some of his extensive knowledge of the medicinal plants in the rainforest. We had noticed him being an excellent scout, moving soundlessly on the narrow paths, but also an excellent birdman – he knew about 400 birds (and could sound like most of them!) I do not have to say he was born and bred in the Amazon. 90% of Sacha’s staff is made up of locals from Ecuador’s Amazon region.
We were all very impressed – to say the least – of our guides’ knowledge. There was not one single question about birds or animals that Pablo could not answer, and Luis and him were the perfect couple to guide us through the secrets of the tropical rainforest.
But, now we were extremely hungry…knowing that a delicious lunch was waiting back at our lodge. We would need it before the afternoon and night adventures.
Leya 
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