Awaradam and Peti Sula

Awarradam-PetiAbout 20 km upstream, well past the furthest Saramaccan settlements, you reach the Awaradam Peti rapid. Here the Gran Rio has a sudden descent of almost 2 meters. Experience the power of the river at this more than 150 m wide rapid. The Gran Rio is a multiple sources  river: the Amazon basin water is drained from hundreds of creeks into the river. The river descent is quite impressive and the river bottom is rocky. At these spots the river is unable to pierce through the bottom, which results in a series of “peti”, rapids. The trip to the Awaradam peti takes half a day. It takes half an hour for the boat to reach the peti. There you can have a swim, and then just chill and enjoy the magnificent scenery. Lying in the peti, just undergo nature’s massage, and feel how the Gran Rio washes away all remaining stress. Back upstream we float some distance without the engine. The silence of the rain forest is overwhelming, and accentuated by the shouting of the animals in the high jungle. The massive, green walls of the forest act as a resonance box, amplifying the sounds of the water and the animals. Included within these towering wings, you are sure to see the green kingfisher, swallows, and herons on the rocks in the river, or a flying toucan. Blue aras, a group of squirrel monkeys in the trees or some redhanded tamarins playing along the river …