After a little more walking, we arrived at the incredible waterfall. Just standing in front of it the power could be heard and felt. Feeling like it would be an opportunity lost, we all decided to hop in the water and just live in the moment, swimming in an Amazonian waterfall. It was incredible and upon leaving, we were all so happy and awestruck about what we just got to experience! The walk back took around an hour and when we got back, we had lunch and a short break before Diego took us on another trail. The trial was narrow and overgrown and absolutely beautiful and Diego told us a bit about the rainforest and the property itself as we navigated our way along the hike.
Diego explained that the soil of the rainforest is very dry and not very fertile having minimal organic matter, however the high temperatures and rainfall provide promising conditions for life as it promotes fast decomposition and plant growth. In the rainforest, 80% of the biomass is above ground while in temperate forests, more biomass accumulates belowground. We learned that ferns were the first plants that came from ocean and adapted to land, spurring life. |