My first day in Peru's Tambopata National Reserve turned out to be a bigger adventure than I bargained for.

In the days that followed, I went on nature walks morning, noon, and night. A

s I learned on safari in South Africa, the more time you're out there looking for wildlife, the more likely you are to see a wide variety of critters and creatures.

What follows are my top five wildlife moments from a visit into Peru's Amazon Basin.

5. Chicken Tarantula

I have a fear of spiders, so coming face to face with a hairy tarantula the size of my hand was both fascinating and mortifying.

This particular tarantula was nicknamed after chickens because of the way it's young follow behind the mother in a little line.

Imagine not just one hairy, 8-legged creature, but a whole family of them!

The Chicken Tarantula is not poisonous to humans, however, if you get bitten by one, the nasty bacteria from its fangs can leave you with an infection that will require a trip to the doctor.

This carnivorous spider eats insects and small rodents.

Our guide referred to it as a primitive, given it hunts on the ground, rather than spinning elaborate webs to catch its prey.

4. Hungry Caimans

On my last afternoon at the Tambopata Research Center, I went for a walk with one of the guides and Lainie and Miro.

We took a boat to a nearby island on the river, from which we began scouting for birds back on the mainland.

It was just before dusk, and we noticed a small Caiman slip into the water, and begin to slowly cruise upriver.

And then it began fishing by jumping out of the water and diving back down.

The form this reptile took was akin to a dolphin jumping in and out of the water. It was not at all what I'd expected a Caiman to do.

Because he was so far away, my photos didn't come out well, nor video.

The best I can offer you with my travel camera is the above shot taken through a high-powered scope.

3. The Scarlet Macaws

Twenty years ago, the Tambopata Research Center was set up to study and protect the local Macaw population.

These are the kinds of large, colorful birds I'd only ever seen in zoos, so it was a treat to be around so many in Tambopata.

One morning, we woke up before dawn and took a boat ride to the island from which I'd seen the caiman above.

We watched the jungle come to life around the Amazon's largest clay lick.

As we learned in the Macaw lecture the night before, these birds eat clay to help with their digestion. Strange, but true.

Unfortunately, while they are intelligent birds, they are also highly sensitive. If their scouts sense a threat, the rest of them won't come down from the trees to eat.

And that morning, a Roadside Hawk had camped out with a terrific view of the section of clay lick most visible to us.

There were other sections that were hidden behind trees and foliage, where our guides said they were probably feeding.

The irony was that our best views of the Scarlet Macaws were not during nature walks, but when the "Chicos" or human-raised macaws would visit the dining area at the Research Center every morning, looking for handouts after breakfast.

These particular macaws don't fear humans, which is evident when they are lured onto visitors' shoulders with a piece of bread.

As a result of this non-natural behavior, Macaws are no longer hand-raised.

Instead, the researchers climb the trees and study them in their nests.

This activity increases greatly around the breeding season, toward the end of each year.

2. Monkey Watching

As much as I've learned to appreciate birding over the years, I'm more of a monkey man.

And on one morning nature walk, in less than an hour, we spotted three different species of monkeys, including:

• Large, orange-haired Howler Monkeys
• Brown Capuchins (pictured above)
• Saddleback Tamarins

After lunch, we spotted spider monkeys on a walk. It was the fourth species that day.

The following day, I'd see my fifth (and the one with the funniest name), Dusky Titi Monkeys.

If you love monkeys, go to the Tambopata Research Center, they're everywhere!

1. Jaguars

Without a shadow of a doubt, the Jaguar spotting which occurred one hour into our first boat ride on the Tambopata River was the wildlife highlight of my time in Peru's Amazon Basin. 

Because this particular big cat is so rare, with approximately 99 in the park, everyone on the boat, our guides included, got excited.

People go on multi-day jaguar tracking treks throughout the jungles of Latin America, and many will never see more than a paw print.

The next day, during one of the walks around the Research Center, we came across one such Jaguar paw print in the mud.

Later that afternoon, another group came back to the lodge, having seen a jaguar on the ground, just 10 minutes from where we were standing.

So if you love jaguars, go to the Tambopata Research Center!

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Disclosure: This tour is in partnership with Rainforest Expeditions. As always, any opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Dave's 160-page, all-original Lima Travel Guide is now available for Kindle.

There was no choice but to wait the storm out. Night came quick on the Tambopata River, aided by the dark grey clouds producing the torrential rains pouring down on us.

Branches, logs, and entire trees could be seen floating atop the water's surface, the result of flooding and erosion further upstream.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the world around us, a foreign world of thick jungle, jaguars, howler monkeys, and chicken tarantulas the size of a human hand.

My first boat ride into the Peruvian Amazon had thus far been anything but routine. That we were tethered to a tree, in the pitch black, with no idea where we were, was par for the course.

The adventure began earlier that morning, when I boarded a spectacularly scenic Star Peru flight from Lima to Puerto Maldonado, via Cusco.

Though short in duration, the flight cuts directly across Peru, from the urban sprawl of Lima and the drab desert surrounding it, to the snow-capped mountains and glacial lakes of the Andes Mountains, and ultimately, the thick green jungle of the Amazon Basin.

To disembark in Puerto Maldonado, is to feel as though one is stepping directly into a sauna. The humidity ensures you immediately begin sweating.

Inside the terminal, while waiting for the bags to arrive, a representative from Rainforest Expeditions found me, as well as several families who'd arrived on the same flight. I was introduced to Pedro, my guide.

Tours to the Tambopata Research Center benefit from a 6:1 ratio of visitors to guides. The small groups allow more interaction, as well as improving the odds of spotting wildlife during the walks.

We boarded a comfortable shuttle bus, which drove us the ten minutes to the company's nearby headquarters.

We were greeted with a glass of juice, and informed of another flight which had guests, and was running late.

An hour later, a third family arrived, and we re-boarded the shuttle bus again for the one hour ride to the Tambopata River.

There were three families, including seven small children, and one pair of grandparents.

I was surprised to learn these Amazon trips are popular with families, especially ones with little children.

The bus ride to the Tambopata River is along a dirt road, with several unfinished bridges.

The large, orange-painted steel beams appeared to be a big improvement over the tree trunks we were using to cross streams.

Along the way, we nibbled on snacks provided by the company, including bananas, banana chips, and Brazil nuts, which are harvested locally.

Once we reached the river's edge, there was the opportunity to use the restroom, as it was going to be at least a two and a half hour ride upriver to reach Refugio Amazonas, where we would be spending the night.

It was about 3 PM, and the skies were decidedly overcast.

If the rainforest is anything like the mountains, the later in the day it gets, the more likely you'll have rain. I could tell from looking at the clouds, it wouldn't be long before they let loose.

Within 15 minutes of boarding the narrow, blue wooden boat, we cruised right into a thunderstorm.

Semi-clear plastic tarps were dropped down from the sides of the boat.

The driver prefers not to use these as it severely limits his vision, however if the rain and wind are strong enough, they're used to ensure guests and their luggage don't get soaked.

A lunch of fried rice with chicken, wrapped in a banana leaf, was handed out, along with bottled water.

The rice was excellent, and a positive indication of how well they'd feed us at the two lodges.

The rain began to let up after twenty minutes, and the tarps were rolled up so the driver could see better, and we could look for wildlife in the jungle.

Kurt, one of the co-founders of the Tambopata Research Center, previously told me the best chance to spot a jaguar was on the boat rides. And the more time you spent on the river, the better your odds.

I was so preoccupied with trying to process everything that was happening, I hadn't thought to keep an eye out along the river banks.

The Tambopata National Reserve is filled with wildlife, from a dizzying number of birds, to five kinds of primates, caiman, and piranha.

But the jaguar is one of the most elusive, in part because the density of vegetation limits visibility, and cats are nocturnal.

An apex predator, it stands proudly atop the local food chain. And I wanted nothing more than to see one in the wild during my 6-day trip.

One hour into our boat ride, as we were cruising along the left bank of the Tambopata River, we came right upon a jaguar, sitting and watching the world go by.

Several kids were looking out that side of the boat as we passed it, and a cacophony of shouts soon broke out.

Despite the commotion, the jaguar remained seated. We were no more than 20 meters from the shore, and the mental picture I snapped at that moment, of this beautiful, spotted creature, will be one I never forget.

The boat driver immediately swung us toward the center of the river, so we could reposition ourselves for another look.

As this was happening, the jaguar slowly repositioned itself as well.

By the time we were close to the shore again, the jaguar was barely visible.

One of the guides indicated it was still close to the shore, only a few meters within the vegetation ensured it was practically invisible.

I found it interesting how calmly the cat acted. It didn't immediately run away when everyone on our boat began yelling "jaguar" and pointing, nor did it leave the scene entirely when we returned for a second look.

Instead, perhaps because it was curious, or ready to protect its territory, it laid in wait, watching and waiting.

When it was clear the leopard wasn't coming out, we continued on our way upriver.

Barely an hour into the tour, and I'd already experienced what I knew to be my #1 highlight.

Further along, we came across capybara feeding on vegetation at the river's edge.

The capybara is the world's largest rodent, with adults weighing 77 to 150 lbs (35 to 66 kg). They are found throughout much of South America.

Being that I already saw a jaguar, it was now my hope to see a jaguar hunt and kill a capybara.

On safari in Africa, I quickly learned that seeing large cats hunt and kill prey was a much more sought after experience than simply watching them lounge under a shade tree.

Thirty minutes from reaching the Amazonas Lodge, around 5:30 PM, another thunderstorm erupted.

This time, there was little daylight left to aid the boat driver in navigating the river.

We witnessed entire trees floating downstream. Combined with the wind from the storm, the conditions had become dangerous.

A decision was made to tie the boat up along the riverside, and wait out the storm.

Several of the guides made this happen, and we soon found ourselves sitting in the dark, on a boat, in the Amazon.

Thunder cracked all around us, and lightning gave us momentary glimpses of the river and jungle around us.

Surprisingly, most of the kids seemed perfectly fine with the situation, as did their parents.

I began listening to music on my MP3 player and hoped the storm would let up sooner rather than later.

Our delay amounted to forty-five minutes. Once we untied from the tree and began motoring up the river again, it was at a much slower pace.

Pedro was standing at the front of the boat, holding a searchlight up to help the boat driver avoid the debris which continued to float along the water's surface.

To the driver's credit, we arrived safely, as the rain was letting up.

By the time we walked the ten minutes up to the lodge, our way lit by headlamps and flashlights, dinner was being served.

Our bags were brought up to the lodge for us, and we were then shown to our rooms.

A mosquito net had already been pulled down for me in the room where I spent the night.

Light is provided by candles on the nightstands and kerosene lamps in the hallways.

The amenities were all more comfortable than I'd expected.

After grabbing dinner, and catching up with Lainie and Miro, who'd arrived a day before me, I was ready to retire.

The next day, we'd be back on the boat, heading even deeper into the Amazon.

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Disclosure: This tour is in partnership with Rainforest Expeditions. As always, any opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Dave's 160-page, all-original Lima Travel Guide is now available for Kindle and PDF.