Stage 3 and 4: Up and down in the jungle of the indigenous nature reserve of Cabeca

On the morning of today's stage, we started early at 6 am to have enough time for the challenging 20 km ahead and to avoid some of the daytime heat. Since the Parque Nacional Barbilla nature reserve is located on indigenous territory, we are accompanied today by a local guide from the tribe. The landscape changes abruptly from farmland to dense jungle in lush green. We pass huge trees overgrown with epiphytes, numerous different farms, and vine-like monkey ladders. Small lizards and frogs flee from us as we walk by. To cross the first river, we have to switch from hiking shoes to sandals and wade through the river, but the water is a welcome relief due to the heat. After a while, it starts raining. At first, the dense canopy protects us, but gradually we get quite wet, which doesn't really bother us, but the muddy ground becomes increasingly slippery and impassable, so we are glad to have our trekking poles with us. Above us hangs a damp haze and the mountains in the distance are shrouded in clouds, looking quite mystical. The terrain becomes increasingly difficult and muddy and we start to sweat from the many ups and downs. Finally, we reach the indigenous village. In three simple wooden huts, a small museum is set up, which showcases everyday objects and explanations of the unique language of the tribe. Although it is interesting, what we really want now is one thing: to eat and catch our breath. In the small school of the village, a meal is prepared for us and we enjoy the sun, which is now shining again. After the break, the next adventure awaits us, as we have to cross the next river using a hand-operated cable car. Since only two people fit into the metal cabin at a time, it took a lot of muscle power and some blisters on our hands until everyone in the group was on the other side. Exhausted, we reached today's stage destination, from where we went to our accommodation with small huts and frogs and geckos in the simple bathroom.