FOREST TRAILS

The best way to get around the forest on foot is to follow an established trail. In the deep forest, it is quite easy to walk around as there is not much undergrowth but t is difficult to find your way around the forest without a trail, since all the trees and plants look alike—it's hard to tell one part of forest from another. Around forest patches and river edges, where there's a lot of light, the vegetation is just too dense to walk through, so you rely on someone else who has gone before and cut a trail. But it's not always easy going, after rain, the trail can get quite muddy! (See muddy boot.)

A walk through the forest reveals a wonder of shapes, sounds and colors—infinite variations on shades of green. Little-used trails don't last long because the exuberant vegetation soon takes over.

Much of Amazonia is covered by forest that looks much like this. But appearances can be deceptive. Superficially similar, different areas of forest harbor different communities of plants and animals. The closer you look the more you see. This cannot be conveyed with a photograph, nor can the sounds or smells. A walk through the rainforest reveals a richness and depth of nature beyond description.