One problem with doing surveys on native species is that it gets you quite frustrated when you haven't a clue what you're looking at. Doing the zoo's surveys has been quite a steep learning curve especially with the wild flowers- you think you have it, look it up just to double check and feel very smug for being so clever. You then find there is a Common one, a German one, a Smooth one, a Hairy one and you spend the next 3 hours trying to work out what you have found. The same goes for holidays really, there will be birds squawking and animals howling and I will never know what they are. It drives me mad, especially if the noises are quite scary.

Being up in the north of Colombia now, we are in a natural park and we have been tripping over all sorts of weird things. It was a 45 minute walk or a horse ride along rain forest tracks to where we are staying . As we thought it was the same way in as out, I decided it would be a good idea to ride there and walk back in 3 days time. So 2 of us rode and 2 of us walked.

The first bit of wildlife I bumped into was the mule that was carrying my bag. It looked so knackered it would've been better for the mule to jump in the bag and me carry it. We later learnt that when they reach 3 years old, they get sent to the slaughter house. It managed to lurch itself away from leaning against a tree and stumbled off ahead of me. It is 31c and about 100% humidity so after 2 steps you are looking as bad as the horses. We went down dusty tracks and through steep narrow cliffs getting hotter and hotter. The place is very quiet for a rainforest, just some leaf cutter ants busily going about their business. I was expecting monkeys on every corner. The tracks are surrounded by lianas and lots of termite nests in the trees but not much else at the moment. Jill and I arrived at the huts on horseback, Lisa and Jeff arrived after an hour and a quarter looking as if they had just done an endurance marathon. They described a terrible walk clambering up ravines and gullies.

There is no wifi here or phone signal - we are staying in little huts which are gorgeous but the beach is fenced off and unsafe to swim in due to the currents. You have to walk 3-6 km to get anywhere you can swim.

The options for tomorrow are a 12 hour round walk to some ruins which was quickly cancelled, a 6km walk to get to safe beaches or a 9km walk (plus getting to the start of it which is another 3km) on a circular trial.