Sounds of the Jungle

FINCA TATIN, Guatemala- Jungles are loud places. There is a perpetual hum in the background, a buzzing that arises from every direction that grows into a roar in the night.

“A lot of people don’t realize it, but jungles are not quiet places. It is unbelievable how loud a jungle can be.”

An old traveler spoke these words to me in 2001, just before I accompanied him into my first jungle. We were in the Amazon, and my companion’s words proved correct: the lizards, birds, and insects of the jungle may as well be a choir — they sing songs all through the day and increase in volume at night.

For recording the sounds of nature, there is perhaps no better than the jungle.

The first recording is of frog songs in the Guatemala jungle around a half hour by boat from Livingston.

Listen to frog songs in the Guatemala jungle

frog-songs-guatemala-jungle

The second recording was taking during a hike into the jungle at night. It is mostly of insects, and is a good example of the sounds that come out of the jungle from every direction.

Listen to the sound of the jungle at night

jungle-sounds

I have been trying to record sounds more often, as it is my impression that adding audio elements could round out the writing, photos, and videos of this travelogue. This is the second part of a series on what travel sounds like.

The idea is that you can play these recordings while reading other pages of this travelogue or as you browse through other parts of Vagabondjourney.com.

If it is my aim to present a complete picture — or as much as I am able — of what it is like to travel the world, then making and publishing audio files would constitute another piece to add to the whole.

Guatemala Travelogue Entries | Guatemala Travel Guide | Guatemala Photos