Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [407]
There are two lodges within the park.
At Manu Lodge, a row of 14 simple double rooms is screened and has comfortable beds; a separate building has cold showers and toilets. The lodge is on Cocha Juarez, a 2km-long oxbow lake, and is about 1km from the Río Manu. A breeding family of giant river otters is often encountered. For an extra fee, you can climb up to a canopy platform; river running can also be arranged. A 20km network of trails from the lodge around the lake and beyond provides ample opportunities for spotting monkeys and birds. Contact Manu Nature Tours (084-25-2721; www.manuperu.com; Pardo 1046, Cuzco).
Cocha Salvador Safari Camp lies beyond Manu Lodge. This camp has raised platforms supporting large walk-in screened tents containing cots and bedding. Modern showers, toilets and meals are available. Manu Expeditions occasionally uses the more rustic Casa Matsiguenka Lodge, built in traditional style by the Matsiguenka tribespeople in 1998. Contact Manu Expeditions (084-22-5990, 084-22-4235, fax 084-23-6706; www.manuexpeditions.com; Clorinda Matto de Turner 330, Urb Magisterial, Cuzco).
More primitive camping, usually on the sandy beaches of the Río Manu or on the foreshore of a few of the lakes, is another possibility. Tour operators can provide all necessary equipment. During the rainy season (January to April) these beaches are flooded and the park is closed to camping. Campers should come prepared with plenty of insect repellent.
Return to beginning of chapter
MANU WILDLIFE CENTER & AROUND
A two-hour boat ride southeast of Boca Manu on the Río Madre de Dios takes you to Manu Wildlife Center (s/d 4 days & 3 nights US$1550/2700). The center is a jungle lodge owned by InkaNatura Travel (www.inkanatura.com) Cuzco (084-25-5255; Ricardo Palma J1 Urb Santa Mónica & Plateros 361) Lima (01-440-2022; Manuel Bañón 461, San Isidro) and Manu Expeditions (084-22-5990, 084-22-4235; www.manuexpeditions.com; Clorinda Matto de Turner 330, Urb Magisterial, Cuzco), both of which take reservations. Although the lodge is not in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, it is recommended for its exceptional wildlife-watching and birding opportunities. There are 22 screened double cabins with hot showers, a dining room and a bar-hammock room. The lodge is set in tropical gardens.
There are 48km of trails around the wildlife center, where 12 species of monkey, as well as other wildlife, can be seen. Two canopy platforms are a short walk away, and one is always available for guests wishing to view the top of the rainforest and look for birds that frequent the canopy.
A 3km walk through the forest brings you to a natural salt lick, where there is a raised platform with mosquito nets for viewing the nightly activities of the tapirs. This hike is for visitors who can negotiate forest trails by flashlight. Chances to see animals are excellent if you have the patience, although visitors may wait for hours. Note that there isn’t much happening at the lick during the day.
A short boat ride along the Madre de Dios brings visitors to another well-known salt lick that attracts various species of parrot and macaw. Most mornings you can see flocks in the hundreds. The largest flocks are seen from late July to September. As the rainy season kicks in, the numbers diminish. There are usually some birds all year, except for June, when birds don’t visit the salt lick at all. May and early July aren’t reliable either, though ornithologists report the presence of the birds in other nearby areas during these months, and birders will usually see them.
The macaw lick is visited on a floating catamaran blind, with the blind providing a concealed enclosure from which 20 people can view the wildlife. The catamaran is stable enough to allow the use a tripod and