Peru - Lonely Planet Publications [408]
In addition to the trails and salt licks, there are a couple of nearby lakes accessible by catamaran where giant otters may be seen (as well as other wildlife). If you wish to see the macaw and tapir lick, the lakes and the canopy, and hike the trails in search of wildlife, you should plan on a three-night stay at the Manu Wildlife Center. Shorter and longer stays are workable.
Near the Manu Wildlife Center, the rustic Tambo Blanquillo Lodge has rooms with shared bathrooms. Expansion plans, including bungalows with private rooms, were being completed at the time of research. Some companies in Cuzco combine this cheaper option with a tour including other lodges in the Manu area, but prices vary. Staying just at Blanquillo isn’t possible. Tour operators include Pantiacolla Tours (Map; 084-23-8323; www.pantiacolla.com; Saphy 554, Cuzco).
If you continue down the Madre de Dios past gold-panning areas to Puerto Maldonado, you won’t see much wildlife. This takes 14 hours to two days and may cost as little as S50. Amazon Trails Peru (Click here) can also organize onward boat/bus transportation, but transportation to Puerto Maldonado is infrequent; almost all visitors return to Cuzco.
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CENTRAL AMAZON
For a quick Amazon fix on long weekends and holidays, limeños (inhabitants of Lima) usually head for this relatively accessible Amazon region, reachable in eight hours by bus. The tropical Chanchamayo province is as different to the coastal desert strip or the Andean mountains as can be. The last hour of the journey here is particularly remarkable for the rapid change in vegetation and climate as you slip down from the rugged Andes into the vibrant green of La Selva Central, as it is known in Spanish. Comprising the two main towns of San Ramón and La Merced, plus a scattering of remoter communities, the area is noted for coffee and fruit production. Despite its popularity with Peruvian holidaymakers, the region offers the traveler a good insight into Amazon life, and better transport links mean there are more opportunities here for interacting with rainforest tribes than elsewhere in the Amazonas. Two rough, adventurous back routes also await: forging via Satipo and Puerto Bermúdez through Peru’s central belt of Amazon to the port city of Pucallpa, jumping-off point for river trips deeper into the jungle.
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SAN RAMÓN & LA MERCED
064 / pop 40,000 / elev 800m
San Ramón is 295km east of Lima and La Merced is 11km further along. Chanchamayo’s two key settlements are quite likable in a languid sort of way. Resistance to colonists by the local Asháninka people meant that these towns were not founded until the 19th century. Today they are popular Peruvian holiday destinations and great bases for exploring the luxuriant countryside nearby, characterized by photogenic forested hills and waterfalls that tumble into the Chanchamayo River valley. Accommodation bookings are recommended at busy periods, when room rates are also more expensive.
Orientation
San Ramón is the quieter of the two towns, but it does own the regional airstrip. The town has a pleasant plaza but is otherwise uninteresting. Across the bridge is the main road to La Merced (the Carretera Central), which has decent top-end hotels.
La Merced is a bustling kind of place with squadrons of buzzing mototaxis careening down the streets. It’s compact, too, with most traveler facilities within a coconut’s throw of the main plaza. La Merced is also the main transport center, with buses, minibuses and colectivos departing from here to all parts of the Selva Central.
Information
Both towns have a BCP with an ATM, and plenty of public telephones. La Merced has the better facilities.
Bayoz Internet (Plaza de Armas, La Merced) Internet access.
Hospital (53-1002; Tarma, cuadra 1; La Merced) Small.
Police station (Julio Piérola at Passuni, La Merced)
Post office (Av 2 de