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Travel on the Madre de Dios
Wildlife in Manu |
It's hard to picture over one and a half million hectares of pristine rainforest but lets give it a go:
Let's start with imagining verdant, untouched primary jungle, then consider the wildlife: 1,000 different species of birds, over 200 different mammals and a preliminary total of 1,147 different types of plant - preliminary because they have only managed to survey 0.03% of the forest so far...
Chuck in several tribes who still only have intermittent contact with the outside world, rafting and canoeing on the Tambopata, canopy-walks and a spot of ayahuasca for flavour, leave it to simmer for five minutes and we're pretty sure you'll find something to your taste! Check out our photo gallery if you're still not sure... |
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So what exactly does Manu have to offer the budding naturalist? Well...(Deep Breath)... You can find: monkeys, dolphins, pumas, jaguars, tapirs, ocelots, anteaters, armadillos, crocodiles, caymans, sloths, bats, rats, cats, dogs, otters, weasels, porcupines... we're sure you get the picture! Oh, but we almost forgot the other animal you'd expect to find here in deepest darkest Peru - the bears! Yes, Paddington's relatives are alive and well and living in Manu...
All this wildlife (and of course, the exceptional array of butterflies, plants, flowers and trees) are surprisingly accessible. Obviously, these are wild animals and we can't guarantee that you will see every species listed above but our expert guides make sure that you see as much as possible as they know all the best locations. We also offer some great ways to experience the jungle such as canopy walks - where you literally travel from tree-top to tree-top to get a birds-eye view.
Adventure Travel
Aside from the excitement of the canopy walks, Manu is also a great place for rafting and canoeing. The Madre de Dios and Tambopata rivers offer a variety of different conditions and difficulty levels. We can arrange for you to indulge your taste for adventure sports while you're visiting Manu - we guarantee you won't find a more spectacular backdrop!
Bird-watching
Manu is astonishing in both the abundancy and the variety of its birdlife. One study estimates that within its borders you can find 10% of all the bird species in the world. While many species are under threat of extinction, the existence and size of the Manu reserve is giving them a fighting chance. Existing studies are only fragmentary but an estimate of 1,000 species is probably on the conservative side, with new species being discovered all the time, most recently a new type of Ciccaba Owl.
Travel to Manu from Cuzco
In some ways the most attractive thing about Manu is that it fits so neatly into a general trip to Peru. Although you may need to travel to the north of Peru, around Iquitos, to actually see the Amazon River proper, this usually means flying back through Lima and, apart from this added expense, can also take up valuable holiday time. Manu, by contrast, is accessible both by air and by 4WD from Cusco so it fits more easily into most people's schedules. For an example, have a think about something like our Full Monty Peru holiday to see how this could fit into your trip!
Careful in the jungle!
Of course, the vast majority of the inhabitants of the rainforest are tiny... You might not see them but you will definitely be able to feel them! All our jungle lodges are fully-screened but during the day you'll want to wear a liberal amount of insect repellent, with a high deet content and this is often best purchased in the UK as locally-available medicines may not come up to scratch. For more health advice affecting Peru holidays, check out our travel health page.
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To find out more about our Peru holidays click here
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