AMAZON (MANU PARK) THOUGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

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AMAZON (MANU PARK) THOUGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Our trip to the Amazon (Manu Biosphere Reserve or Manu National Park) was a decent experience, but was somewhat lacking. We had a 4 day/3 night tour, but most of the first day and all of the last day was spent in a minivan travelling over some of the roughest and most perilous roads you can imagine. If we had it to do over again, or ever decide to visit the Amazon again, we would pay the considerable extra to fly in and out. Our driver was very professional and the expedition company, Expediciones Vilca, was very competent, but the experiences in the jungle were not worth the trip there and back.

I can't compare Manu to the other jungle experiences such as Iquitos, Boca Manu, or Puerto Maldonado destinations. I'm sure Manu often yields some fascinating and interesting experiences, but on our trip most of what we saw were birds and plant life… interesting, but not exciting. Besides the numerous species of exotic birds, we only had two brief sightings of monkeys and one sighting of a foraging capybara. This is not discredit to Expediciones Vilca or our guide Jaime, just bad luck and/or wrong time of the year.

As far as equipment goes, you should bring the following to enjoy your experience as much as possible:

· Binoculars - if you don't want to buy a decent pair, you can rent them in Cusco. Our guide had an extra pair. The wildlife is seldom as curious about you as you are of it!
· Insect Repellent - try to get at least 50% DEET. I know it can be hazardous in that strength, but it doesn't take very many mosquito bites to ruin the experience. I don't think I was bit more than once, but my wife was the gourmet buffet our last night there.
· Shoes - I wore sneakers and my wife wore her hiking boots. I can't say which was better, but I liked the added agility and lessened weight of my sneakers. Vilca provided rubber boots each time we went anywhere that might be wet.
· Camera/Video Cam - A higher quality camera and/or HD Video Camera is a most to get good photos of illusive wildlife, and not so illusive plant life. My 10.2 megapixel cheapie didn't take nearly as clear, colorful photos as my wife's 7 megapixel Kodak Z710. The Samsung HD Video Camera however was outstanding. Don't forget to bring charged/extra batteries, as it’s a bit difficult to recharge without electricity and the few places you can find extra batteries don't sell them cheaply.
· Toiletries - Although the first night's hostal had hot showers, the lodge had chillingly cold ones. Bring/keep on hand lots of bottled/pure water for brushing your teeth and drinking. Toilet paper was always available in both the hostal and lodge, but for you ladies, the jungle does not provide any…except maybe leaves!
· Flashlight/Headlamp - bring one or the other for nighttime walking tours like cayman hunting, and for those nighttime trips to the bathroom. We did have a light in the bedroom, powered by a solar battery, but nothing in our bathroom or between our cabin and the dining hall.
· Food/Snacks - You might want to bring some snack stuff for the bus trips, but we wee pretty well fed three times a day, plus a snack most days.
· Clothing - you can dress light, with shorts and short-sleeved shirts, but you'd better lather on the insect repellent regularly and be prepared for scratches from intrusive trees and plants. It wasn't all that hot in August, so long-sleeved shirts and pants weren't uncomfortable. It was also the dry season, so we didn't need our ponchos. A good, maybe wide-brimmed hat would help too.
· Reading material will help you pass the time on the long bus trips, and maybe distract you from the scary roads.

All in all, we did have a good time and enjoyed various aspects of the trip, we just wish the trips in and out had been shorter and less perilous. It also would have been nice to have had more encounters with and/or sightings of the more unusual wildlife. I do recommend Expediciones Vilca and Peru's Amazon, but I'd only recommend the actual tour we took for those that are really on a tight budget and/or enjoy long, scary bus trips.

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