Blogs from Manu National Park, Cusco, Peru, South America

Sarah (Day 3): We were disappointed to miss the clay lick due to adverse weather conditions that morning, but we were promised that we would hope for better weather and try again the next day. Once brekkie was out the way, the rain had finally stopped and at 8am we set out for a four hour jungle hike to take us through to lunch. Although it's quite a long time, we weren't going much further that a few miles, going slow and keeping quiet to try and catch some animal action. Before too long Jose had spotted a rather sinister looking centipede that Nick was brave enough to have a hold of - it 'fell off' my hand when passed over! We also found some carnivorous ferns that clamp their leaves around any unsuspecting insects that ... read more

Nick: At the time of writing, I am sat cross-legged on the front veranda of our lodge in the sub-tropical Amazon, within Manu National Park, Peru. It is a little while before lunch on the third day of our trip into the Amazon and we have already seen far too many incredible things to list here (although I intend to try). We've been keeping a few notes over the last few days so that we don't lose track of all the wonderful things, and I suspect that this cornucopia of natural wonders will translate into another rather verbose blog entry! So for those who are keen on simply 'getting the headlines', suffice to say we are having a superb time and our trip into the Amazon has been utterly fascinating, if somewhat challenging in terms of ... read more

Here's the plan - Back on the boat early in the morning, we head downstream to the small mining village Boca Colorado. Here and in Mazuco later on, you can see the negative effects of certain human activities on the delicate ecological balance of the rainforest. We take local transportation until crossing the Inambari River. On the other side, our van is waiting to take you over a newly paved road, through beautiful cloud and elfin forest. Near Cusco, you have stunning views of the Ausangate Mountain.Cusco is reached in the early evening. Approx. 12 hrs journey. We're up before first light to get on the boat for 4hr boat ride. We'll have breakfast on the boat. All the sand bars provides plenty of opportunity to see lots of birds, mostly ones we have seen, but ... read more

We've settled into our jungle lodging, candle light at night, sharing the toilets and cold showers with the resident black tarantula. Up early for a hike, often before breakfast. Mid-morning hike, lunch and siesta. Late afternoon hike, dinner and then a night hike. The Rainforest is a Fascinating Place! A highlight of our stay here was the time spent on Lake Salvador. Michel had taken the opportunity to sign up two slots on the lake. The previous evening was amazing, but we were wanting to spot the rare giant river otter. We were more than rewarded as the family not only showed up, but performed for us right in front of the boat. We also identified a lot of birds...I've added approx. 125 birds to my list. The afternoon hike was centered around tracking down monkeys ... read more

http://www.pantiacolla.com/tours/manus-reserved-zone-7-days Leaving Cusco before dawn, we began an 8-hour journey over the Andes by van. Turned out it was just Phil and I for the few couple of days of our trip, Jose would be our guide, Hugo our cook and driver. Traveling Peruvian roadways are always an adventure, rock slides just around the blind corner, not to mention the possibility of a head-on collision. We stopped at a pre-Inca ruin where you can see the small stone towers constructed to entomb the mummified bodies of prominent community people. Saw the remnant of a house which had a raise hearth for cooking and bench with voids in the stone work supporting it, for housing the resident guinea pigs, which ran free in the homes. We stopped for breakfast at the beautiful colonial village of Paucartambo. Interesti ... read more