Wildlife in Peru: Manu Biosphere Reserve, Wildlife Center - 2

Experiences of a Lifetime

While the possibility exists to see a wide variety of fauna, there can be disappointments, and it’s best on a trip such as this to be prepared to not see absolutely everything on your list, but instead to focus on the quality of the experiences you do have.

We were lucky to see a family of giant otters in a nearby oxbow lake. Their initial warning snorts as they discovered us turned into whistles after checking us out and determining we were no threat. Macaws and parrots soared overhead; prehistoric-looking hoatzins roosted in trees on the side of the lake; kingfishers, herons, hummingbirds, cormorants and jacamars added to the spectacle.

 

• The prehistoric-looking hoatzin is found in lowland swamp areas of South America.

Marshall Bruce

One night, we hiked to an elevated blind overlooking a clay lick that’s often frequented by lowland tapirs. Only 20 minutes after we arrived and made ourselves comfortable in our individual, mosquito-netted lounging stations, a lone male arrived. He waded in the clay for more than 30 minutes, giving us plenty of opportunities to snap photos of him. When he’d had his fill, he departed by walking under our blind, passing only a few feet from us. The following two nights no tapirs appeared at the clay lick, disappointing the folks who had been waiting for them.

We had saved our last day to visit an impressive macaw clay lick, but it rained and few macaws showed up. As we trudged back to the lodge, we spotted on the path ahead a family of saddleback tamarins jumping through the trees at eye level. We followed them through the lodge grounds, and came across groups of squirrel monkeys, black spider monkeys and white capuchin monkeys. They leaped from tree to tree just above us, staying in the area for more than an hour, until they tired of entertaining the humans and disappeared back into the forest. Suddenly the day wasn’t as much of a disappointment.

 

• It takes a sharp eye to spot a poison-dart frog in the jungle.

nicola vernizzi

Out of the Jungle

Returning to Cusco on a small airplane is a different experience than the van trip over the Andes and down into the jungle. From the Manu Wildlife Center, it’s a one- to two-hour boat ride to the small village of Boca Manu and its landing strip. While the up-close view of the rain forest was over for us, the plane ride afforded a much different way to see the Manu area. Below, a sea of deep green was cut by lazy, looping water in shades of brown. The places we’d been were infinitesimal specs in the vast jungle. Sloping up ahead were the emerald cloud forests and beyond them, the heights of the Andes with their glacier-capped peaks.

Tropical Nature Travel arranges custom itineraries to wildlife lodges in Peru, Brazil and Ecuador. It works closely with local community and conservation organizations to help preserve the tropics and provide sustainable ecotourism. In Peru, its jungle lodge reservations are handled by InkaNatura Travel. The Manu Biotrip is six days (five nights) and the 2009 price is $1,670 per person, with a single supplement of $375. There must be at least two people to book the trip. Other licensed operators run trips to the Manu area, however locations and prices will vary with each outfitter. Tel. 877-827-8350, www.tropicalnaturetravel.com.