The Manu River Basin is located in the Amazon basin at the eastern base of the Peruvian Andes. Photographed in the video are rare harpy eagles, howler monkeys, giant river otters called river wolves, tapirs, a gorgeous jaguar and only a few of the thousands of species of birds and wildlife found there.
Peru's Amazon basin covers almost half of Peru. Iquitos is a logical place to start your explorations of the northern reaches of the Amazon basin.
In the southern portion, Manu and Tambopata are most easily accessible from Cuzco or Puerto Maldonado. There are several wildlife reserves, lodges and camps open to tourism where visitors can marvel at the rivers, wildlife, the famous cloud forests and perhaps learn more about the indigenous tribes such as the Cachapoyas and Kuelaps "cloud people", whose lifestyles continue in the age-old traditions of the rain forest.
Within the Amazon basin you'll find the Tambopata Reserved Zone - TRZ which contains the greatest diversity of wildlife yet discovered in the world. Here you'll find the Manu Wildlife Center, the Santuario Nacional de las Pampas del Heath, a small reserve founded in 1983 to preserve the priceless lobo de crin or horsehair wolf and the Lake Valencia home to Amaralari, Arasaeri, Kisambaeri, Pukirieri, Sapiteri, Toyoeri, Wachipari, Arawak, Machiguenga and Piro-Mashko communities and the Huarayo settlements.
There are a number of places to stay in the Amazonian Tropics. Some lodges are privately owned; others developed in conjunction with native communities, and some are non-profit conservation groups or purely scientific. All of the accommodations open to tourism offer ecological tours, some more basic than others, but all afford the visitor the opportunity to witness life as it was for millions of years before "civilization" encroached.
In the southern portion of the Amazon basin, Bahuaja Lodge in Bahuaja-Sonene National Park, offers the tropical rainforest experience in the relaxed atmosphere of a family homestead on the shores of the Tambopata river. The lodge is also the center of biological research. Posada Amazonas is a 24 bedroom lodge owned jointly by Rainforest Expeditions and the Ese’eja Native Community of Tambopata. It is a good place to begin an introduction to the wonders of the rain forest.
On the road from Cuzco, you'll find the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, named for the blazing scarlet Andean Cock-of-the-Rock--a brilliant jaunty bird the size of a small chicken. The lodge provides the only up-close photo blind for nature photographers and birders. While many visitors to the rain forest use the lodge as a stopover, the altitude and mosquito-free environment draws many for a longer stay. Sandoval Lake Lodge offers guests the chance to see giant otters, Red-Bellied macaws, Black Caimans, the rarest of the crocodilians, and more wildlife.
Pantiacolla Lodge, located in a birdwatcher's paradise in the the Manu foothills of the Pantiacolla Mountains, also offers hiking opportunities and a dip in a natural hot springs.
Manu Wildlife Center recommends you take the following items with you:
Enjoy your trip to Peru's Amazonian regions. Buen viaje!
