Manu - Pura Amazonia  
​(Tour report May 2017)
So you want to experience the Real  Amazon!  ............ and spot jaguar close up, shy ocelot, basking caiman, screeching macaws, giant river otter, horned screamers, piping guan, etc, etc?!  Then there is NOWHERE quite like Manu in Peru!  And en route, go via a high altitude Cloud Forest to see rare butterflies and bird species, such as Peru's National Bird - the magnificent scarlet Cock-of-the-Rock! 
Having visited many jungle reserves in South America, including in Peru, each offer a unique range of flora and fauna depending on their location, altitude, eco-climate, etc.  But NONE offer the pristine state of solitude and remoteness as can be found in ​Manu National Park.  Nor the high number and variety of unique Amazon wildlife!  Located some 100kms NE of Cuzco, in the SE of Peru, it takes TWO days to reach the Manu Reserved Zone from Cuzco, by minibus and motorised canoe.  But it's worth the effort, and much can also be seen en route.  This includes an opportunity to ascend into the Manu Cloud Forest, to spot rarely seen birds and other wildlife.  At the end of the dusty road, at Atalaya Port on the Upper Madre de Dios River, you board your motor-canoe and leave civilisation far behind.  Manu is SO REMOTE that even "non-contact" tribes live in its depths, but are rarely seen.
Due to the long time taken to reach the ​Manu Reserved Zone​, we strongly recommend that guests spend at least 3 days in the Reserved Zone ​itself before returning.  It can ideally be combined with a vacation to Cuzco, the Sacred Valley, and Machu Picchu, but visitors to the Amazon must have the required inoculations.  Unique Destinations has links to three trusted local tour companies who offer this experience, usually conducted for small groups only.  We were collected at dawn from our hotel in Cuzco, and en route to the Altiplano highland village of Paucartambo, we stopped to visit the Chullpas (Funerary Towers) at Ninamarca.  These date from the 13th & 14th century and were burial sites of Aymara chieftains from Bolivia.  Most have now been opened and looted, but the monuments remain.  In Paucartambo ​we have our last opportunity to refuel, then continue uphill into the Cloud Forest.  
At the top, Acjanaco Pass (3,600m/11,800ft) - we register our entry into the Manu Cloud Forest​, and start to descend slowly into the Amazon basin.  Here, we stop several times to take photos of capuchin and spider monkeys, butterflies, exotic flowers, and many birds.  So many unusual varieties, including the MAGNIFICENT Cock-of-the-Rock, Peru's National Bird.  Here, the birds move around in "mixed flocks", preventing overfeeding on one food source and offering layers of protection  and early warning to others due to the different feeding habits and movements of each species.  TIP.  ​Unique Destinations recommends that you stay one night in the Manu Cloud Forest ​to fully enjoy the marvels of this eco-habitat.  In our case we push on, arriving early evening at our first night's stop, Guadalupe Lodge.  The rooms and facilities are basic, but clean....... and there is a generator offering limited lighting, a chance to charge camera batteries, and shower!
Early the next day we are en route to Atalaya Port.  This is the first station on the Upper Madre de Dios River where craft can embark.  Now joined by our full support team, Jesus, our excellent bi-lingual guide, Chaval, the coxswain, Dennis, crewmate and assistant guide, plus Alejandro, our chef, we set off down the Madre de Dios River.  Covering some 50kms this takes a full day, but we see a lot en route; many different herons, raptors and kingfishers, with promises of monkeys, parrots and tapirs at journey's end, Boca Manu.  River traffic is very light, but we pass the odd group of tourists departing.  At Boca Manu we stay at Dorado Lodge, another basic but clean jungle abode.  We visit a salt lick to spot parrots, then go on a night walk to see tapir and other sights.  We come across an amazing scene with leaf-cutter ants marching off with yellow flowers, encounter a pretty, but dangerous, viper, and spot a HUGE jaguar footprint!  
Day 3 dawns brightly and after a tasty breakfast prepared by Alejandro, we're off in our motor-canoe once again.  Just a few kilometres down from Dorado Lodge we notice the sudden change in colour of the water as we join the Manu River.  It is a muddy brown, and runs much slower than the Madre de Dios River, which had shoals and quite a strong current.  We are NOW entering the Manu Reserved Zone and will be encountering more exotic beasts at every turn!  Just as we settle into the scene we start to spot White/Spectacled Caiman and the bigger Black Caiman (up to 5m long!) sunning on the riverbanks.  Also, Pond Slider Turtles, Capybara, and a great variety of birds.  We are all on the lookout for wildlife, but our guides eyes are experienced and sure.  Jesus shouts out a command at something he has spotted, and Chaval turns the boat so we can get close to the target.  Sometimes we will float silently down with the current, but the birds and animals seem to ignore the engine noise.  
By late afternoon we will have travelled another 35kms, have taken countless photos, and reach our new lodge, Casa Matsiguenka, run by a local Indian community.  Once again, it is basic, but clean, with generator power and showers.  And we enjoy another great meal from Alejandro, and see another snake!  We are offered a night walk, but we elect to turn in early and get up at dawn, when the Howler Monkeys begin their chorus.  For the next two full days we spend the time on river and land visiting different spots for different wildlife.  One morning is spent on a raft on Cocha Otorongo, another on Cocha Salvador.  These are "ox-bow" lakes, where we see a new range of birds, and a busy family of giant otters.  And all the time we are keeping our eyes out for cats!  On the second day our observation pays off and we spot a magnificent male jaguar just lying in the shade of a fallen tree on the riverbank.  We take hundreds of photos, then he slinks off.  And for good measure, on the way home, we get a brief view of a shy ocelot! ​
Too quickly, our time was over, and we sadly retraced our route back to Cusco.  Throughout the trip Jesus and his team had kept us safe, fully informed, and shown us so much.  And even on board the boat, Alejandro produced startling meals from seemingly nowhere! 

Apart from the outstanding wildlife, both plentiful and of great variety, the amazing flora of the Reserve also awed us, with the Sacred Ceiba, Walking Palm and "Hotlips" flower being the icons.  The final highlight was a soak in natural hot springs near Atalaya Port, ​then sunset!  
We will never forget this wonderful journey and experience, and urge others to do as we did! 
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