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The Manu Wildlife Center is a 44 bed lodge located on
the Madre de Dios river only 90 minutes by motorized dugout canoe from
the Boca Manu airstrip at the confluence of the Manu and Alto Madre de
Dios rivers. It is owned by Manu Expeditions and the Selva Sur
Conservation Group, a non-profit, non-government organization involved
in rainforest conservation projects.
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Manu Wildlife Center is a privately owned rainforest reserve which forms
part of the Manu Biosphere Reserve. It is located in the Cultural
Reserved Zone, set aside for indigenous Amazonian peoples. The lodge is
on the banks of the Madre de Dios River in pristine rainforest.
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Access:
Eight and eighteen seater Beechcraft, Cessna or Twin Otter planes fly
from the Cusco international airport to Boca Manu. The flight takes
about 40 minutes. From here comfortable motorized dugouts are used for
the 90 minute trip to the Manu Wildlife Center. Alternatively, a longer
and more adventurous journey can be made by road and river from Cusco.
In this trip you visit other important areas of Manu on your way to Manu
Wildlife Center. See our 9 day program.
Facilities:
Manu Wildlife Center consists of 22 double bungalows built in the style
of, and using the same materials as the local Machiguenga indigenous
communities . Local wood, bamboo and palm fronds for roofing are used.
All materials used have been sustainably harvested or brought in from
distant areas. For example, the wood used in the construction is
collected from the river as, each rainy season, hundreds of trees are
washed into the river as it cuts its ever-changing course. On an average
every three or four years the river actually enters the lodge towards
the end of the wet season (around March) therefore all the bungalows are
raised and connected to each other and the rest of the lodge facilities
by gravel walkways. Each room has good quality foam mattresses and all
beds have cotton sheets and quilts (best for hot tropical conditions).
Although all the rooms are screened with imported insect netting, beds
are furnished with individual mosquito nets. Furniture includes bedside
tables and writing tables. The bungalows are arranged around a pleasant
and well planned Amazonian garden with plants and shrubs that attract
birds, butterflies and mammals. All bungalows are private and separated
from each other for privacy and all have large windows facing the forest
and garden. All the 22 bungalows boast private toilet and shower
facilities. Hot and cold water is always available and all toilets
facilities are flush. The dining area is separate from the other
facilities but close to all bungalows and the nearby kitchen area. Food
is good and wholesome not gourmet, and we use a variety of fresh
vegetables, fruits, grains and meats in our menu. Our cooks are used to
providing for vegetarian diets. There is a separate bar and lounge area
which is located a short distance from the dining area. A variety of
cold non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are always available here .
Activities:
The lodge is strategically located in an area of forest that counts on
the highest diversity of micro-habitats in the Manu area. This means
that there are more species of animals, birds, reptiles and insects than
elsewhere in Manu. Tierra-firme, transitional floodplain, varzea and
bamboo forest is found close to the lodge plus successional willow and
cane stands on beaches and river islands, resulting in the highest
bio-diversity in the Manu area . An astounding 550 species of birds have
been recorded around the lodge.. The Blanquillo Macaw and Parrot lick is
only 25 minutes away by river and we use floating blinds to get you
close to this amazing wildlife spectacle, where up to 200 Macaws and
many hundreds of their smaller relatives come to eat clay essential to
their digestion. There are 4 ox-bow lakes in the area and we have
floating platforms so that access to the lakes ensures that all lakeside
fauna can be readily observed. There are 3 families of the endangered
Giant Otters on these lakes and small streams. About an hours walk
through the forest is a large mammal lick where Tapirs, the largest
South American land mammal, regularly come for minerals. At night
Brocket Deer and other animals share this necessary ingredient to the
digestive system. There is a large, raised blind here equipped with
mattresses and mosquito nets for those who want to spend the night in
comfort observing these nocturnal creatures. During the day several
species of small forest Parakeets and Parrotlets as well as Guans,
Curassows and Black Spider Monkeys regularly visit the lick. Canopy
access is easy at Manu Wildlife Center, we have a canopy tower
strategically placed at a flowering canopy tree that attracts Monkeys,
Hummingbirds, Toucans, Parrots and a host of other creatures. Access to
this tower is by a harness and rope assisted climb There is also a
static canopy platform in a large canopy emergent that is accessed by a
metal, spiral stairway that anyone can use at any time. It is the only
accessible canopy platform of it's kind in Peru. Studies have been made
for the possibility of constructing a canopy walkway. This project may
be realized in the coming year.
Visit the only accessible Macaw and Parrot Lick in the Manu area just
minutes from the lodge. From a silent, floating catamaran blind
pioneered by macaw researchers, you can marvel at the emerald green and
electric blue parrots and the gaudy Red-and-Green Macaws that arrive by
the hundreds to gobble down the clay. This mobile blind allows you to
approach within 20-30 yards (18-27 m) of the 25-foot-tall (8-m-tall)
clay bank for excellent photo opportunities. No other Macaw Lick in the
world currently permits such close-up, comfortable viewing of this
spectacle of nature.
Reservations:
Reservations to stay at the Manu Wildlife Center can be made through
Manu Expeditions or Tropical Nature Travel (InkaNatura). |