Descent Through the Cloud Forest in Manu National Park, Peru

August 2011

Before preparing for my trip, I was only aware of the rain forest in  the northern areas of Peru where the Amazon begins its eastward journey to the Atlantic Ocean.  But the greater part of Peru (60%) consists of east-of-the-Andes lowland forests and jungles where countless streams and rivers form the headwaters of the Amazon.  This area is protected from development by the government and is sparsely populated, primarily by native peoples.

I had not heard before of the Parque National del Manu in the southeastern Amazon basin, but perhaps its obscurity has aided its preservation.  The park has nearly 4.5 million acres and is not only one of the largest rain forest preserves in South America, but is considered one of the most important and bio-diverse tropical parks in the world.  The park has more types of birds than the USA and Canada combined (800+); more butterfly types than all of Europe (1200 to 400); 13 species of monkeys; and more than 20,000 plant species.  In short, it is a remarkable place on earth!  It is recommended in Patricia Schultz's 1,000 Places to See Before You Die with this apt description:   "Admittedly, Manu is difficult to get to:  tours involve limited and rustic accommodations....and reputable, experienced guides are a must.  Manu is not for the unadventurous, but what an adventure it is!"  Spot on, as the Brits say.

One of  the reasons Manu is so diverse is that it starts high in the Andes and descends through a "cloud forest" before it reaches the lowland basin.   Near the entrance to the park (permits must be obtained) stands a monument to Dr. Sven Ericsson who did much to preserve the Madre de Dios (Manu) area. During our descent,  the roads became even more narrow and treacherous (see prior Crossing Andes post) due to beautiful cascading waterfalls whose water made the dirt and gravel roads  muddy and  slippery.  Several times the van became stuck in watery ruts, and we had to get out of the van to lighten it.

On those and other occasions, we proceeded on foot for a while to enjoy the beauty of the  forest.   The vegetation had changed from scrub brush to giant ferns and umbrella trees.  Our knowledgeable guides from Manu Adventures listened for bird calls of exotic birds and helped us spot them.  Unfortunately, the birds often darted out of sight or moved before the camera could be readied, making it hard to get a focused photo.

But we saw large red-throated caracaras soaring over the mountain clouds and an immature solitary eagle who posed for us in a tree before taking flight over the misty valley.  We spotted the green jay (slideshow)  and the white-collared jay as well as the crimson-mantled woodpecker (slideshow), social flycatcher, blue banded toucanet, and a number of camera-shy toucans.  The most remarkable bird, though, was the brilliant red-orange Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, the national bird of Peru.  The male's face is almost covered in its orange feathers, so the beak is almost indistinguishable and only the small eyes show through.  We also noticed an ocelot track, but the only cats we actually saw were the domestic ones at the lodge.


At the end of our first day's journey from Cuzco, we settled in at the Orquideas de San Pedro Lodge.  There were wooden sleeping quarters and beds with mosquito netting (with some holes), but the walls separating the rooms did not go to the ceiling or roof--including the outside walls--allowing noise and insects free access (probably allows summer ventilation).  Electricity was only available  from 6-9 pm, so we hurried to the separate bathroom building after a satisfying supper and then to our wooden-slat beds and blankets (it was a cool winter night) before lights went out.  In the morning, Teddie was sure we had had constant rain all night, but we were delighted to find it was just a beautiful river that ran alongside our building.  One of the showers thought it was a waterfall, spewing water with no knob, but few of us wanted a cold shower that cold morning.  Certainly, not me.

Just as we were leaving,  our guide spotted something moving up the road: monkeys.  We spent the next 15 minutes entertained by a troop of brown capuchin monkeys.  They were at first cautious, but then moved right in front of us to eat their breakfast.  It was a photographer's dream, but then my nightmare started.  My wonderful DSLR camera that has reliably served me for years started to falter.   I fumbled through my backpack for my small alternate camera and was ready to shoot again about the time the monkeys were ready to move on.  I was devastated.  Fortunately, Teddie generously has allowed me to use some of her photos (including panoramics) to fill in my gaps through our trip (a mutual agreement).  The monkeys were amazing.  They say that capuchins are the most intelligent of the monkey groups in South America--showing use of tools, learning through observation, and "reasoning."

Continuing down to the Amazon basin, we stopped in a small town to see them make the wonderful round rolls we loved to eat.  There was a typical cluster of guinea pigs in this rural kitchen that might someday be a dinner delicacy when they tired of chicken (pollo), their most frequent meat.  We then headed to the town of Pilcopata where we put on our life jackets for rafting down the Koshnipata River (van had the luggage) after which we boarded our "jungle boat" to reach Erika, our camp on the Rio Madre de Dios.  Come back in a few days for our river journey.

Click below for slideshow:
Through the Cloud Forest

Music:  Inca Son, Rio Amazones, Peru-A Musical Journey
More Information:
http://www.manuadventures.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manú_National_Park
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capuchin_monkey
Insight Guides: Peru, APA Publications
Patricia Schultz, 1,000 Places to See Before You Die