August 2011
After a day and a half of travel on the treacherous (but beautiful) mountain roads descending through the cloud forest (bosque nublado) of Manu National Park (see sidebar Manu posts), we arrived in the town of Pilcopata. We stopped at a general store that handled everything from treats and bathrooms to rafting trips. Leaving everything in the van (except for a friend's disposable water-proof camera), we put on our life jackets and followed our strong men as they carried our rubber raft to the nearby Koshnipata River. We fortunately had a competent Chilean rafting guide with us who assigned us our spots on the raft and taught us how to paddle together to move in the right direction. He took the back steering position and shouted out directions as we moved along.
We headed up the river into a few Category I and II rapids which added some thrill and made us all wet. However, most of the way was calm and beautiful. The rocks along the banks had interesting angles of stratification, leading us to conclude that there must have been quite a disturbance at some time to turn them on their sides. It was a beautiful day on the river: blue sky, light breeze, comfortable temperature. At one point we stopped, and several chose to take a quick refreshing dip in the river. It was remarkable to see our guide then help lift them out of the water by their lifejackets, as he had shown us how to do if anyone went overboard by accident.
We followed the river through the Koneq Canyon with its tall rock walls and lush vegetation. We saw fasciated herons (dark birds with yellow on their faces) and snowy egrets fishing along the shores as well as swallows and yellow-breasted social flycatchers in the air above. Of course, there are no pictures of the wildlife, as we only had the disposable water camera that the instructor used to take pictures of us. It was a delightful hour and a half on the water and a welcome change from bumpy roads. The Koshnipata River river flows into the larger Madre de Dios River at a small town called Atalaya. We landed there, getting our sandals/crocs/feet stuck in thick mud as we climbed out of the raft. We went up a few stairs to meet the van and claim our luggage where we were greeted by some curious children and spotted ducks.
We then loaded up our motorized, covered "jungle boat" for our 40 minute boat trip down the swift moving Rio Madre de Dios to reach our camp, Erika. The Madre de Dios is one of the larger rivers that meanders through this part of the Amazon basin. It widens as more tributaries from the Andes flow into it and becomes known as the Beni River as it makes the journey through Bolivia and ultimately joins the Amazon River in the north before emptying into the Atlantic in Belen, Brazil. It is a journey of 3375 miles (5430 km) from Atalaya to Belen. Being from the other side of the equator, I am used to rivers going south.
The river is the major means of transportation in this area, and most tourist lodges and hiking trails are not far from it. Peru is recognized for its efforts to preserve large tracks of virgin jungle and forests (see sidebar Manu posts) and eco-tourism is the standard for this area. It seems to be mostly a win-win situation: tourists can see amazing places and wildlife with minimal impact on the environment and provide funds for its preservation. However, I'm not sure the old motors on the boats would get "energy star" ratings. We would speed along for a while, then they would turn the motor off for a bit--I'm not sure if it was to give the motor a rest or allow us some quiet, slow time on the river. We passed pebbly sandbars with black cormorants and hilly banks covered with thick vegetation.
Click for video clip of river: Rio Madre de Dios video
When we finally pulled into a little cove near our lodge, we carried our limited luggage (back pack and a small overnight bag) over a make-shift wooden plank to reach the shore. The guides just walked in through the water to help with the luggage and assist us on the plank. Arriving at camp, we were issued my favorite companion for my jungle excursions--a pair of remarkably comfortable and totally water-proof high boots (like English wellies) so we could walk through the water to get in and out of the boats and not get stuck on muddy paths. I was ready for my jungle adventure! (see upcoming post for our Manu explorations)
Click below for slideshow:
Rafting and River Boats in Manu
Music: Inca Son,
Kullakita, Peru--Musical Journey
We headed up the river into a few Category I and II rapids which added some thrill and made us all wet. However, most of the way was calm and beautiful. The rocks along the banks had interesting angles of stratification, leading us to conclude that there must have been quite a disturbance at some time to turn them on their sides. It was a beautiful day on the river: blue sky, light breeze, comfortable temperature. At one point we stopped, and several chose to take a quick refreshing dip in the river. It was remarkable to see our guide then help lift them out of the water by their lifejackets, as he had shown us how to do if anyone went overboard by accident. 
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