Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Need to Know
WHEN TO GO
July and August are driest.
MUST-HAVE
A good pair of binocu-
lars.
RECOMMENDED READING
One River,
by Wade Davis.
For more cover-
age,
Click here
.
Parque Nacional Manu
Don't Miss List
BY RYSE HUAMANI CHOQUEPUMA, MANU NATIVE AND RAINFOREST
GUIDE AT LOCALLY OWNED BONANZA TOURS
1 GIANT OTTER
Parque Nacional Manu remains the only place with a large population of the en-
dangered giant otter, a fish-eating mammal than can reach almost 2m in length. They
can be quite territorial and aggressive. They build extensive campsites, clearing large
amounts of vegetation. There they construct dens, which are holes dug into riverbanks,
with multiple entrances and chambers. Many can be seen around the area of Cocha
Juárez.
2 JAGUARS
The jaguar is the Amazon jungle's main predator - they're at the top of the food chain.
They are a big draw in Manu, and we regularly see them on riverbanks from boats in
our tours. I myself have seen many jaguars in Manu's protected
zona reservada
. Once
we saw five jaguars in a seven-day tour.
3 CLAY LICKS
It's not just humans who know how to use medicine. Some mammals have the bizarre
habit of eating clay - this neutralizes toxins produced by fungi found on fruits they eat.
Of the creatures that are known for this the most famous is the tapir, the Amazon's
biggest mammal. Other animals that use clay licks are deer and small rodents. In
Parque Nacional Manu, three of these can be visited to observe wildlife: the Bonanza