Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and Hunt Oil, to whom the government gave a concession for hydrocarbon extraction in
Manu's
zona cultura
).
It is illegal to enter the park without a guide. Going with an organized group can be ar-
ranged in Cuzco (
Click here
)
or with international tour operators. It's an expensive trip;
budget travelers should arrange their trip in Cuzco and be flexible with travel plans. Trav-
elers often report returning from Manu several days late. Don't plan an international air-
line connection the day after a Manu trip!
Permits, which are necessary to enter the park, are arranged by tour agencies. Trans-
portation, accommodations, food and guides are also part of tour packages. Most visits are
for a week, although three-night stays at a lodge can be arranged.
The best time to go is during the dry season (June to November); Manu may be inac-
cessible or closed during the rainy months (January to April), except to visitors staying at
the two lodges within the park boundaries.
Virgin jungle lies up the Río Manu northwest of Boca Manu. At the Puesto Control Li-
monal (guard post), about an hour from Boca Manu, a park entrance fee of S150 per per-
son is payable (usually included in your tour). Continuing beyond is only possible with a
guide and a permit. Near Limonal are a few trails.
Two hours upstream is the oxbow lake of
Cocha Juárez
where giant river otters are of-
largest, most beautiful lakes, has guided camping and hiking possibilities. Half an hour's
ing observation tower. These are not wide-open habitats like the African plains. Thick ve-
getation will obscure many animals, and a skilled guide is very useful in helping you to
see them.
During a one-week trip, you can reasonably expect to see scores of different bird spe-
cies, several monkey species and possibly a few other mammals. Jaguars, tapirs, giant
anteaters, tamanduas, capybaras, peccaries and giant river otters are among the common
large Manu mammals. But they are elusive, and you can consider a trip very successful if
you see two or three large mammals during a week's visit. Smaller mammals you might
see include kinkajous, pacas, agoutis, squirrels, brocket deer, ocelots and armadillos. Oth-
er animals include river turtles and caiman (which are frequently seen), snakes (which are
less often spotted) and a variety of other reptiles and amphibians. Colorful butterflies and
less pleasing insects also abound.
There are two lodges within the park.
comfortable beds; a separate building has cold showers and toilets. The lodge is on Cocha
