Hello,

This is Trevor Adams writing again from the Manu Wildlife Center. I thought that in this blog I would share the trip that took Jeff and I from the city of Cuzco, Peru to the jungle of Manu, Peru.

Jeff and I had to be up early in the morning to get onto a bus, that would be taking us along with a group of tourists on a three days, two nights overland trip to the MWC. The people that the two of us were joining on this trip were a family from Southern California with one teenage son and a family from Zurich, Switzerland with a young son and daughter. There were also two bus drivers, which is required by Peruvian law, the guide, Jose Antonio, and a man who worked at the MWC.

As we were leaving Cuzco, Jose Antonio began explaining the culture and history of the city, as well as what our itinerary would consist of. Soon after leaving Cuzco city proper, we stopped at a small town where Jose Antonio bought a few loaves of a special bread of that area called Panchuta. It was a round loaf of bread that was very sweet but not completely soft like a sweet roll usually is. Jose Antonio then explained that during a certain festival there is a competition among the many bakers of Panchuta in this small town to see who can make the most elaborate design in the middle of the bread, such as animal designs. The prize that was won from this competition was solely pride in being the best baker of Panchuta that year.

Soon after this small town we made our first real stop of the trip at a large lake about forty-five minutes outside of Cuzco. The lake was very marshy in some places and was a location that was often frequented by certain birds of that area. We saw a few different species of birds here, including certain types of ducks.

We then continued on our trip, which would take us from the valleys around Cuzco up to the heights of the Andes. We traveled through small cities that dotted the mountainside along the long and winding road. The bus ride was one of the most beautiful rides that I believe I will ever take in my life. While we were climbing the Andes mountains we not only saw wildlife along the way, but we were also able to see great views from the road of the different mountains, valleys, and even of terraces that had been built by the Incans. For lunch, our group stopped on the side of the road where we were able to find a flat space literally on the edge of a cliff, right outside of a region of Peru called the Cloud Forest. It was both a beautiful scene as well as a delicious lunch. During lunch, we learned that the Cloud Forest derived its name from its high altitude, which allows for dense clouds to creep down the mountainside enveloping all that is in its path. It is in this region of the Peruvian rainforest that certain animals and plants can only be found, including the Wooly Monkey.

The first night we were staying at the Cock of the Rock Lodge, which was located along this road. The trip from Cuzco to the lodge took us about twelve hours, which Jose Antonio explained was slightly longer than usual since we made so many stops for wildlife and problems in the road. The Cock of the Rock Lodge is named for the national bird of Peru, Cock of the Rock, which we would be seeing the next day from a blind located five to ten minutes walking time from the lodge. It was dark when we arrived at the lodge, but it consisted of a pathway that stretched from the road through the bungalows to the lodge at the other end. There was no electricity and only candlelight and there was a propane-gas system for hot water in the showers. We all had a great meal, after which Jeff and I slept our first night in the jungle.

The next morning we woke up early so that we could arrive at the blind before the Cock of the Rock would. The blind was located in a section of the forest off of the road where the Cock of the Rock has a sizeable lek. It is actually quite amazing that the birds are not in anyway bothered by the noise of passing cars on the road no more than twenty feet away. The sight we were treated to when the cock of the rock arrived was really tremendous. The Cock of the Rock is a bright red bird with a blackish body that pushes its feathers forward on its head to create a crest. We witnessed about six males performing their mating ritual, while two or three females watched the displays.

After about an hour at the lek, our group returned back to the lodge where right outside the back of the dinning room in the garden we saw a family of Brown Capuchin Monkeys climbing in the trees. The Capuchins were the first monkeys that we saw on our trip and they were very close to the lodge so it created an amazing scene. In the garden, we also saw an Agouti, a variety of hummingbirds, and a Bolivian squirrel.

We then returned to the bus after breakfast for a six hour drive to a town on the Upper Madre De Deos River called Atalaya. From here we would be taking a fifteen-minute boat ride to the Amazonia Lodge. The lodge was a converted ranch, which meant much of the forest in the immediate area was secondary. Amazonia Lodge is very beautifully made and even has the convenience of electricity. There was a waterfall nearby, which the lodge used to power the lights and water in the lodge. It is a very good location for viewing a variety of birds.

In the morning we left Amazonia for a seven-hour boat ride to our final destination the Manu Wildlife Center. Unfortunately, we left during a cold front, which made the boat ride very cold and mostly devoid of wildlife. However, ever since arriving here at MWC our experience and wildlife viewing has only gotten better. Thank you for reading.

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Trevor