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THE MANU BIOSPHERE RESERVEContact manuexpe+@amauta.rcp.net.pe for updated itineraries and prices. The new Manu Wildlife Centre on the Madre de Dios River in the Manu biosphere reserve now features a canopy tower. Barry writes: If you want to get space in Manu Wildlife Center you must set dates and I must book it for you NOW as its getting full already for 2001 and beyond. Alternatively I have an existing trip in October that is being led by Clive Byers and Colin Bushell ( ex-NBC council member) . Please advise of dates asap to assure space. THE MANU BIOSPHERE RESERVE - SOUTH-EAST PERU CLOUD FORESTS, LOWLAND RAINFORESTS AND MACAW LICK 21 DAYS YEAR 200YEAR 2001
FIXED DEPARTURE - 23 July – August
10th The Manu Biosphere Reserve has the highest diversity of life on
Earth and is one of the most important conservation units in the world.
The beauty of this trip is the variety of habitats visited ranging from orchid
laden cloud forest where Spectacled Bears and Cock-of-the-Rocks
still live unmolested, to untouched Amazon rainforest where
Monkeys abound and Giant Otters still exist in the ox-bow lakes.
A trip to Manu is a trip to one of the worlds great wilderness areas where
wildlife is still plentifull and nearly 1000 species of birds have been
recorded. No birding in cut-over forest on this trip !
July 25th : Arriving in
Lima we transfer to our hotel in Lima. If time permits there is an optional
excursion to bird the wetlands of Villa marshes or the agricultural areas south
of Lima in search of some species typical to the arid littoral. Night in Lima July 26th : Early morning
flight to Cusco and we head out south of town with a picnic lunch to
Huacarpay lakes. Here we will see a variety of high Andean waterfowl and
wetland associated birds. We will be specifically on the lookout for
Wren-like Rushbird and Many-colored Rush-tyrant, Puna Ibis and Andean
White-winged Negrito. Raptors we may see include Aplomado Falcon,
Cinereous Harrier, Red-backed Hawk and Black-chested Buzzard-Eagle. Two
birds we will look for in the arid scrub around the lake are the endemic Rufous-fronted
Canastero and Streak-fronted Thornbird. We should find the pretty , endemic
Bearded Mountaineer feeding in the tree tabacco with Giant Hummingbird.
In the late afternoon we'll return to Cusco for the night. July 27th : Early start in
our expedition bus. We will make a couple of selected stops in the inter-montane
valleys, before arriving at the last Andean pass - Ajcanacu. We have had
luck with Andean Condors here in the past. In the afternoon we will
bird the upper limits of the eastern slopes. Working our way down the
eastern slope of the Andes, the forest becomes more continuous and we will spend
the afternoon birding to our safari camp at 2800 meters above
sea-level at Pillahuata. Possibilities are many but we hope to
encounter mixed species flocks of Tanagers , Flycatchers and Furnarids.
Gray-breasted Mountain Toucan, Collared Jay, Mountain Cacique are
among some of the many species we may encounter. In the evening we will go to a
favorite spot where we have had luck calling in Swallow-tailed Nightjar and
Yungas Pygmy-Owl with tapes. Night in safari camp at Pillahuata. July 28th : At breakfast we will
be greeted with a varied dawn chorus and Red and White Antpitta should be
calling. We will spend all day birding from our camp at 2800
meters to our next stop at 1600 meters. This is pristine forest on a little
traveled road. Some of the special birds on this stretch
which we will look for include : White-rumped Hawk, Golden-plumed
Parakeet, Trilling Tapaculo, Black and Chestnut Eagle, Andean Guan,
Scaly-naped Parrot, a wide variety of Hummingbirds including Collared
Inca, Chestnut-breasted Coronet, Violet-throated Startfrontlet and
Amethyst-throated Sunangel, Purple-backed Thornbill, Scaled Metaltail ,
White-bellied Woodstar. Crimson-mantled Woodpecker, Bar-bellied
Woodpecker, Marcapata Spinetail, White-throated Antpitta, Barred and
Band-tailed Fruiteaters, White-throated Tyrannulet, Ochraceous-breasted
Flycatcher, Barred Becard, Pale-footed Swallow, Mountain Wren, Citrine
Warbler and many Tanagers . Night at the rustic but comfortable
Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge near Union at 1600 meters or Manu Cloud
Forest Lodge if preferred. July 29th & 30th :
Two full days to bird the forest around Union and San Pedro.
One day we'll devote to the 2500 meter altitude zone and one day to the 1500
meter zone. Possibilities include White-throated Hawk, Solitary Eagle,
Rufous-capped Thornbill, Crested Quetzal, Golden-headed Quetzal, Masked
Trogon, Highland Motmot, Black-streaked Puffbird , Blue-banded Toucanet,
Olive-backed Woodcreeper, Montane Woodcreeper, Spotted Barbtail, Montane
Foliage-gleaner, Uniform and Variable Antshrikes, Slaty Gnateater,
Chestnut-crested Cotinga, Scaled Fruiteater, Bolivian Tyrannulet, Inca
Flycatcher (endemic), Yungas and Cerulean-capped Manakin (endemic)
, Uniform Antshrike, White-throated Spadebill, Fulvous-breasted Flatbill,
Saffron-crowned Tanager, Deep-blue Flowerpiercer and lots more. We
will visit one of the two nearby Cock-of-the-Rock leks to watch the strange
mating dance of these spectacular birds. Up to 20 males congregate at this spot
to display. We will also do some night birding here and we have been lucky
previously with White-throated and Rufescent Screech Owl, Rufous-banded
Owl, Lyre-tailed Nightjar and Andean Potoo. Nights at
Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge or Manu Cloud Forest Lodge as required.
July 31st : After a dawn
breakfast accompanied by the singing of Andean and White-eared Solitaires and
Paradise Tanagers from the breakfast table, we leave San Pedro at 1600 meters
and spend the day birding slowly down to the comfortable Amazonia Lodge at 500
meters. We will pay particular attention to the stretch between 1500 meters and
800 meters. This upper tropical zone forest has disappeared on much of the
Andean slopes in South America because of it's suitability for cash crops such
as tea, coffee and coca, but in this part of Peru the forest remains untouched.
Birds we have seen well on this stretch of road include : Rufous-breasted
Wood-Quail, Plum-crowned Parrot, Chestnut-collared Swift, Peruvian Piedtail,
Long-tailed Sylph, Lanceolated Monklet, Versicolored Barbet, Russet Antshrike,
Slaty Antwren, Cerulean-capped Manakin, Rufous-lored Tyrranulet, Marble-faced
Bristle-tyrant, Fulvous-breasted Flatbill, Olive-tufted Flycatcher,
Golden-crowned Flycatcher, Chestnut-breasted Wren, Dusky-green Oropendola,
Golden-collared Honeycreeeper, White-winged Tanager, Yellow-throated
Bush-Tanager and much more. We plan to reach Amazonia Lodge before
dusk. Night at Amazonia Lodge. August 1st-3rd : Three
full days at the comfortable Amazonia Lodge. This family run converted tea
hacienda has a bird list of over 530 and species are continually being
added to the list. The lodge is situated in the transitional zone at
500 meters, where the last low foothills of the Andes begin to flatten out into
the lowland Amazon Basin proper. We will be birding a variety of habitats over
the next three days including floodplain and hill forest. One day we will
pack a picnic lunch and bird the road from Atalaya to Pilcopata. The
possibilities here are enormous but some species we will be on the lookout for
include : Black-capped Tinamou, Blackish Rail, the strange Hoatzin,
Buckley’s Forest Falcon, Wattled Guan, Military Macaw, Blue-headed Macaw,
Pheasant Cuckoo, Koepcke's Hermit, Rufous-webbed Brilliant, Rufous-crested
Coquette , Golden-tailed Sapphire, Bluish fronted Jacamar, Chestnut-capped
Puffbird, Fine-barred Piculet, Red-billed Scythbill, Dark-breasted Spinetail,
Dusky-cheeked Foliage-gleaner, Bamboo Antshrike, Chestnut-backed Antshrike,
Amazonian Antpitta, Rusty-belted Tapaculo, Mottle-backed Elaenia, Red-billed
Tyrranulet, Johannis' Tody-tyrant, Yellow-browed Tody-flycatcher, Black-backed
Tody -flycatcher , Ornate Flycatcher, White-thighed Swallow, Golden-bellied(Cuzco)
Warbler, Black-faced Dacnis - the list goes on....! We will have the
possibility of night birding here and in the past we have seen : Mottled Owl,
Black-banded Owl, Tawny-bellied Screech-owl, Great , Long-tailed and Common
Potoo. We will be reluctant to leave this very birdy place, but yet more
awaits us in the Amazon lowlands. All nights at Amazonia Lodge. August 4th :
Early morning birding near Amazonia Lodge in search of species we have missed.
As the day begins to warm, we will head down the Alto Madre de Dios river in our
motorized canoes to its confluence with the Manu River ( about 4 hours )
and then on for another two hours to the comfortable Manu Wildlife Centre,
jointly owned by Manu Expeditions and the Selva Sur conservation group.
This lodge facility is designed to take visitors, but there are always
biologists here conducting scientific research, often ornithologists. On
the river journey , we will have the opportunity to see some of the typical
riverside species such as Pied Lapwing, Collared Plover , Fasciated Tiger-heron,
Orinoco Goose, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Tern. Fly-overs will include
many species of Macaws and Parrots, and this is our opportunity for some
Bird of Prey observations. We plan to arrive at the Manu Wildlife
Centre in the late afternoon. Night Manu Wildlife Centre. August 5th – 12th
: Eight full days based at the Manu Wildlife
Centre , situated just upriver from the Blanquillo Macaw Lick. There
will be the opportunity on one morning to visit the Macaw lick and observe the
spectacle of hundreds of Parrots and Macaws at close quarters from our
floating blinds. Here we will see the beautiful Orange-cheeked Parrrot , and
sometimes the newly described Amazonian Parrotlet participates at the
lick. The rest of the time will be spent birding the
extensive trail systems which have been designed to visit different
forest types. The area around this lodge has the most forest types
of anywhere in the Manu area , and thus the highest bio-diversity - which means
the most species of birds. Large stands of Bamboo hold many local and much
sought after species, and coupled with the extensive Varzea, Tierra Firme and
Mature Transitional Floodplain Forest this means a mind-boggling variety of
birdlife. Although investigation on birds is in it's early stages we expect this
lodge area to hold more species of birds than anywhere else in the world and the
bird list is already 530+ Some of the more interesting and unusual species
we will be searching for in the Bamboo include - Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Manu
Antbird ( common here), Flammulated Bamboo-tyrant, White-cheeked Tody-flycatcher,
Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaner, Large-headed and Dusky-tailed Flatbills, Peruvian
Recurvebill, Dusky-cheeked and Brown-rumped Foliage-gleaners, Ihring's and
Ornate Antwren, White-lined Antbird, Striated Antbird and more. We
will certainly look for one of the 5 singing Rufous-fronted Antthrushes we have
located on territory here. Some of the scarcer forest species we will be on the
lookout for that we have seen here previously include : Bartlett's Tinamou,
Razor-billed Currasow, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Sunbittern, Pavonine
Quetzal, Purus Jacamar, Striolated Puffbird, Gray-cheeked Nunlet, Cream-colored
Woodpecker, Ocellated Woodcreeper, Colared Puffbird, Ruddy Spinetail, Plain
Softail, Striped Woodhaunter, Sclater's Antwren, Banded Antbird, Ash-throated
Gnateater, White-throated Antbird, Black-spotted Bare-eye, Black-faced
Cotinga, Ochre-bellied Flycatcher, White-bellied tody-tyrant, Royal Flycatcher,
Musician Wren, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak to name but a
few. We will also visit Ox-bow lakes in the area where we will see lakeside
birds including Hoatzin, Sungrebe, Agami Heron, Greater Large-billed Seed-finch,
Silverd Antbird, Rufous-sided Crake, Gray-breasted Crake and we may be lucky and
see one of the two Giant Otter families that live in the area.
Night birding may produce Long-tailed, Great and Gray Potoos, Amazonian
Pygmy Owl, Spectacled Owl, Ocellated Poorwill, amongst others. A visit to
the large mammal lick here , apart from attracting Tapirs, Peccaries and maybe a
Jaguar, also attracts Guans and Currasows. All nights at the Manu Wildlife
Centre. August 13th : Early start
for the airstrip at Boca Manu (2.5 hours upriver), and our
last look at early morning Parrot flocks and riverside birds. Our
spectacular light aircraft flight over the Andes takes about 45 minutes and we
should be in Cusco by midday. The afternoon is free for sightseeeing, shopping
or just relaxing in this beautiful city. Night in Cusco, August 14th : Morning flight to Lima and connecting international flights. day rooms at our hotel in Miraflores if required. Additional birding excursions near Lima can be arranged for those who wish if international flights are not until the evening. EXTENSION TO THE INCA RUINS OF MACHU-PICCHU SUBTROPICAL CLOUD FOREST AND INCA RUINS 2 DAYS This trip is a perfect short trip, that may be added before a Manu trip if MACHU-PICCHU is not already part of your Manu experience. We not only visit the famous Inca ruins of Machu-picchu but also some very good subtropical cloud forest. On this trip we stay at comfortable country inns throughout. Day 01 : We leave Cusco early in the morning for the 4.5 hour train journey to Machu-Picchu. From the train we will certainly see Torrent Ducks and White-capped Dipper on the Urubamba River and get closer looks as we leave the train. Arriving at the ruins , birding takes a back seat for once as we are taken on a guided tour of this mystical archaeological complex. White-tipped swifts will be flying overhead. After lunch we will look for Inca Wren which is quite common in the bamboo around the ruins and then descend into the Urubamba gorge for late afternoon birding. Night in Aguas Calientes. Day 02 : All morning birding the railway track along the Urubamba River. In the remnant cloud forest we will be looking specifically for Sclater’s and Bolivian Tyrranulets, Silver-backed Tanager, Pale-eyed Thrush, Oleaginous Hemispingus and Capped Conebill. Mixed flocks contain many species of Tanager and the endemic Green and White Hummingbird is common here. After a late lunch, we return on the tourist train to the historic town of Ollantaytambo and on to Urubamba for the night and joining up with the main Manu trip. Night Hotel Hammer.
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