Our day as planned:
Well fed and rested we leave Boca Manu, leaving the relatively clean waters of the Madre de Dios River behind, we enter the clay laden waters of the Manu River. With a brief stop at the park ranger station at Limonal to present our permits we travel for about five hours up the Manu. Beaches, especially in the dry season, are loaded with nesting birds and feeding Herons, Egrets, Orinoco Geese, Terns and Skimmers to name but a few. Some beaches will host sunning White and Black Caimans (South American relatives of the Alligators)/ and breeding Side-necked Turtles. Hundreds of Sand-colored Nightjars roost during the day on logs and beaches and there is a chance of encountering a sunning Jaguar – the world’s third largest cat. In 2007 one in three of our trips saw Jaguar in Manu. We will see some species of primate on this river trip, possibly Red Howler Monkeys or the smaller Squirrel Monkeys. After having lunched by the river we arrive at the Casa Machuguenka Lodge. We’ll have the afternoon to explore some of the trails through the pristine rainforest in the area. A visit to the lake of Cocha Otorongo is planned, where observation piers and a 20 meter observation tower in the rainforest canopy overlooking the lake are available for observing wildlife. We will also be on the lookout for a large family of Giant Otters that inhabit this lake. Before or after dinner an optional excursion into the forest at night is available with your guide in search of nocturnal creatures. The lakes are full of eye-shine of the large Black Caiman and if we are lucky we may encounter an Olingo, Kinkajou or even an Ocelot on the trails. Certainly the nighttime noise of tree frogs and insects in the forest is an experience not to be forgotten. We stay at our tented camp. There are shared flush toilets and ambient temperature shower facilities and screened twin rooms with comfortable beds and mosquito nets.
As accomplished:
We didn’t have to get up until 5:45, but the other group staying at the lodge got up and left about 5. On the positive side, it meant there were no lines to use the facilities. Breakfast consisted of the usual scrambled eggs. So, while we were generally well fed, I for one was not well rested.
We left the dock about 7a to head up river into the Manu Preserve. We again passed by the village of Boca Manu. Note the height of the river bank.
Boca Manu
And we saw the local water taxi.
River Transport on the Manu
After the previous evening’s rain, the sky had cleared up quite nicely. Moreover, now that we were on the more languid Manu River, the boatman had slowed his pace. We even idled to take in new birds–and there were many, especially on the beaches.
We stopped at the Limonal ranger station to sign in.
Manu National Park Ranger Station at Limonal
This carved cayman resided in the front lawn.
We also got a chance to stretch our legs on a sandbar about 10:30 and then had lunch on another about 12:30. There were lots of little biting sand flies. The bites didn’t hurt immediately, but they later swelled up into little boils.
Isabelle & Felicia on sandbar
Klaus & Manu Expeditions Canoe
The tallest trees in the rainforest were kapok which sometimes had these huge sets of tendrils.
A capybara lounging in the shade along the river bank passed by too quickly for me to get a photo, but this cayman was busy enjoying the sun.
Black Cayman
We arrived at the InkaNatura Manu Tented Camp about 1:45, where we had until 3 pm to unpack and rest.
Cabin at InkaNatura Manu Tented Camp
We walked through the rainforest for about 2 hours. We saw two types of monkeys (spider and gray wooly), along with a number of birds.
Rainforest canopy
An abandoned wasps nest
After two hours in the sauna of the forest, the cold shower at the camp felt good.
At this camp, Fortunato did the cooking. The dining hall was small and not really set up for sitting around. There was another couple with a guide staying at the lodge. They had seen a jaguar twice, on two consecutive days, but, alas, we never saw one.