The extraordinary Manu National Park in Southeast Peru is one of the country’s most cherished treasures, an area of overwhelming natural beauty still totally untainted by development and other outside forces. Here you can see the Amazon Rainforest in a truly pristine state, the same as it has been for hundreds or even thousands of years. Visits to this important national park are limited to licensed tour operators in order to prevent harm to the environment. A guided expedition to the Manu region with an expert guide is one of the best ways to experience the Peruvian jungle. It can also perfectly complement a trip to Cusco and Machu Picchu as you slowly work your way down from the cold highlands into the steamy selva.
Manu National Park is located at the convergence of the Andes mountain range and the vast Amazon Rainforest at its feet. This meeting of completely different climate zones at a single point results in an astounding level of biodiversity within the park, even by Amazonian standards. For this reason, Manu has been recognized as one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots by various conservation groups and in 1987 was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Taking up nearly two million hectares, the park is home to a stunning array of flora and fauna, with over 4,000 identified plant species, 160 reported mammal species, and over 1,000 types of birds found within its borders (and many more species that are still yet to be discovered). Some of the more famous animals include jaguars, giant otters, caimans, tapirs, peccaries, and various species of monkeys, along with countless others.
The park is currently divided into three separate zones. The cultural zone is open to all tourists and here you will find a number of friendly native communities which welcome outside visitors. The area known as the reserved zone is only open to visitors accompanied by a specially licensed guide with permission to operate tours in the area. The remaining portion of the park, known as the restricted zone, is off limits to tourists in order to protect an area of unspoiled wilderness which is home to several tribes of uncontacted peoples. To get the most complete experience possible, it’s highly recommended to visit Manu National Park with a properly-licensed guide or tour operator that can accompany you to all areas of the park open to visitors.
Getting to Manu National Park
Flights to Manu National Park arrive at a small airstrip in Boca Manu and take about 45 minutes from Cusco. Once you’ve landed at the entrance to the park, you’ll switch to riverboats for the remainder of your trip in order to make your way to your jungle lodge. There are no regularly scheduled flights to this tiny makeshift airport–all arriving airplanes are chartered by tour companies. For this reason, make sure to plan your flights as part of your tour if air travel is your preferred method of transport.
Overland transport is more time-consuming than flying but the fantastic scenery you’ll encounter along the way will more than make up for it. The route to Manu National Park begins amidst the stark landscapes of the Andean highlands. From there, you’ll descend to lower altitudes along winding roads, observing the full majesty of the Peruvian countryside as you slowly make your way into the jungle.
Many tours stop at the town of Paucartambo which straddles the highland and lowland regions. Every July, this quiet village comes alive when it hosts the Fiesta de la Virgen del Carmen, one of Peru’s most famous folkloric festivals. If you happen to be traveling in the area during this festival, don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to experience traditional Andean culture.
Just past Paucartambo is the famous Tres Cruces (“Three Crosses”) lookout point. This extraordinary vista offers a panoramic mountaintop view over the Amazon Rainforest. The mixture of cold mountain air and the sweltering heat of the jungle below causes the sun’s light to bend and refract in curious ways, giving Tres Cruces its reputation for having one of the most gorgeous sunrises in the world. Many visitors like to camp out overnight or arrive in the early pre-dawn hours in order to catch this magnificent sight.
Once you’ve actually entered the Manu National Park grounds, you will switch to river transport in order to make your way to a jungle lodge. Generally speaking, the best wildlife experiences are also the most remote ones, since the further you travel into the interior of the park the less the wildlife has been exposed to outside contamination. If you’ve got the time, it’s definitely worth it to spend a week or more in the park so that you can get spend some time at a truly isolated jungle lodge and really get into the thick of the forest.
Manu Jungle Lodges
Since Manu National Park is located far away from any kind of development or infrastructure, the accommodations are typically rather basic. Manu jungle lodges are usually simple wooden cabins equipped with mesh screens over the windows to guard against insects. Mosquito netting is also draped over the beds for extra protection while you sleep. There is usually no hot water, but cold showers are not necessarily a bad idea in the sultry heat of the jungle. Many lodges also provide electricity on a limited basis. All things considered, a Manu jungle lodge provides a cozy and comfortable base for exploring the jungle as long as you’re prepared to miss out on a few modern conveniences.
Wildlife in Manu National Park
Manu National Park is one of the most diverse parts of the Amazon Rainforest, and is home to countless wildlife species. Some of the highlights you will be able to see are as follows:
- Capybaras, the world’s largest rodent.
- Many feline species including the jaguar, the ocelot and the puma.
- Several different colorful species of macaw parrots.
- Primate species such as the capuchin, the black spider monkey, the red howler monkey and the woolly monkey.
- Giant river otters.
- Tapirs, an herbivorous animal known for their prehensile snout.
- Anacondas and other snakes.
- The Manu poison frog, a special variety of the brightly-colored poison dart frog.
- The cock of the rock, Peru’s national bird, as well as many other unique bird species.
The above represent just a small fraction of the extraordinary amount of wildlife you can find within Manu National Park.
What to Do in Manu National Park
The best way to see and experience the wildlife at Manu National Park is to follow the advice of your expert guide. Typical programs include expeditions into the forest as well as canoe trips into the park’s many smaller river tributaries, giving you the opportunity to observe a wide variety of wildlife. If you have an interest in any particular species, tour programs can also be arranged which will give you the best chance of seeing them. Consult with your guide for more information about planning your excursions in Manu National Park.
Plan Your Once-in-a-Lifetime Trip
You can plan your visit to Manu National Park as part of a longer tour of the country including well-known sites like Machu Picchu and Rainbow Mountain, or you can make your visit to the jungle the main feature of your trip. Whatever the exact details of your itinerary, your visit to the Amazon Rainforest at Manu National Park is sure to be one of the most unforgettable experiences of your life.
Header Image: Modified from Flickr / Billtacular
