In September we spent four thrilling days exploring the Peruvian Amazon with Eco Peru Tours. Before the tour Jesús met with us to go over the details and he took the time to figure out what we really enjoy so he could create the best experience for us, and he certainly did! Since I am a birder, he paired us with William who is a fantastic birder, guide, and always kept an eye out for new birds. Even though it wasn't a birding focused tour, we were able to spend some time birding the famous Manu Road which drops from 14,000ft to 350ft elevation, while winding along the edges of the mountains for SEVEN hours! Still, it's one of the most beautiful drives I've experienced. With the help of our highly experienced guide, I ended up seeing 178 birds, including 24 species of hummingbirds! Asher had multiple opportunities to fish and we even got to eat his catch on our last night. We saw multiple species of monkeys, brightly colored insects, butterflies, and another favorite of mine, caterpillars. The caramel crepe breakfast on the river with parrots, parakeets and macaws flying overhead was the best breakfast experience we've ever had. One of our favorite parts was a night hike through a watery cave where we found bats, a bamboo rat and whip scorpions! What a magical place!
Cesar and Raul picked us up early morning in a very nice high top 15 passenger van. It was just the four of us so we had plenty of room to relax. Our first stop was Oropesa, the bread capital of Peru.
Here is where chuta, a large round, slightly sweet bread is baked. Each family bakery, around 20 of them, have their own special recipe, with different flavors available. At this location, 1500 chutas are baked daily in three batches, available at 5am, 1pm, and 5pm.
This bread will stay fresh for days, so truckers and travelers will stock up on their way out of Cusco, not only for planned meals, but for unplanned emergencies. Sometimes landslides or other events can result in long road closures, so having food with you is important.
With our purchase, they included a 'yapita', a little bonus. We were told many vendors will give you a little something if you say, "me yapa". We didn't try it, but realized we had occasionally received a yapita in the past with our purchase.
I thought I might get some blogging done on the long drive, but honestly I couldn't look away. The entire drive was really breathtaking!
We stopped to visit the Tumbas de Ninamarka, a set of 30 pre-Inca tombs, overlooking the valley.
Our next stop was the vibrant town of Paucartambo, featuring Spanish colonial architecture. We purchased fresh fruit smoothies then walked to the town square where we learned about the annual Virgin del Carmen festival, held here every July. This is a Catholic event to celebrate the Virgin Mary. Twelve groups of musicians and masked dancers perform. Golden statutes in the square show some of the characters and their dress. A small museum contains some of the masks and stories.
This stone bridge, called Carlos Tercero, was constructed in 1775, by order of King Carlos III of Spain. Vehicle traffic has recently been diverted to the newer orange bridge in the photo above.
From here begins the famous Manu Road, connecting the Andes to the Amazon in a 118 mile journey descending from 14,000ft to 350ft elevation! Because this road passes through five different ecosystems, in one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, it's extraordinary for birding and nature lovers.
Manu road runs along the eastern border of Manu National Park, considered to be the world's most biodiverse protected area. The park is home to at least 1,020 species of birds, 228 mammals, and 1,108 species of trees!
See the road carved into the side of the mountains. Keep in mind, there is only one road, so when you see what looks like multiple roads, those are switchbacks because of how steep the grade is!
Standing in the Andes Mountains at Abra de Acjanaco (11,489ft) looking out over the cloud forest and Amazon rainforest! From here we begin our descent thru a landscape that changes about every 20 minutes due to the steep elevation changes.
I loved getting a chance to stretch our legs while looking for birds, butterflies and caterpillars along the road. Each stop gives possibility for new species of wildlife as many only live at specific elevations. This is what makes Manu Road so special. Here we found a Golden--headed Quetzal. Check out how well he blends in with leaves from the back.
So many butterflies!
Another stop produced this Andean Solitaire.
We visited an Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek, where males arrange themselves in circles with the most mature in the center and the youngest to the outside. Females watch from above evaluating the males as they vocalize and perform a mating dance. If one meets her approval, she'll fly to his branch and dance with him before copulation. Then she'll leave to build her nest and raise the young on her own. Her darker colors keep her safer for this all-important task. The male will stay at the lek to attempt to win the favor of other females and preserve his lineage.
We didn't see any females at the lek, but there were two hanging out by our van! Plus this Andean Motmot flew in to check us out. I love to watch them swing their uniquely-shaped tail back and forth "tick tock".
Just down the road we found a troop of Brown Capuchin Monkeys in trees. While watching them, we heard a mixed flock nearby. This is the legendary Manu Road experience! We identified fourteen different species in just a couple of trees!
Success!!! She was so happy to see wild monkeys!
Next we stopped at the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to watch their feeders. An agouti surprised us and walked thru the garden. It has such a tiny tail! Apparently it can raise the hair on its rump. How funny is that?!
Cabins at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge. This would be a fun place to stay!
Silver-beaked Tanager (above). Orange-bellied Euphoria (below).
We stopped to enjoy our lunch next to this waterfall both on the way there and on the return trip. Such a scenic spot! While we explored, our driver set up a table and chairs for our roadside waterfall dining experience.
Traveling this road is not without risk and this scene was a sobering reminder of why hiring a responsible and Manu-experienced driver is essential. During our visit, they were working on widening and paving sections. I've read as of 2024, the entire road has been paved.
A magnificent caterpillar, my second favorite of the whole summer!
(If you can identify, please tell me!)
Finally we arrived to Guadalupe Lodge, our home for the next three nights. At dinner, William prepared us for our first full day in the jungle, which went like this...
William: We have a full day planned for tomorrow, so we're going to leave here at 5am...
Daddy: Wait, is this a bird thing? If so, I'll just stay here and wait for you to come back.
William: Well yes, but we won't be coming back til the end of the day. We must get an early start because we have an hour drive then an hour boat ride to arrive at the salt lick at dawn to see all the parrots! You won't want to miss this!
(Spoiler: having breakfast on the sandbar the next morning turned out to be one of Daddy's favorite memories from the whole trip!)
As everyone else prepared for bed, I did my own little night exploring around the cabin. I found some interesting things!
I had initially tried to organize a visit to Manu on my own, but now that we were here and I realized how remote this place is and how difficult it would have been to arrange lodging, transportation, food and tours on my own, I am happy we chose to go with Eco Peru tours! Time to sleep!
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