The Peruvian Amazon

Jumping on another last minute deal we were collected at 5am for our four day trip to Manu National Park in the Amazon Rainforest.  After waiting for an eccentric American (Jeremy) the six of us set off out of Cusco to begin the long journey out of the Andes.  Unfortunately for everybody on board Jeremy was suffering backlash from a dodgy Guinea Pig he had eaten (Peruvian problems) so the start of our journey was punctuated with a vile odour which contributed to the groups near comatose state. After stopping for breakfast in a tiny mountain top village where we consumed vast quantities of Peruvian style coffee (a glass of boiling water to which you add a concentrate coffee syrup) we finally woke up to enjoy the breath taking views across the dry Andean plains.  Starting our decent into the rainforest we stopped at the Ninamarca Ruins where 17 Pre-Inca stone and clay mausoleums held mummified remains and in the distance jagged snow covered mountains capped a stunning view.  After stopping at the village of Paucartambo the road (which could only very generously be called a dirt track) snaked up from the valley floor and we began traversing the mountainside as the valley floor plunged away from us – much to my dislike!

Ninamarca Ruins

A section of our decent

After a four hour drive we arrived at the entrance to Manu National Park hoping this had marked the end of the track.  The national park is set alongside Manu River which stretches 336km where it joins the Amazon River in Brazil.  To my dismay this marked the beginning of a death defying 9000ft decent through cloud forest for 8 hours along a narrow dirt track that plunged at times to thousands of feet into the river below.  The vegetation undertook an amazing change from the dry landscape into pristine cloud forest although this was only periodically enjoyed when I forgot about the drop.  We spent the journey hunting for Peru’s national bird, the 'Cock Of The Rock' with high power binoculars (definitely a joke to be made here about a magnifying glass) as we were given recuperation time from the drive with short walks before continuing the descent.  We passed under waterfalls where the water went cascading off of our van and down into the valley below as well as crossing numerous streams and landslides as we slowly wound down the mountain– it was a hair raising journey!  We did catch a glimpse of the Cock Of The Rock as well as a Quetzal and Masked Trogon Hawk through the clouds.  After about 6 hours the fear subsided and I was eventually able to enjoy the scenery to as we finally reached the bottom and our lodge in the middle of the rainforest outside of the village of Atalaya.

Scarlet Macaws

Getting up early to the sounds of howler monkeys we set off on a short walk to a small animal rescue centre rehabilitating animals from the black market and locals who had been mistreating them.  Just before the centre we stopped to get some fruits from the trees which are used by an isolated tribe to paint themselves blue and red.  Having misheard the guide I thought the fruit only acted as mosquito repellent and having promptly rubbed it all over my arms, legs and face I began to go the colour of a Smurf (the dye acted after a few hours and will last a few weeks – thankfully it mainly came out on my arms and legs!).  The tiny rescue centre was looking after a few Scarlet Macaws & a baby sloth as well as Cabbage & Squirrel Monkeys.   The Cabbage Monkeys were a little excitable and spent most of their time running across our shoulders and perching on our heads trying to eat yam.  However the highlights were seeing a young wild Tamarin Monkey in a tree close by and then two wild Scarlet Macaws on the mountainside who proceeded to put on a display chatting and flying over the rainforest canopy.

The 'Stink' Bird

From Atalaya we headed up the river on a small boat before walking through some thick bamboo and rainforest, emerging at a small lake that used to be part of the river.  We were very lucky on route to see the beautiful Hoatzin bird, also known as the stink bird as its meat smells so bad it has no natural predators!  On the lake we took a crudely made traditional log raft to the centre to see the strange Horned Screamer birds and enjoy breath taking scenery as the steep slopes of the Andes rose up into the clouds.   As we travelled down the river into thicker rainforest we passed what were described as being ‘poorly drawn dogs’ (four Tayra) having a fight on the river bank as well as a Giant River Otter and a Capybara hiding in the reeds.  Our second night in the rainforest was spent on a platform that was raised 30 foot into the rainforest canopy where we were to sleep in sleeping bags under a mosquito net.  To get there however we had to go on a one hour hike through the rainforest at night! As we stumbled through the undergrowth hundreds of pairs of red eyes gleamed back from the torch light at us although much to our disappointment we only found a few tarantellas, wolf spiders and the footprints of a jaguar.  We did find a highly amusing tree which was christened 'The Peruvian Dick Tree' for obvious reasons.  The platform itself was riddled with termites and swayed alarmingly but we survived the night and it was a unique experience listening to the rainforest and half expecting the deadly Bushmaster or Fer de Lance snake to appear! 

'The Peruvian Dick Tree' 

A Skink Lizard, Capybara and Ocelot prints

Having survived the animals and platform our final full day in the jungle was spent on a long trek through the dense foliage where our guide, Jordi, spent considerable lengths of time hacking back the plants with his machete.  Born in the rainforest he knew a lot about the different plants and showed us how to find and drink water from bamboo as well as which plants can be used to treat stomach upsets and headaches.  He also taught us that by scraping the hard outside away from a termites nest, putting your hands in and then smearing squashed termites onto your skin it makes a natural mosquito repellent  - it was one of the most revolting moments of my life!  I also made a particularly poor attempt to climb a vine looking more like a damsel in distress than Tarzan.  We were able to see Squirrel Monkeys in the trees as well as more Jaguar tracks and those of an Ocelot as we headed further into the jungle.  With no toilet or shower we ended up washing in the freezing waters of the river, grateful to at least be partially clean having been covered in mud and sweat after the humid walk.  

Termite Repellent

We travelled back up the river via a small local canoe onto a banana plantation where our final lodge was. Myself, Mark and Jeremy went for a walk along the river spotting more monkeys, Scarlet Macaws and Chestnut Coloured Macaws.  At night the lodge was full of fireflies and we took another unsuccessful night walk looking for a snake, although this was probably for the best!  In the driving rain we took the boat back to Atalaya where villagers were drying coca leaves on a huge tarpaulin in the road.  From there we headed back up the mountain pass as water flowed past the van from the storm into the ravine below causing a few more nervous hours in the van.  We eventually made it back to Cusco dirty and exhausted but having had an amazing first adventure into the Amazon Rainforest.