A Birding Lodge
in Manu Biosphere Reserve

Hosts Santiago & Nellie Yábar When: Anytime Length: A four-day program is described but of course longer stays are encouraged. Number of guests: We have 15 rooms and 30 beds at the lodge Fee: For the 4-days /3-night itinerary described below, US $341 per person, all included (4 people minimun). Aditional night, $80. About the Lodge: Our 360 hectares are in pre-mountain rain forest. The altitude range of the property is between 500 m to 1050 m with different kinds of habitats. This range in altitude explains the high diversity of wildlife. It is in the Andean foothills There are miles of good trails, a long shady entrance road, and lots of spectacular birds and primates. Everyone enjoys the good food and the quietly understated hospitality lavished on visitors. Evenings are magical. With the glow of candlelight on spare walls, the touch of stocking feet on spotless wooden floors, and a world of rainforest sounds just a few steps away, it is a place that beckons irresistibly. In "Amazonia Lodge" there used to be tea corps, and fruit tress. In order to do this 70 hectars of forest had to be cut down. However, 20 years ago crops were abandoned, producing a succession. For this reason this zone is presently a Secondary Sucessional Forest. The characteristic vegetation for this type of forest is represented mainly by the families "Moraceae, Cecropiaceae, Piperaceae, Mimosaceae, Melastomataceae, Heliconiaceae and numerous members of the grass family. The Fauna is mainly composed of primates like Saimiri scireus (Squirel Monkey), Cebus apella (Brown Capuchin Monkey), Cebus albiforns (White Fronted Capuchin Monkey), and other malmans grouped under different families. In "Amazonia Lodge" there are bodies of water, such as small ponds, swamps and small streams. Representative birds of this area are members of families of the Alcedinidae, Ardeidae and species such as Opisthocomus hoazin (Hoatzin), Aramides cajanea (Gray Necked Wood Rail), Porphyrio martinicus (Purple Gallinule), etc.

A PROPOSED ITINERARY

DAY 1: Early start from Cusco by car. There is much to see today as we travel through traditional communities of Quechua Indians. We'll have views of glaciers and the magnificent eastern ranges of the Andes. If the weather is clear at Ajcanacu pass at 3500 meters above sea-level, excellent views over the Amazon Basin can be had before we plunge down into the orchid laden Cloud Forest. We pass through pristine mountain rainforest and take a picnic lunch amongst cascading waterfalls. If we are lucky we may see a Cock-of-the-Rock here. In the late afternoon we reach the Alto Madre de Dios River where our boats will be waiting to take us over to the comfortable Amazonia Lodge, wth a welcome Pisco Sour we'll experience the varied sounds that will accompany our first night in lowland Amazonian rainforest. It is possible to see from the porch of the lodge in the garden 13 species of hummingbirds and many other kinds of birds like Tanagers, Flycatchers, Falcons, etc. DAY 2: A walk through the D2 Trail where is possible to observe monkeys, and a large variety of birds and the Tropical Forest ifself. The most representative birds of this habitat type are: Phaetornis Koepckeae (Koepke's Hermit), Micrastur bucklery (Buckle's Forest-Falcon), Cymbilaimus sanctaemariae (Bamboo Antshirike), Cercomacra manu (Manu Antbird), Ara Couloni (Blue headed Macaw), Nyctibius aethereus (Long tailed Potoo), Premnoplex brunnescens (Plain Softtail), etc. In the afternoon there is a stroll along the small lake where we can admire very interesting sites. Later on, there is a walk by Trail E. DAY 3: A stroll by Trail B and B1 along the Primary Forest where one can observe tress of considerable size, there are also monkeys and other species of animals and vegetation most representative in this type of habitat. There exist in the Montainous region of the "Amazonia Lodge" (500-1100 meters above sea level) a primary Forest that has never been cut. This forest exhibits a number of habitats. As far as the floristic composition, there are varied species of vegetation represented by different families such as Aracea, Bombacacea, Lecitidaceae, Orchidaceae, Sapotaceae, Euphorbiaceae, etc. The most representative trees are Dipterix alata (Chihuahuaco), Hura crepitans (Catahua), Cedrelinga cataneiformis (Aguano) and others. This forest has primates of considerable size such as Ateles paniscus (Spider Monkey), Lagothrix lagotricha (Wooly Monkey) and numerous other mammals. Some of the representative species of birds are, Ara Militaris (Military Macaw), Eubucco richardsoni (Lemon-Throated Barbet), Xenops minutus (Plain Xenops) Myrmothera campanisona (Thrush-like Antpitta). In addition there are numerous members of the Accipitridae (Eagles and Falcons), Trochilidae ( Hummingbirds), Trogonidae (Trogons and Quetzales), Formicaridae (Antbirds) and Tyrannidae (Flycatchers), etc. In the afternon there is a stroll by way of path A5. Day 4: Return to Cusco. APPENDIX: Appendix 1: Current birdlist for the lodge (may take a while to load since it's a long list)