Boca Manu Lodge: Manu Park Day 2

The rest of our journey in Manu national park is on long boats. This is probably the best way to see jungle wild life and birds due to the density of the jungle foliage. Any sighting of animals will be when they come to drink water or at villages where there is a clearing.

My guide David gave me a sheet of paper with a list of birds, reptiles and animals found in the park. The list was extensive, but after a walks yesterday and this morning I could see that bar the flying birds I was going to be challenged to find any.  The jungle vegetation is a perfect home for all animals, as it provides great camouflage and hiding areas. 

If you are a twitcher, which, I'll admit is a hobby that has escaped me, then this trip would satisfy you. There was a Spanish guy who seemed ecstatic at every other moment and our guide David was a huge asset, assisting in spotting birds and with their identification. Our guide, David had recordings of the various birds and carried with him a well leafed resource book.  

In the morning it was raining. The group yesterday who rafted first went for a walk and our group went zip lining. Zip lining is like a flying fox with a braking mechanism, it is safer (so long as there is proper maintenance). We had a four stage set of lines running within the canopy of the trees taking us down to the valley floor. Despite being wet it was enjoyable and we were reassured with careful instruction and some semblance of good equipment.

The long boats were comfortable and designed for good sightseeing (fully open viewing with only a sun canopy for cover) and easily traverse on the, at times tricky rivers. They are able to carry lots of gear and are quite fast. A bit of advice – do not sit at the front, you will get wet and cold from the bow spray.

We had a lunch today of a rice and chicken dish wrapped in the vigao leaves collected yesterday. I witnessed the preparation this morning and was salivating in anticipation all this morning.

With the avocado and salsa salad and open air atmosphere this was pure culinary indulgence.

The accommodation here was quite basic but it does the job. Beds have mosquito netting and the rooms are all screened. Privacy was not great, but most people are honourable in this regard. The showers were cold, but then the temperature makes it easy to cope with. After a shower, you won't dry, it was humid, so you are always sweaty. Clothes are always damp.

We went for a night walk again and this time came up trumps with our animal spotting. A tree snake was spotted by yours truly !
Soon after we spotted a tarantula.
The promotional blurb from Manu Adventures was pretty accurate:
Very early we board our boat and make our way to Collpa, a clay wall by the river where a variety of parrots such as the blue headed parrot, the White eyed parakeet, possibly the Maracana Macaw and others come every morning to substitute their diet with minerals and salts. After this activity we return to Erika for breakfast, pack up and board our boat again. We will head down the Alto Madre de Dios River to the of the hot springs of Aguas Calientes, which are surrounded by the magnificent Jungle. After relaxing in the water and a refreshing cold lunch, we will continue to the town of Boca Manu. During this part of our journey we will see birds like skimmers, herons, several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers.
Looking at Google maps satellite view you can see how sinuous, muddy and varied the river is in its pathways, glad I’m not doing the navigation:

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