During our 2-weeks Peru trip next summer, we would like to spend 4-5 days in an Amazon jungle lodge. Here is what we would like:
• See wildlife (animals, birds, frogs, etc)
• Relax, walk trails on the lodge grounds, not be part of a group every second we spend there
• Have some comfort: running water, private bathroom, mosquito nets over beds
Based on this, do you think that the tour offered by InkaNatura at the Manu Wildlife Center, or the Explorama near Iquitos would be a better choice for us?
Thanks

xyz99,

I'm just back from Manu and Iquitos. I enjoyed the Explorama Ceiba Tops Lodge which has electricity, air conditioning and very good buffet meals. Whilst this is a large complex of 75 rooms and a large dining room, the activities are undertaken in small groups. We had our own guide, Abelardo Flores who met us at the airport and guided us for 3 days. Once there were 6 people in the group, another time 4 and at other times just the 2 of us. Activities included a visit to the Monkey Island, fishing, looking for pink river dolphin and a full day excursion to the canopy walkway. We paid $700 US each 3D/2N for a single room. On the last morning we paid $20 US for a private boat with boatman and Abelardo and went birdwatching which was delightful. I would happily return to Ceiba Tops and the Iquitos area as the life on and at the riverside is fascinating.

Have you thought about a visit to Tambopata a private reserve in the Manu region staying at the Inkaterra Lodge http://www.inkaterra.com/en/reserva-...ted-itinerary? I wouldn't mind returning to Manu and am wondering about a flight to Puerto Maldonado, transfer to Inkaterra Lodge and then transfer to the Madre de Dios boat station at the end of the Manu road and once again do the return trip over the Andes to Cusco or stop for a couple of nights in the Sacred Valley. Don't know if this could be done in a day - it would be a long day.

I have some reservations about Inkanatura products based on our 2D/3N Cock of the Rock Lodge trip undertaken just 10 days ago. I have no experience of Manu Wildlife Center. Inkanatura did not deliver a two-way private transfer that we paid for and we shared the vehicle into Manu with another couple (who may also have paid for a private transfer!) The accommodation is rustic and over-priced and the food was not good with the boxed lunch being the highlight of the day. Inkanatura did not advise us that the CORL lek was closed due to the mudslides that occurred in February this year and guests are now bussed to a lek closer to Manu Cloudforest Lodge. The manager initially refused a second visit claiming that he had to pay a per person entrance fee at the lek that is currently used. These criticisms have been advised to Inkanatura, however I have had no response, and don't really expect one.

On the upside, our Inkanatura guide Cesar was very knowledgeable and delighted in the animal and bird sightings with us. The road trip over the Andes is spectacular and is well worth doing.


Cheers,

Pol.

Treepol,
Thanks a lot for all the detail, it is really helpful.
Good to hear you had such a great experience at the Explorama Ceiba Tops Lodge. I wasn’t really considering it (mostly because of distance), but that has changed. A few more questions: were the activities pre-assigned, or is there a “menu” of activities and you can sign up for what you like? How was the wildlife?

The Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica looks great, so I definitely need to read more about both of them.
Also, your InkaNatura experience is a concern…

I guess I never considered them because the high volume of posts (true, mostly from the same poster) that recommend Manu and its Wildlife Center as “the best for wildlife”. I have more work to do, but I am happy to do it. Would we regret not having the parrot lick and the tapir lick if we don’t go to Manu?
Thanks again.

xyz99,

there is more information on the Explorama website, http://www.explorama.com/ Abelardo told us each evening what we would be doing the next day, some of which was linked to the package that we bought. However, other guests did different activities such as visit a village and play soccer with the school kids and also met with the local doctor who was an Australian volunteer. I suggest you email Explorama and see how much customising they are able to do for you.

We saw plenty of birds and there were monkeys about, although we had no good sightings. There are macaws living around the Explorama lodge and we also watched some mischievous marmosets raiding the bananas one afternoon. The visit to the Monkey Island provided an opportunity to see monkeys, macaws and a sloth that had been illegally kept as pets in Iquitos and re-homed in this refuge. Whilst this place is a type of private zoo, we did see species that I had sadly not seen in the wild.

I suspect that Manu has more wildlife, however, going back to when I began planning my trip I settled on the Pantanal as the best location for wildlife and did not have a high expectation of mammal sightings for the Iquitos area. For me, Iquitos was always about seeing the Amazon and life on the mainstream.

If your priority is wildlife, I'd suggest a minimum of 4 nights at Barranco Alto in the Southern Pantanal of Brazil http://www.fazendabarrancoalto.com.br/ or similar before travelling to Manu/Iquitos. We saw great wildlife there including tapirs, giant and lesser anteaters, hyacinth macaws, peccaries, crab-eating foxes and giant and neo-tropical otters.

Next trip I will be looking to combine a Pantanal/Manu itinerary with land/air transfers. Our Inkanatura guide had done this and I am waiting for him to email details. He was also recommending Sandoval Lake Lodge in the Tambopata Reserve and the Heath River Wildlife Center which are also associated with Inkanatura.

Happy planning,


Pol.

Treepol,
Thanks – all that info is great! What time of the year were you at Explorama? Although, I am not sure that matters…

The Barranco Alto in the Southern Pantanal of Brazil looks fabulous! Unfortunately we will not have time for it this time, but I just added it to “the list” for our Brazil trip. Due to different interests of our party, we cannot have entirely a jungle trip, so a combination Manu-Pantanal is not an option (unfortunately). Oh well, I will be happy with a Machu Picchu – Sacred Valley – jungle combination in Peru, and can’t wait to get there.