A trip to La Selva in Peru
The Manú National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has extremely rich flora and fauna. It is located in the southeast of Peru in the regions of Cusco and Madre de Dios. The immersion in the heart of the Amazon will allow you to observe a multitude of wild animals, insects but also to discover its luxuriant and endemic vegetation.
La Selva, as it is called here in Peru, or the jungle, is a hostile world for some, fascinating for others, undoubtedly intriguing and with its own codes. Here is a 6-point summary of what you can expect on an 8-day adventure in Manu National Park, Amazonia.
Your alarm clock is a howler monkey
And it is to the sound of his “sweet voice” that you will wake up at dawn. One of the great experiences of these 8 days of adventure in the Parc Nacional de Manú is to be immersed in the middle of the jungle and to be able to enjoy all the nocturnal sounds of the animals, have the feeling of being closer to this wilderness.
You have to cross a river to find your hotel
It’s an adventure, don’t be afraid to jump into the water!
If the river level is low, the boat will not always be able to get as close as possible to the Lodge; you will then have to put on your Indiana Jones boots to reach the other side of the shore and be able to relax in the hammocks.
The river is one of the essential elements of the journey in Manu. It is on its banks that you will have the best chance of observing mammals and birds during their rest periods. The daily trips on the motorboat, supervised by lynx-eyed guides, reserve beautiful surprises and are also pleasant moments of relaxation.
The fashionable accessory for going out is a machete
Don’t be afraid when your guide or his assistant pulls out this accessory. You will realize that it will be very useful during your walks in the forest. Even if certain paths are traced, nature quickly (very quickly) takes back its rights and you sometimes have to make your own way. In addition to monkeys, birds, or insects, you will discover during these walks exceptional flora and huge century-old trees, which overlook the Amazon.
Ants are the size of a finger and spiders are the size of a hand.
No, it’s not a legend, it’s better not to be arachnophobic or more generally “necrophobic” to go to the Amazon. Your guide has the eye and the habit; exploration is safe. It is at night that you are most likely to encounter these species. During the night walks, you enter another world, full of unexpected shapes, colors, and sounds. You will discover pretty little yellow frogs, not so harmless as they look, tarantulas and spiders of all kinds and sizes, snakes or insects that the most creative among you would not have had the idea to imagine.
You can confuse your travel companion with an otter, a monkey, a parrot…
One of the keys to the success of your experience in Manu lies in the team that accompanies you. The guides, assistants, cooks grew up, for many of them, in the region. They can attract animals by imitating their cries: an impressive performance, all the more so when you observe mammals or birds responding and approaching you. Add to that a perfect knowledge of each species and an educational spirit, and you will come out of the reserve with images in your head and a better knowledge of the animals.
You replace your moisturizer with a mosquito repellent gel
It is important to be well equipped to go to the Amazon, with light fabrics and long sleeves for clothing. And of course a high factor sunscreen and a very good mosquito repellent.