There is no better road to bird down, IN THE WORLD, than the Manu road in Peru, South America.
The Manu road is reached by driving 4 hours south of Cuzco, the fabled capital of the Inca. It goes up the Andes and then follows a circuitous route from 4500m down the eastern slope, through a series of lush forest eco-regions into the lowlands of the Amazon basin. For the birder, naturalist, wildlife photographer and any true traveler and explorer, this road will open your eyes to the majesty of the Peruvian Andes.
The road itself is not good, tight bends,potholes, fallen rocks and other traffic make it a slow journey. Avoid the wet season of December, January and February as severe rain adds seriously to the difficulties and often the road is closed for short periods. Otherwise drive carefully and enjoy the profuse birds that can be seen by regularly stopping. For birders to make the most of the environment its worth stopping en-route at one or more of the lodges.
Manu Road birding Lodge No 1 is the Wayquecha Biological Research Station. This is located at an elevation of 3500m in the cloud forest.
The image above shows Paula and I together with the Wayquecha Science Officer Vanessa Luna and the resident guide Pancheto.
Wayquecha has one of the few easily accessible canopy walkways in Peru and has many well maintained trails, though some are narrow and steep. This is Paula walking on a typical Wayquecha trail. We were there as an expedition, part of our ‘Living Wild in South America’ project, one of the greatest Birding Adventures in the World.
This is the dining room. It looks out over an Andean vista of mountains and forest. You are perched on top of the World, all you have to do is watch the birds pass by and there are many.
The Grey-breasted Toucanet
Scarlet Bellied Mountain Tanager
and Masked Flowerpiercer.
Wayquecha has hundreds of potential bird species that a visiting birdwatcher might find. Stopping here is just the start of a journey down the Manu Road. Watch out for two more blogs which will outline the advantages of two further birding lodges, one of the best birding routes in South America.
