Manu rainforest

(© Dos Winkel)

Manu is a small area within the Madre de Dios department and it includes the Manu National Park and the neighboring proposed Blanquillo Ecological Reserve. Manu has been known to have the best rainforest in the world because of their unspoiled surroundings and amazing wildlife. Besides the wide variety of birds (1,000 species only in the Manu area) it harbors the most approachable and fantastic macaw lick in Peru, the one you will visit during your trip.

Tambo Blanquillo , the lodge where you will stay, is located in the recently proposed Blanquillo Ecological Reserve, an area of almost 14,000 hectares within a much larger area of undisturbed rainforest. The Reserve is special because of the presence of a large numbers of macaws and parrots in addition to an abundance of primates such as spider monkeys and howler monkeys (in total 10 species of monkeys can be found in the area of the reserve), forest ungulates such as peccaries and deer, and top predators such as jaguar, giant otter and black caiman.

Useful terms

Ccollpa : clay lick used by birds and/or mammals.
Trocha : jungle trail
Cocha : oxbow lake, formerly a part of a river and formed due to a deviation of it.

The local sites you will visit:


Makaw lick

(© Dos Winkel)

One very distinctive habitat in the area around Tambo Blanquillo is the “shebonal”, so-called because of the abundance of one palm species called “shebon” (Attalea sp.). This kind of forest is restricted in area within the proposed Blanquillo Ecological Reserve. The soil of shebonal forest is high in clay content, making it impermeable and therefore, seasonally flooded during the rainy months.

The shebonal soil forms the so called clay licks, locally knows as “ccollpas” which are used by a number of birds and mammal species, especially by macaws as a nutrient to balance their diets. Previous research in Madre de Dios by the Wildlife Conservation Society has shown that the diet of macaws contains many kinds of adult and immature seeds. These seeds tent to contain noxious chemicals as a deterrent to seed predators such as macaws and parrots. Additional research has shown that the clay acts as a kind of digestive aid, helping to remove these toxins from the digestive tract of the macaws.

(© Dos Winkel)

The Blanquillo Ccollpa is located 10 minutes downstream from the lodge. It’s a 20 feet (6 meters) tall clay bank that can be photographed from many angles at short distance from the lodges blind that is located only a few meters away from the lick. The position of the lick makes perfect for taking pictures and observing the birds in a way not being possible anywhere else in the world. The direct morning sun bathes the clay wall in light making it possible to take pictures with 2 – 2.5 more “f-stops” of your camera, than it is possible at shaded licks. This extra light allows to shoot superb pictures of birds in flight with fine-grain film.

See a movie about The makaw lick of Blanquillo

The lick is visited each morning by a huge number of different Makaw species and other smaller parrots. At Blanquillo, the most abundant macaw species using the clay lick is the “red-and-green” macaw, Ara chloroptera. Scarlet macaws, blue-and yellow macaws, chestnut-fronted and blue-headed macaws use the shebonal habitat. They are seen frequently at the lick, but do not use it with the same frequency as the red-and-greens.

 
Cocha Camungo

(© Dos Winkel)

Located ten minutes by boat from the lodge, then about 20 minutes walk along trail. One group of giant river otters uses this lake (5 to 7 members). Also the horned screamer called “camungo” is found in the overgrown part. This part is also good for: caciques, several kinds of rails and herons. Spider monkeys can be found in the left hand section of the lake and also very rare and small emperor monkeys.  

Cocha Blanco
About 45 minutes via motorized canoe from lodge, can be reached also by trail (about 2 hours of walking). One group of giant river otters, black caiman, and leaf-eating hoatzins may be seen on the lake. Also capuchin and squirrel monkeys and peccaries are fairly common in the trail to the lake.  

Trocha Aguajal
This trail leads you through a Mauritia palm swamp forest, which is only temporarily flooded. Palm swamps are important nesting sites for the parrot species Ara nobilis and Ara manilota. Palm fruit is important food resource for almost all animals (and also for people!). 
 
Trocha Castañal
This trail leads through an upland forest not being affected by meandering rivers like most of the other trails. Brazil nut (“castaña”) trees are found only in this forest. Spider monkeys and rodents such as agouti can be found along this trail. Because this forest is not disturbed by the river, the forest is “older” than that of other trails. 

Read more about the Blanquillo lodge
See a movie about a walk on a typical rainforest trail
Find out about costs and travel packages to the Manu