Thursday 8 October:

Itinerary:  Yanayacu to Matchigenga Lodge. Another optional early morning visit to a collpa, where many species of parrots and macaws can be seen. After breakfast, we will travel even further downstream, to enter the near-mythical Manu National Park, where few tourists go. We will have lunch in the boat and later in the afternoon arrive at our lodge and meet the local Matsiguenka people. Accommodation in Matchigenga Lodge.

After the somewhat soggy night  I decided that it was still raining at 5:00 and thus passed on the visit to the clay lick.  When I heard the boat fire up I realised it was just wind in the trees, rather than rain, but what the heck.  As we gathered for breakfast everyone had a few tales to tell: they are part of what make such trips memorable.

The big miss which resulted was a sighting of a White-banded Mockingbird.  This is apparently the second ever sighting of the species in Peru and is thus a very major event.  Well done Ian, Steve, Lou, Juan and Ribellino.  I hope that the powers that be accept the record.  Bugger - a large part of my 15 minutes of fame just passed by!

Breakfast was duly done, and then off in the boats again.  Just after we started we got a good sighting of Capybaras, which are the biggest rodents - about the size of a small pig.  This got everyone quite excited, and the boat did several circles to make sure we all got a good look.

At some point in the days travels we got to the end of the road.  The image  doesn't actually show the end, but it was quite close and shows the trucks driven on to the shingle to pick up bananas brought down the river on a local canoe.  Yes folks, there is a boat somewhere under that greenery.

The image to the right shows that when the canoes are progressing there is not a whole lot of freeboard.  I would expect that estimating how to distribute the load is a skilled task, with some fairly serious consequences (think caiman - don't worry about piranha - no-one seemed too concerned about them) for a major miscalculation!

After a couple of hours we turned left into, and thus up the Manu River.  The drop in speed of the boat going upstream rather than down was very noticeable.  Another noticeable change was in the nature of the hazards in the river.  While there were still some sandbars the biggest risk factor in the Manu river was tree trunks embedded in the bed of the river.  This reflects an important part of the local economy: when the wet season comes a number of the trees in the forest of the National Park (which we haven't yet entered) fall and get washed downstream.  The local people are allowed to collect these once they have washed out of the Park and use the trunks for making boats or sawing into lumber.

After a short distance we reach the Park entry station where we all have to get out of the boat and sign in to the Park register.  As well as showing the sign for the entry station (and in the background, the jungle vegetation) this demonstrates that, as usual, I had forgotten to take my life-jacket off. 

Apart from complying with 'the rules' this also gave an opportunity for the sale of t-shirts by the Park staff.  I can't quite remember the full story but it was along the lines of it being difficult for their pay to get through at times so this gives them access to extra cash.  It doesn't matter  - I really like my shirt.  I omitted to buy the small carved bug carrying a sign saying "These articles are for sale" but will fix that up on the way out.

At some point a little later in the trip we pulled ashore for a comfort stop.  The image to right illustrates the disembarkation process: walking the plank was the go for the clients, while the workers just jumped into the water/mud.


The birds along the way were very good.  The most prevalent were Sand-coloured  Nighthawks which appeared in great numbers either squatting in the sand or roosting on bits of tree sticking out of the river.  Samples of both are below.

Other good birds seen along the way included Sunbittern (which unusually for anything with 'bittern' in its name actually appeared in a visible position - albeit not when I had the camera available), Orinoco Goose and Horned Screamer.  A close observation of the head will reveal the 'horn' poking out.

We eventually arrived at our lodge for the next two nights Casa Matsiguenka or the "house of the Matsiguenka" they being the local indigenees.  This is the only lodge along the river which is 'open'.  All the others have been given as tightly run concessions to tour companies and they can only use it for their clients.  This one was given as a commercial operation to recompense the Matsiguenka for the conversion of 'their' lands into a National Park.  {This is the mid-range level of protection.  Since we crossed into the Biosphere Reserve we were in the 'cultural zone' where locals were permitted to live a more or less unfettered life.  We were now in a zone where access was restricted and activities heavily controlled.  There is a third, central zone where only accredited researchers  - and the 'wild' indigenees can go.}

Our cabin was the central one of a group of three so was relatively dark and small.  However we survived, mainly because the only times we were in the room we were sleeping.  Lighting was by candles or our headlights.  More often it was by headlight since matches provided didn't function that well in the levels of humidity prevalent in the jungle.  They did have a solar electricity set-up but I suspect the batteries were a little underdone: a light in kitchen worked well and one in the dining area was OK.  However if a second light was turned on ni the dining area one needed a headlight to find any of them.  Obviously it was essential that the culinary arts proceeded without impediment so we all clustered under the one globe!