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Biology study tours and workshops

Experience in the field is an important part of any students program in today's high-schools and Universities. Rainforests are a part of every student's classroom education yet to truly appreciate the Earth's biodiversity one must experience a tropical rainforest first-hand. The pristine rainforests of South-east Peru in Manu and Tambopata are fully representative of the world's most biologically diverse habitat--the Amazon forest at the foot of the eastern slope of the Andes. Nowhere else in the Neotropical rainforests of Central and South America will you find such populations of the five top predators of the Amazon--Jaguar, Giant Otter, Black Caiman, Harpy Eagle and Anaconda.
Our staff of rainforest guides and collaborating tropical biologists look forward to hosting your high school biology class, University biology department or naturalist club on one of our tailored rainforest ecology research programs.

Our lodge Manu Wildlife Center is one of the best for this kind of tours. Located east of the Manu River on the north bank of the Madre de Dios River, and reached by a 35-minute light plane flight from Cusco, offers the Amazon's finest short, in-depth wildlife safari. The Lodge contains 22 double-occupancy fully screened bungalows with private bath (with hot shower), a large fully screened dining room, and a bar with hammocks for relaxing.

Study tour
Itinerary

Specially designed for high schools, university or nature lovers

Day One
Early morning our representative will pick you up from your hotel to transfer to Cusco airport.

A thirty-five minute flight in a radar-equipped twin engine plane takes you to Boca Manu. Here you take a motorized canoe for the 90 minutes journey down the Madre de Dios River to Manu Wildlife Center to arrive for lunch. The afternoon will be spent exploring some of the 30 miles of clean forest trails that surround the lodge. On these trails you have an excellent chance to encounter some of the 12 species of monkeys, which include the Monk Saki and Emperor Tamarin, which inhabit the surrounding forest.

After dinner you will have a lecture about Manu rainforest and then a short night excursion to explore nocturnal life in the rainforest.

Day Two
Rising before dawn, we take a 25 minutes boat journey downstream to the only large parrot and macaw clay lick in the Manu area. From a floating catamaran blind we are afforded excellent views and photo opportunities of hundreds of medium-sized and large parrots arriving first at the lick, followed by the large Red-and-Green Macaws arriving to eat the clay. Please note that the clay lick is not as active in May, June and July.

Activities at the macaw ccollpa
The data we will be taking during this morning's macaw clay lick exercise is part of a monitoring program set up by macaw biologists to statistically measure fluxes in visitation rates between years. This 500 meter section of riverbank has been used by parrots and macaws since time untold. From year to year, macaw biologists have noted changes in the abundance of individual parrots and macaws visiting this famous clay lick. We will use our bird identification skills to differentiate the different species of parrots and macaws visiting the Tambo Blanquillo clay lick. An accurate count of individuals is difficult due to the large congregation of many individuals of the same species. We must learn techniques for estimating avian populations to be capable in conducting an accurate count of actual birds on the ccollpa and in the immediate area of the ccollpa.

After lunch at the center we continue to explore the miles of forest trails surrounding the lodge, and spend the late afternoon up a 34 meter canopy platform. here we watch the last frantic activity in the rainforest canopy before night settles.

We return for dinner back at the center and then leisurely hike for 60-75 minutes through the night forest to the amazon's largest known tapir clay lick. We climb up a 17 foot by 17 foot observation platform perched 17 feet above the lick itself where we wait for the lumbering tapirs to arrive, then using powerful flashlights we observe and photograph them in action. (L/B/D)

Tapir clay lick monitoring program

Currently there exists an ongoing research project by German mammalogist, Stephanie Kiel to quantify the numbers of tapirs visiting the mammal clay lick (ccolppa) at Manu Wildlife Center. She has created a field guide with identification sheets and names for every individual Tapir that visits the clay lick. Her methods of identification utilize individual characteristics and the unique scars on the Tapir's smooth skin and ears. Our goal each night that we visit the tapir clay lick is to identify each individual that visits the clay lick or ccollpa. Our observations will aid Stephanie's data set to eventually determine territory use, visitation frequency, seasonal variation, and human visitation influence.

Day Three
Rising at dawn you will board the motor-canoe to visit the Camungo Oxbow Lake. In addition to touring the lake by catamaran to look for the resident family of giant otters and other lakeside fauna, we will explore the forest trail and visit the 40 meter high canopy platform. This canopy platform provides a beautiful view of the camungo lake as well as the forest canopy. And on very clear days it is possible to look over the rainforest to the andes.

Environmentally friendly tourism and Giant River Otters in Madre de Dios

Giant River Otters are highly threatened and sensitive to human presence. A long-term monitoring program by guides and staff at Manu Wildlife Center was recently begun to take observation data of Giant River Otters at Cocha Camungo and Cocha Blanco. Each lake (cocha) has its own family of Giant River Otters. If we are lucky enough to see these rare otters we will note their behavior (fishing, swimming, resting), their location in the lake and route followed, our viewing distance from the otters and finally the otters' reaction to our presence. Eventually, this data will be used to show the percentage of visitors who actually see the Otter family and what percentage of these sightings result in alarm calls and warning behaviour from the dominant members of the otter family. These results are necessary in formulating voluntary management plans and observation protocol for otter lakes highly visited by tourists.

After lunch at the Center we will explore the forest trails with the emphasis on visiting the fruiting trees that our experienced naturalist guides have been monitoring. Here we will hope to encounter more monkey species as well as numerous species of birds.

Primate territorial use in lowland rainforest

The 48 kilometers of trails surrounding Manu Wildlife Center hold twelve different species of monkeys. Ongoing studies of the primate populations at Manu Wildlife Center include studies of territory use, interactions between troops of the same species; interactions between troops of different species, individual density levels and biomass estimates; and mapping of trees used by monkeys for their fruit, sap or shelter. One of our forest activities will be to conduct monkey transect counts to add to the database already in progress by visiting mammalogists. We will mark our position with a GPS and note behavior as well as identify trees visited.

After supper, those explorers still with enough energy will have a chance for another visit to the Tapir clay lick. (B,L,D,)

Day Four
In the early morning you will spend the morning visiting the nearby blanco oxbow Lake. This lake has populations of a variety of aquatic life and water birds, including the prehistoric-looking Hoatzin and a family of giant otters.

After lunch at the Center your guide is available to further explore the forest trails for more wildlife encounters. Alternatively time is available to independently explore the forest trails.

(The primate territorial use in lowland rainforest will continue)

After dinner there is an opportunity to see caiman and other nocturnal life along the riverbank by boat. (B/L/D).

Day Five
After a dawn breakfast you will board the motor canoe for the two hours return trip to the Manu landing strip, from which you fly to Cusco, where your jungle adventure ends.
Arrival, reception and transfer to the your hotel. (B)

Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.

More information:

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