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Manu Wildlife Centre is a 44 bed lodge located on the Madre de Dios river only 90 minutes by motorized dugout canoe from the Boca Manu airstrip at the confluence of the Manu and Alto Madre de Dios rivers. It is owned by Expediciones Manu, and the Peru Verde Conservation Group, a non-profit, non-government organization involved in rainforest conservation projects.
Manu Wildlife Centre consists of 22 double bungalows built in the style of, and using the same materials as, the local Machiguenga indigenous communities. Local wood, bamboo and palm fronds for roofing are used. All materials used have been sustainably harvested or brought in from distant areas. For example, the wood used in the construction is collected from the river as, each rainy season, hundreds of trees are washed into the river as it cuts its everchanging course.
Each bungalow has good quality foam mattresses and all beds have cotton sheets and quilts (best for hot tropical conditions). Although all the rooms are screened with insect netting, beds are furnished with individual mosquito nets. Furniture includes bedside tables and writing tables. The bungalows are arranged around an Amazonian garden with plants and shrubs that attract birds, butterflies and mammals. All bungalows are private and separated from each other and all have large windows facing the forest and garden. All the 22 bungalows have private toilets (flush) and shower facilities. Hot and cold water is always available.
The dining area is separate from the other facilities but close to all bungalows and the nearby kitchen area. Food is good and wholesome, not gourmet, and uses a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, grains and meats in the menu. The cooks are used to providing for vegetarian diets. There is a separate bar and lounge area which is located a short distance from the dining area. A variety of cold non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages are always available here. The centre does not have any electricity, but a generator is available to recharge camera and camcorder batteries.
Manu Wildlife Centre is strategically located in an area of forest that counts on some of the highest diversity of micro-habitats in the Manu area. Tierra-firme, transitional floodplain, varzea and bamboo forest is found close to the lodge plus successional willow and cane stands on beaches and river islands, resulting in some of the highest biodiversity in Manu. An astounding 571 species of birds have been recorded in the area around the centre. The Blanquillo macaw and parrot clay lick is only 25 minutes away by river, and from a floating blind up to 200 Red and Green Macaws and many hundreds of their smaller relatives come to eat clay essential to their digestion. There are 2 ox-bow lakes in the area with floating platforms so that access to the lakes ensures that all lakeside fauna can be readily observed. Two families of endangered Giant Otters inhabit these lakes and small streams. About an hours walk through the forest is a large mammal lick where tapirs, the largest South American land mammal, regularly come for minerals. Also at night, Red Brocket Deer and other animals attend. There is a large blind here, outfitted with mattresses and mosquito nets for those who want to spend the night in comfort observing these nocturnal creatures. During the day, several species of small forest parakeets and parrots as well as guans, currassows, peccaries and Red Howler Monkeys visit the lick. There are 12 species of monkeys to be spotted whilst hiking the trails at Manu Wildlife Centre, including the Emperor Tamarin, Spider Monkey and Monk Saki. Canopy access is easy, with two canopy platforms (30 metre and 40 metre) in large canopy emergents that are accessed by metal stairways.
Manu Wildlife Center can be visited on its own or as part of a longer trip to Cock of the Rock lodge in the Manu Cloud Forest, and Manu National Park.