The lodge is located in the tropical lowland rainforest of Manu Biosphere Reserve. The Yábar family, from Cusco, established the lodge in 1980 which used to be a tea plantation in the 1970's. The book Birds of South America by Robert S. Ridgely refers to the lodge as Hacienda Amazonia. We also offer birdwatching tours in Peru.
During 1983 Dr. John W. Fitzpatrick and his team were doing studies in Amazonia. He suggested to the Yábar family about the possibility of them working in tourism because of the potential he and his team had observed specifically for birdwatchers. In 1984 the Yábars converted the property into a lodge creating one of the pioneer lodges in the Manu Biosphere Reserve. Working in Ecotourism, the lodge is now considered one of the best birding places in Peru. The lodge's bird list contains 619 species and keeps going up, fast becoming one of the largest lists in the world. There are 8 species of monkeys including the rare Night Monkey. Also found are many butterflies, amphibians, reptiles, orchids, and bromelians.
Birdwatching
Peru is a big country with many habitats. To cover the entire country properly it is necessary to spend several months with a lot of traveling. This tours are designed for birders with not very much time. Spend time in the areas that offer the most diversity Peru using hotels and lodges as our base and concentrating on the endemics and specialties of the habitats visited. This strategy will give you a very representative birding experience of the country.
From the sea level to the highlands and the amazonian lowlands we will be in the surrounding areas, looking for waterbirds and hummingbirds. The very scenic drive from Cusco to Manu has many interesting stops making it a constant birding trip. We'll look for the Sierra Finches and Ground Tyrants. As we pass through the Inter Andean valleys and Puna on the eastern slope and temperate zone we'll search for Mountain Tanagers.
Entering the Cloud Forest, look for flocks of colorful tanagers and the Cock-of-the-Rock, Quetzals, Owls, Lire Tailed Nightjard and many others.
You will be in the beautiful Cusco city and the spectacular Machu Picchu ruins surrounded by a nice cloud forest.
We'll then travel into the pre-mountain rainforest of Manu and search for many lowland birds like Macaws, with the possibility of 7 species on a lucky trip. Crakes, Rails, Toucans, Barbets, Antbirds, Antpittas, and many Others.
Our tours offer to you great comfort and expert guides. Let us show you Peru.
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The trip was terrific with great planning on your part. Most of the adventures were not mainstream and somewhat off the beaten path which made it especially enjoyable!! We felt taken care of and you all were readily available to respond to questions and issues. I would highly recommend your company and friends have already expressed interest based on our pictures and excitement.
Gale Cantor
