Peru: Cuzco & Manu Rd. June or July 24 (4 Viewers)

[halftwo]

Thinking about a budget self-drive, self-organised trip to Peru next summer. Dates and duration flexible depending on others' wants.

 

[Mike Hunter]

Hi - did you get anywhere with this in the end? Mike

 

[halftwo]

No, Mike, but still on my want-to list.

Am thinking July/Aug. I've made no definite plans, just drooling at the huge tick-list for the area.

I've always wanted to see Machu Pitchu too.

I've looked at alternatives to the most expensive lodges, but am also happy to use them if this turns out to be false economy.

 

[pbjosh]

I cannot speak for the various lodges from an expense perspective but you can see everything along the Manu Rd without going to lodges until you get down to the very bottom, with the possible exception of Black Tinamou if you want to target it, as you’ll be far better off on the trails at CotR than along the road itself. At the bottom of the road you’ll want to visit Manu Biological Station / Villa Carmen (or whatever it’s called now) or go to one of the lodges down the river. Villa Carmen is good for bamboo birds, notably. You can readily camp along the Manu Rd if so inclined. When I did it, there were no services and no food available except limited options at the very bottom, or at the two lodges/stations along the road itself - CotR and Wayqecha.

I did it years ago in a camper van, camping where I pleased beside the road, and staying a few nights at Villa Carmen. It was an absolute highlight of my time birding in Peru.

 

[halftwo]

That sounds great.

Did you hire the camper van?

 

[pbjosh]

No and outside of Chile and Argentina I’ve never seen campers for rent in S America. For me it was part of a several year trip through the neotropics in an old 4x4 van that I converted to a camper myself for the purpose.

 

[halftwo]

Ah, OK. Sounds like quite an adventure!

 

[Antpitta'd]

No and outside of Chile and Argentina I’ve never seen campers for rent in S America. For me it was part of a several year trip through the neotropics in an old 4x4 van that I converted to a camper myself for the purpose.

Unrelated to the thread, but I'd absolutely love to read about this if you have reports? Its a dream of mine to do a similar thing

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Unrelated to the thread, but I'd absolutely love to read about this if you have reports? Its a dream of mine to do a similar thing

About Us

In June 2013 Kathi Borgmann and Josh Beck embarked on an ambitious multi-year birding expedition. We started in San Diego, California and hope to reach the southern tip of South America. Our journe…

birdsofpassage.wordpress.com

 

[pbjosh]

Unrelated to the thread, but I'd absolutely love to read about this if you have reports? Its a dream of mine to do a similar thing

Andrew linked to the blog, which was only kept up to date until most of the way through Ecuador. My then partner and I separated at that time and she had been the one to provide more energy and devotion to the blog upkeep. I kept traveling south solo, spending a bit more time in EC, six months in PE, a bit of time in BO, then a full season in Patagonia, and eventually ended up not making it further north than Buenos Aires, where I lived until recently. Unfortunately I didn't document that last year or year and a half of the trip as well as the rest. Was by far though the best adventure of my life and I cannot recommend doing something like that enough!

 

[James Lowther]

just a couple of comments

1) i don't think Machu Picchu can be reached by road
2) in 2009 at least there was a much less expensive lodge (Paradise Lodge) just down the road from COTR

good luck, i think Manu Road and the lowlands at the bottom is the best place for birding i've ever been

cheers,
James

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

MP is reachable by road, I remember seeing Inca Wren at the edge of the car park!

 

[pbjosh]

MP is reachable by road, I remember seeing Inca Wren at the edge of the car park!

There are cars in Aguas Calientes but the times I’ve been you cannot drive there from anywhere outside. You need to take the train or drive quite a ways around to Santa Teresa and then walk into Aguas Clientes along the railroad path (great birding on that walk).

 

[James Lowther]

MP is reachable by road, I remember seeing Inca Wren at the edge of the car park!

there is a road from aguas calientes to machu picchu (where all the tourist buses go) but this road is not physically connected to the main peruvian road system. As Josh says you need to either get the train from ollantaytambo, walk the inca trail or walk up the train tracks from the opposite direction.
cheers,
James

 

[Welsh Peregrine]

Thanks for the reminder; I had forgotten the train beforehand!

 

[Antpitta'd]

Andrew linked to the blog, which was only kept up to date until most of the way through Ecuador. My then partner and I separated at that time and she had been the one to provide more energy and devotion to the blog upkeep. I kept traveling south solo, spending a bit more time in EC, six months in PE, a bit of time in BO, then a full season in Patagonia, and eventually ended up not making it further north than Buenos Aires, where I lived until recently. Unfortunately I didn't document that last year or year and a half of the trip as well as the rest. Was by far though the best adventure of my life and I cannot recommend doing something like that enough!

Thanks very much Josh, what an incredible thing to do! I'll peruse the blog

 

[temmie]

Unfortunately I didn't document that last year or year and a half of the trip as well as the rest.

Instead of waisting your time posting snippets of info on BF, strive for immortality by writing a true tripreport and post it on cloudbirders...
Eternal fame will be yours!

 

[pbjosh]

"I was able to squeeze a little hole in the work schedule so I made a last minute quick trip to the neotropics, starting in Tijuana and finishing in Buenos Aires."

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[temmie]

If you could write small (approx 4-5 page) reports for certain sites, that would probably help as well and maybe that will be a little bit more realistic than trying to write a book about the whole trip.
Think along the lines of your excellent reports to e.g. Pakistan, Alagoas, Bahia,... They are all condensed, fun to read and especially very helpfull and inspiring...

 

[halftwo]

Thanks for the replies & info, so far, all.