Pantiacolla
Lodge is set in beautiful rainforest on bluffs overlooking
the turbulent
Alto Madre de Dios river. Nestled in the Manu foothills
at the base of the Pantiacolla Mountains, Pantiacolla
Lodge invites you to share this very unique
area of the Manu national park. The mountains rise to
1200 m or more behind the lodge and are a contributing
factor
to
the enormous variety of wildlife that inhabits the area.
Accommodation
at the lodge is provided in bungalows with a total of
14 double
rooms giving a maximum capacity of 28 persons. Paths lead
from the bungalows to showers and flush toilets, and to
a spacious
and comfortable dining area and bar.
Pantiacolla
Lodge is an ideal rainforest destination for all types of
jungle
enthusiasts. For birders, it offers an exceptionally high species
density. For first time visitors, it offers a comprehensive
trail
system and great wildlife watching opportunities. For students
of Spanish, you find yourself in a stimulating
learning environment. And for families,
it offers an almost mosquito free environment in which both
adults and children can discover the secrets of the tropical
rainforest. Moreover, it is especially suited to those who
would prefer a more relaxed and comfortable rainforest experience.
General
ecological interest
The 900 hectares of land around the lodge offer the enthusiastic
explorer miles of gridded trails to walk, traversing a
variety
of different habitats and also providing access to hot, cold,
and mineral oil springs. The forest in the area supports
eight
species of monkey and a healthy population of Manu´s
least known and most elusive primate, the monk saki monkey.
Coati,
deer, peccary, and even tapir are frequent sightings and the
area boasts a recorded 500+ species of birds. A short, early
morning
boat trip to a clay lick also enables visitors to observe macaws
and parakeets at close hand.
Birdwatching
When the Moscoso patriarch, Don Isaac, chose the land at the
foot of the Pantiacolla Mountains as his home, he knew
he had found
a special piece of the rainforest: the Andean Bear and
the monk saki, a type of monkey which is very rare and
still
unstudied by science, both roamed there, and he observed many
types of birds for the first time in his long presence
in
Manu.
Don Isaac´s
intuition recently has been confirmed by entomologists
and ornithologists
assessing habitats from 400 to over 1200 m above sea level.
The entomologists have not yet finished their evaluation,
however
the ornithologists, within the first month, found an astonishing
approximate of 500 species! Many of the species are endemic
to the area, very rare or found at altitudes different from
their normal range. Pantiacolla keeps constructing new
trails,
platforms and hides: the highest campsite now is at 1250 m
and a recent 10-day census at this altitude has given
the lodge
12 new species of bird.
More
information see Tours: Manu for Birdwatchers.
Studying
Spanish at Pantiacolla Lodge
Pantiacolla Lodge, together with the Amauta Spanish School,
offers you the possibility to learn Spanish in the rainforest.
All teaching material is based on rainforest ecology; during
the hikes in the forest, the guide, also trained as a teacher,
uses the words you learned in the lessons. Moreover, at the
end of the week, you will have your encounter, in Spanish,
with
the real rainforest people, the Matsiguenka of Shipetiari.
Amauta
Spanish School
Children
at Pantiacolla Lodge
Almost all kids, even very young ones, love the rainforest--at
least most parts of it! The animals, vegetation,
heat, and excess of water are all exciting, however, the
mosquitos
are not. Especially not mosquitos in combination with camping.
Pantiacolla Lodge, located as it is at the Andean foothills,
hardly has any level ground, and therefore hardly any mosquitos.
The cool mountain breezes keep temperatures on the lower side
of ´tropical´ and the absence of mosquitos can
have the kids running around without full-coverage clothes
and without
health-harming insect repellent! If asked for in advance, we
can provide you with a reliable nanny to take care of your
playing
children while you concentrate on exploring the rainforest
around the lodge.
