Cock of the Rock

After returning to Cusco from Bolivia, we joined our guide, Vigner Ortega, for a week-long journey, organized through InkaNatura, down the road to Manu NP in the Amazon basin.

A landslide caused a long wait for the road to be repaired

 The  long ride down a single lane dirt road, took us from snowy highlands through elfin forests, and then cloud forests on the slopes of eastern Andes.

Each time we stopped we were in a different eco-zone with its own compliment of flora and fauna.

A male cock-of-the-rock perched quietly in the lek

We finally stopped for the night at the Cock of the Rock Lodge, named after the national bird of Peru. Early next morning we visited the famous bird's lek, the place where males of the specie gather to impress females with their fabulous plumage and sexy dance moves.

It wasn't breeding season and there were no females birds to impress, but luckily for us there were a few young males about, posing for each other  - and our cameras!

After breakfast we continued on our journey down the mountain to meet our boat crew who woud take us down the Madre de Dios River to the Manu Wildlife Center.

The photo collage below illustrates just a few examples of the amazing wildlife we encountered on our journey.