I just recently returned from a 2-week trip to Peru and thought I'd share my amazing experience with other travelers.
If you're interested in going to the Amazon, the most untouched and best preserved part is the Manu Biosphere Reserve, located in the foothills of the Andes and spreading over almost two million hectares of land. I spent six days there this summer, with a group of other travelers led by Expediciones Vilca agency based in Cusco. It is almost impossible to go into the jungle independently, however romantic and adventurous that idea might seem, due to all sorts of permits and clearances you need to get before your trip. And believe me, it is adventurous enough even if you're a part of a group.
It took us one full day by bus to get to the cloudforest on the edge of the jungle, where we spent a night in a lodge. From there on, we traveled by boat, further and further into the jungle every day. The wildlife was amazing - we saw five different monkey species, jumping from branches with babies on their backs and having lunch on a tree above us, adorable giant otters, a family of capybaras - the biggest rodents in the world and surprisingly cute, wildly colorful parrots and macaws, insects I never thought existed (did you know that a combination of a spider, a crab and a scorpion, about a size of a human hand, actually exists?!) and birds galore (Manu is birdwatchers' paradise!). We were all hoping to see a jaguar - any group who spots one is considered lucky and privileged, as they're super hard to encounter. We did see jaguar tracks and I think there might have been one browsing around my tent one night, but no luck actually seeing one. I also hoped to catch a sight of an anaconda, but apart from a little green snake we saw on a path one day, no other interesting snakes appeared, even after all of our efforts to find a pair of gleaming eyes in the branches above us on our night walks through the jungle. In terms of comfort, be prepared for the most basic of facilities if you decide to venture into the jungle. You'll have to learn how to make a toilet stop in the middle of a jungle at night or on a beach full of jaguar tracks and caymans basking in the sun right next to you. Taking showers at campsites is an adventure in itself, with a colorful array of bugs in each cabin that made some of our group decide that staying dirty is a far better option than spending a couple of minutes in the insect-infected shower cabin.
Our two guides were absolutely great, especially the Peruvian guide Monica who is so passionately in love with the jungle that her enthusiasm becomes infectious. Being next to her even in the most scary of situations always felt calming and comforting. She told me many interesting stories about indigenous communities living deep in faraway parts of Manu, who are still uncontacted and probably unaware of civilization as we know it.
I could go on and on about this wonderful trip... Even with insect bites all over my ankles that are still itching several weeks after I returned, this glance at many hidden worlds of the Amazon is on top of my list of inspiring travel experiences.

[This message was edited by svijet on October 24, 2001 at 12:26 PM.]

[This message was edited by svijet on October 24, 2001 at 12:27 PM.]

Hi Svijet,
Thanks for writing the incredible account of your trip into the Amazon. I have a question about how you arranged for this trip. Did you find Expediciones Vilca once you were already in Cusco? Or did you arrange this trip before you left home? --Z.

I reserved the trip before arriving to Cusco. It's quite important to do that if you go in high season (June-September) because trips get booked up pretty quickly.
A lot of the agencies in Cusco have websites with all sorts of useful info. Expediciones Vilca was recommended by the excellent Rough Guide to Peru.