Mike in the Wild

Highest on almost everyone's wish list in the rain forest was spotting monkeys.  Of course seeing a wide range of exotic and tropical flora was expected, as was the amazing variety of butterflies and birds.  And no one was disappointed with the jungle scenery.  But Wild Watch Peru's three-day trip from Cusco to a corner of Amazonia couldn't guarantee an encounter with our simian cousins in the wild.  Our guides certainly looked for monkeys on our approximately ninety kilometer drive from high mountain cloud forest into the lower jungle environment.   Our two-night stay at idyllic Guadalupe Lodge, nestled near Manu National Park's wilderness, didn't provide an opportunity either.  A round trip river boat trip on the Madre de Dios River, a tributary of the Amazon, struck out too.  Even our muddy walk through dense forest to Machuhuassy Lake left us longing for a primate encounter. However, thanks to a stop at Dos Loritos, a wildlife rescue and r...