The jungle is very hot... obvious, but needs to be said :)

5 days later and I am back in Cusco after the jungle, what a diverse country Peru is.

The bus journey to the river port was a lot better than I thought. We stopped often to view Inca sites, had breakfast in a lovely little town, visited a museum and learned more about the Amazon area of Peru. It really didn't seem like a long journey. We ended the first day high in the Cloud Forest at a modest lodge. The views were wonderful.

The trip down the river on a large covered canoe was interesting. The driver was very experienced at navigating the rapids, and our guide pointed out numerous birds and wild life along the way.

We spent 2 nights at lodge in the middle of the Manu park (pictured above), surrounded by the sights and sounds of the jungle. The Howler Monkeys were an amazing wake up call. We made a number of hikes into the jungle to observe the wildlife and fauna, including a couple of night hikes. Our guide was excellent at explaining how all the jungle species worked together and pointing out many fascinating things. We were very fortunate to have a young jaguar run out onto the trail in front of us, a site I will never forget.

The trip back up the river took longer due to the fast current downstream, but we were able to break the journey at a wonderful thermal spring.

Another very enjoyable experience in Peru, however, if you don't cope well with heat and high humidity you may not enjoy it.