This lodge takes its name from the Andean cock-of-the-rock, Peru’s red-and-black national bird. Each day you can watch the males’ colourful, noisy mating display from a hide at a nearby lek.
Cock of the Rock lodge is situated in the pleasant, mosquito-free Kosñipata Valley in the pristine cloud forest of Manu Biosphere Reserve on the lush eastern slope of the Andes, and is part of the Tropical Nature conservation system. Standing at an elevation of 1,600 metres, the lodge protects and supports a 5,060-hectare private cloud forest reserve. Although the location is peaceful and secluded, it lies very close to the Cusco–Shintuya highway.
Accommodation consists of 12 wooden bungalows with two single beds in each, an en suite bathroom with hot and cold running water and flushing toilet, insect-screened windows and mosquito nets; some bungalows have their own private balcony. There are also several rooms with shared facilities – which room you get depends on how early you book! Lighting is by lantern and candle, but a small generator is used for charging batteries.
The separate, fully-screened, large dining area and lounge overlooks a feeding station for brown capuchin monkeys and tayras (a large mustelid related to a marten). Feeders attract several species hummingbird, including rufous-webbed brilliant. The lodge is staffed by a local highland family who also work as rangers, patrolling the private reserve. The cook prepares hearty dishes using fresh fruits, vegetables, grains and meat. Vegetarian and other special diets can be provided with advance notification.
Spectacled bears, woolly monkeys, brown capuchin monkeys, quetzals and a host of other colourful birds inhabit the surrounding forest, and a bubbling mountain stream tumbles through the valley below. A one-hour circular trail passes through an unusual bamboo forest, and offers many opportunities to see wildlife and exotic plants – orchids abound with around 80 species recorded in the vicinity. For anyone who stays longer, a more extensive trail network allows you to explore the cloud forest understory and see some birds you are unlikely to see from the road, such as chestnut-breasted wren, scaled antpitta, rufous-breasted and short-tailed ant thrush, slaty gnateater and the endemic cerulean-capped manakin.
Peru’s Manu Biosphere Reserve is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth and is the jewel in the crown of Amazon wildlife viewing experiences. Discover its secrets with wildlife photographers Nick Garbutt and Alex Hyde on a journey from highland Andean cloud forest to lowland Amazon rainforest.
Find out more about Amazon’s Secrets: Rainforest Photography
The unique diversity of Manu’s wildlife is due to the range of ecological zones that extend from 300 to 4,000 metres above sea level. More than 1,000 species of birds, 200 species of mammals, many reptiles, and around 10% of the world’s plant species have been recorded within the park's boundaries.
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Where: Madre de Dios
Ideal for viewing: woolly monkey, jaguar, blue-headed macaw, giant river otter, Andean cock-of-the-rock
Excellent for: Wildlife photography, Photography tours With Nick Garbutt, Jaguar watching, Birdwatching
