Manu Paradise Lodge

My wife and I stayed at Manu Paradise Lodge for 4 nights in May 2024. We are birders and chose Manu Paradise for its central location on the famous Manu Road. It's a small lodge, clean and well-maintained. The food is OK, not the best we've had in bird lodges in Peru, but satisfactory. There wasn't a resident manager while we were there, just the two or three local people who cook and clean. The lodge does not have it's own trails, but the best birding is anyway on the road. We had a driver who took us up and down the road to we had more opportunities to see different species.

As a tour guide I've visited the Manu road 5 times over the past 9 years and highly recommend Manu Paradise Lodge. It's conveniently located for access to the middle Manu road, and it's comfortable, clean, and welcoming, with great food and friendly and helpful staff who want the very best for you. The wifi was upgraded last year to satellite (Starlink) and they get very fast connections (I measured at least 150+ Mbs, I think it goes higher still), although this does vary depending on meteorological conditions, but even when overcast and raining we had a decent signal. They also have repeaters in the rooms, and wifi reached even the furthest rooms. They also have 24/7 electricity (solar, backed up by a generator if necessary), something that the neighbouring lodge does not. The location is absolutely jaw-droppingly beautiful, with views out over the Cosñipata river to a mountainside of tropical cloud forest, and upriver all the way to the 4000m+ mountain peaks, truly spectacular on a crisp clear morning. You are surrounded by cloud forest, so when you walk along the entrance drive and along the main road, there is forest everywhere, and wonderful birds, butterflies and other insects abound. We had shining silvery-blue Morpho aurora butterflies, several at a time, dancing around us even in the garden. (NB: I don't recall ever getting bitten by any insects here). The garden is not huge but is well maintained and they have multiple hummingbird feeders which bring in constant visitors, and above the main building is a tall tree with iconic hanging Oropendola nests and their delightful evocative calls. At night you fall asleep to the sound of the rushing river and the creatures of the night, and the temperature is generally very pleasant, rarely too hot, usually temperate and comfortable, although in bad weather it can drop a little and you will benefit from an extra layer of clothing. All in all staying here is a delightful experience, and I thoroughly recommend Manu Paradise Lodge.