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Manu Experiential Learning for conservation

Join the Crees team at the Manu Learning Centre, a research and education hub in the remote Peruvian Amazon. In this programme you will live and work with a group of like-minded people from across the world, sharing their passion to protect the Manu rainforest.

Discover what it takes to save this rainforest by learning about the social, economic and political challenges Manu is facing, but actively working on it, by supporting our community team as they empower local people through improved livelihoods and living standards.

Become part of the solution, spending every day exploring the rainforest and meeting its wild creatures, while carrying out tropical ecology surveys to collect data that is used in scientific publications.

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DURATION

Choose from 2 to 12 weeks

LODGING

Manu Learning Centre

TYPE

Experiential Learning

Inside the Experiential Learning Experience

Mondays: Butterfly surveys

You wake up at 6 am to the calls of charismatic macaws and mischievous monkeys. After a typical Peruvian breakfast, you set out with your team leader into the rainforest to survey the immense diversity of Amazonian butterflies. 

You learn to handle, identify and record the butterflies’ data collaborating with our researchers to better understand the health of the ecosystem (it’s amazing what you can learn from these beautiful creatures)

After a busy day trekking through the rainforest to complete the surveys, it's time to head back to camp and catch up on the day's gossip over a communal dinner before an early night.

Butterfly survey
Community Action
Tuesdays: Community Action

You hop on the early morning boat to travel over to the small town of Salvación to help families with their bio gardens from fixing roofs, to planting saplings. 

Many children in this town suffer from malnutrition due to a lack of fresh vegetables so the biogardens are essential for improving their health and are also a source of alternative income as many families have begun selling their produce to improve their livelihoods.

After a hot and sweaty day of work, you relax over a cold beer in the evening and feel a sense of accomplishment knowing that you and your team have helped a local family that really needs your support.

Wednesdays: Cultural Experience

After a morning in the bio gardens, you catch the boat back to camp to enjoy a communal lunch with everyone in the team. You spend the afternoon working with our researchers to identify species and record data, or help the kitchen and housekeeping staff around camp and enjoy getting to know the team better. 

After a hearty evening meal, you spend a fun-filled evening practising Spanish with our Peruvian staff – sharing stories to learn about different cultures and experiences that will surely expand your understanding and horizons.

Cultural experience
Macaw monitoring
Thursdays: Macaw Monitoring

You wake up before dawn and catch the boat down to the beach as the sun begins to rise over the Amazon rainforest and the distant snow-capped mountains, a spectacular way to start the day. 

Flocks of macaws and parrots begin to arrive at the Mascoitania clay lick by the beach, where they socialise and replenish minerals needed in their diet. You will learn how to identify different species and record various data, so that our researchers can better understand how these threatened species are being impacted by tourism and habitat loss.

You hop back on the boat for breakfast and have a day of trekking in the forest to complete researching surveys, having the opportunity to see even more wildlife during the day.

Fridays: Night Survey

You spend the day at camp helping out the team on their projects or working in the biogarden. Tonight you will head out on a survey after dark, hunting for amphibians and reptiles. 

Herpetofauna are a really understudied group, but they can tell us a lot about the health of their environment. Whether you find snakes or colourful tree frogs, you bring them back to camp to identify and record data to help expand knowledge on these species. After a long day, you enjoy a hot shower and bed.

Night survey
Saturday fun
Saturdays: Fun Times

You spend the day trekking through the rainforest and enjoy getting to know the vast diversity of plants and wildlife by chatting to your knowledgeable team leader, as you work together to complete surveys and record data.

You get back to camp for a hot shower and dinner, just before Saturday Night Fun kicks off. Every week, this is when the whole team lets loose with quirky home-grown entertainment. Over a few beers and a lot of laughter, you will start building friendships for life.

Sundays: Day Off

You relax with a good book, play football with the team, go for a dip in the streams, or just enjoy a good gossip with other guests. It's your Sunday in the remote Amazon rainforest: bask in the awe-inspiring beauty of your surroundings and simply enjoy every moment of it. It's a once in a lifetime experience.

Sundays off

By visiting the Manu Rainforest with Crees you will be actively supporting our conservation and community projects in the Amazon protecting nature and empowering local people.

Start your journey

FAQ

WHEN IS THE BEST TIME TO VISIT MANU?

The best time to visit Manu is during the dry season from April to October. That said, we take educational tours to Manu all year round, even in the rainy season because there are always fascinating things to see and experiences to experience any day of the year!

WHEN IS THE WET SEASON AND DRY SEASON?

Dry season is from April to the end of October and the Wet season is from November to end of March.

ARE THE FLIGHTS INCLUDED?

We do not include flights in the price of your programme, but all local transportation, accommodation, meals and professional training and instruction is included from pick up to drop off at the airport in Cusco. The only extras would be alcoholic drinks or snacks that can be bought at the MLC.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO BOOK FLIGHTS? THE END DATE, OR THE DAY AFTER THE END DATE? DO YOU HAVE TO ARRIVE THE DAY BEFORE THE START DATE, OR ON THE START DATE?

Flights need to be booked on the start date and the end date.

WHAT VACCINATIONS DO I NEED AND ARE WE IN A MALARIAL ZONE?

For vaccinations please see the health section below, but we are not in a malarial zone.

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT PROGRAMMES? WHAT CAN I DO IN THE 6 WEEK PROGRAMME, THAT I CAN’T DO IN THE 4 WEEK PROGRAMME?

The difference in programme lengths is purely just on time spent in the jungle. The more time you spend with us the more you will learn about our projects to get a deeper understanding of our conservation and community work. The more days spent with us offers the chance of seeing even more wildlife and making lifelong friendships.

HOW FAR IN ADVANCE SHALL I BOOK?

There is no set time you need to book in advance. However, once you choose the date for your visit then you can start booking to avoid the start dates being booked when you want to go especially during the summer months.

WHAT IS THE BOOKING PROCESS?

It is very simple! Once you would like to book we send you a link to our booking form so we have all your information. And after you have paid your deposit, we then send you an invoice as confirmation of your booking and you are all set.

WHAT TIME WILL WE BE PICKED UP FROM OUR HOTEL?

A Crees' representative will meet you the night before to advise on timings for pick up so make sure you tell us where you are staying in Cusco prior to departure if you haven't booked directly with us. Normally it is an early start to head down to Manu, departing Cusco from around 6am.

DO WE GET PICKED UP FROM THE AIRPORT? WHO WILL BE PICKING US UP?

A Crees' representative will be there to pick you up from the airport. They will be holding up a sign with Crees written and your names.

DO WE NEED TO BRING WATER PURIFYING TABLETS?

No, we provide drinking water for all our guests.

ARE YOU ABLE TO ACCEPT PAYMENT BY CREDIT CARD?

Yes. We provide the link plus a secure zone to transfer payments.

WHAT IS THE AGE RESTRICTION ON YOUR MANU EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMME?

You must be 18 years of age at the start of your programme to book on.

Manu Experiential Learning for conservation

DURATION

LODGING

TYPE

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