-A place that is OFF LIMITS to ANYONE worldwide, less one scientific group
-A place where you will NOT be a tourist, but a GUEST
-The highest biodiversity of species in the world
-One of the last untouched and fully intact jungles on the planet
-A place where you could see a wild jaguar face to face
I couldn’t believe what was happening. I had just been given authorization to enter the prohibited zone of Manu National Park. NO ONE is allowed in there – except for a small group of scientific researchers. I couldn’t believe I was being allowed to enter an area where fewer than 500 people worldwide have ever been permitted to go.
Manu was made off limits to anyone because of conservation purposes – so animals and the ecosystem could stay fully intact. And yet, I would be permitted to help the researchers on one of their projects, thus entering Manu.
During my stay there, I was overwhelmed with nature and wildlife. I saw FOUR JAGUARS in the wild, amongst countless other species. I noticed a passion to help with Manu rising from within me. I shared with the researchers my desire to help with the conservation of Manu. I shared with them my desire to educate key people about Manu through an exclusive leadership retreat into the restricted zone.
Again, I was shocked that I would receive permission to bring in a few extra people. So if you are reading this, you may be selected to be one of those people under very strict conditions. You must realize that this is not a tour group. You will be a guest in a place where no one else in the world is allowed to enter. You must have great respect for your environment.
This is not just a safari, although I was overwhelmed by wildlife on my previous outing. You will have a ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME experience. You will be educated on the jungle and the threats it faces. You will interact with natives that have never experienced the outside world, who still hunt with bows and arrows from centuries ago. You will assist the scientific researchers on one of their projects.
If you would like the opportunity to be selected to go on this retreat, please fill out the information below. There is space for only 6 people. This is the first time and may well be the last that such an excursion will ever be permitted.
Once you fill out the information, you will receive more details on the itinerary. Dates of the retreat are Aug 24 – Sept 6, 2013. All deposits for the trip must be paid by June 1st, 2013. If you would like to be considered for this retreat, please fill out this request form right away as the group is nearly halfway full.
I am amazed at what I’ll do to regain health. I never thought I would eat an insect in my life. But that was before I had been stricken with a persistent cough for seven days my first week in a remote part of Manu Park in the Amazon Jungle. The natives told me about a natural remedy, so I wanted to try it.
They told me it was SURI — which means beetle larvae. You see the picture above? That’s what I had to eat. They told me that if I ate that, my cough would get better. Perhaps they were trying to fool the dumb foreigner.
But I ate it, and it worked. My cough went away the next morning. I am a believer in suri. There’s nothing worse than hacking up a long all night long, which caused me to not fall asleep and then be nervous and scared the whole night wondering if a jaguar was going to eat me.
Here is the link with my interview on Darren Jacklin’s radio show in regards to the adventure down to the Peruvian Amazon in Manu National Park this summer.
Nine months ago, I ventured into one of the last refuges of the world deep into the heart of the Amazon Jungle to a place known as Manu National Park. Manu has the highest biodiversity of species in the world and is one of the last untouched regions of the world. Consequently, during my two month stay I literally felt like I was on Pandora in the movie, “Avatar.”
I spent one month at Cocha Cashu Biological Research Station as a volunteer helping to set up motion sensor camera traps in the jungle to document ground mammals. After Cashu, I spent another two weeks leading a Men’s Adventure Group through Manu Park as we experienced the jungle.
You will experience what we experienced as you watch the video of our recordings in the jungle. You will see toucans, macaws, monkeys, spiders, river otters, tapirs, JAGUARS and much more. You will also see the lessons the jungle taught each of us about our lives while we were there.
In addition, you will hear from Dr. Varun Swamy, Ph.D., who currently teaches at Harvard University. I met Dr. Swamy during my stay at Cocha Cashu, and he is flying out to share his knowledge and experience of Manu Park, the natural treasures that are there, the threats Manu faces and what can be done to help with conservation.
DOORS OPEN AT 6:30 PM. EVENT BEGINS PROMPTLY AT 7:00 PM.
Here is day 10 of our jungle adventure in Manu Park in the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest. This day was all about parrots and macaws, including the blue-headed parrot and red and green macaw.
This is the video of the 3-day hike we went on in September a few weeks after I got back from the jungle. Brady Patterson, Mike Timms and I went on this hike. We also hiked Sampson last year. We didn’t get to the top then, so we thought to try it again. There is no road or trail to the top of Sampson. Just bushwhacking and scrambling up rocks and boulders. There are glaciers to cross. Rocks to climb. Trees to bushwhack.
We saw no other people there, except for a few bear biologists who were researching the area because it is prime grizzly bear habitat. Luckily, we saw no bears this year, unlike last year.
Here is day 8 of our adventure in Manu Park in the Amazon Jungle of Peru. Lots of frogs and amphibians this day, as well as a caiman up close. Picture by Mark Kennedy.
Untouched. Remote. Raw. 
