ABOUT THE STATION

Piedras Biodiversity Station was built in 2001 as a center for research and environmental education. The station provides an ideal base for scientific study since it is set in a huge 4,000 hectare reserve of primary rainforest.  A network of trails and transects are available which cross a variety of forest types from floodplain to terra firma and aguajales (swamps) providing easy access to many different habitat types.

Location (Click on maps to enlarge)    

                               S.America                              Peru      

The station is located on the bank of the River Piedras in the department of Madre de Dios, S.E. Peru.  The area is reknowned for its incredible biodiversity, the department contains 2 National Parks; Manu National Park and Bajuaja-Sonene National Park.The Piedras Biodiversity Station is located between these two areas (Map).  The nearest town of Puerto Maldonado is 1½ days away by slow boat or 6 hours with an outboard motor.  Its remote location has helped to preserve the areas flora and fauna which is unique in its exceptional biodiversity.   

Facilities

The Station sleeps up to 20 people in double rooms with shared showers and flush toilets.  There is a large open dining and study area complete with a small library, sofas and hammocks. 

View from the Comedor                                One of the Bedrooms

Wildlife

Piedras is a naturalists dream. With over 600 species of bird, 1200 species of butterfly, 90 species of mammal and 120 species of reptiles and amphibians, there is enough to keep a nature lover occupied for weeks on end. The 6000 hectares of reserve has very healthy mammal populations and a guest staying for 3 nights can expect to see at least  3 species of monkey, peccaries, capybara, macaws, parrots as well as many other species of bird and mammal. However, the amazing diversity is not always immediately obvious. Unlike the open plains of Africa where you can see literally thousands of herbivores grazing at one time, the rainforest is a mass of vegetation with trees, lianas and vines all competing with each other for light and space and providing endless hiding places for all the animals and birds. The thousands of herbivores that inhabit the rainforest are mainly in the form of insects like the leafcutter ant which live in colonies of up to 8 million individuals beneath the ground. There are 90 species of mammal but many of these are bats and rats and nocturnal species! Despite this it is still possible to see large mammals at the lodge and obviously the longer the visit the better the chance of seeing more diverse species.

The clay licks found around the lodge can be excellent places for good wildlife sightings. Animals and birds visit these collpas to feed on the clays and minerals found there. It is thought that the minerals supplement the diets of these animals and that the clays neutralize the harmful effect of the toxins contained in the fruits and leaves they consume. Collpas located along the banks of rivers tend to be visited by macaws and parrots whilst other collpas found within the forest are visited by animals such as tapirs, peccaries, deer and monkeys. Both types of collpa can be visited from the lodge. Typically the Macaw Collpa is visited in the morning as the birds usually feed soon after dawn although their behavior is not always predictable and depends on the weather, the presence of predators and human activity. It is possible to see 2 species of macaw and up to 7 species of parrot feeding at the collpa.Please Contact us if you would like a complete bird list for the area. The animal collpa is better visited at night where there is a platform with mosquito nets from which animals can be observed without being disturbed.

Recent unusual sightings around the lodge include Jaguar, Puma, Ocelot, Giant Anteater (with baby!) and Monk Saki Monkeys whilst more common sightings include 7 further species of monkey (Spider, Red Howler, Brown Capuchin, White-fronted Capuchin, Common Squirrel, Night Monkey and Saddleback Tamarin), White-Lipped & Collared Peccaries, Agouti and Paca.