CASA MATSIGUENKA LODGE

Casa Matsiguenka

Is a tourist lodge located in the heart of Manu National Park, on the left bank of the Manu River. It belongs to the Matsiguenka Indigenous people spread across four native communities: Yomibato, Tayacome, Maizal, and Cacaotal. Each community has an average population of 120 to 160 people. They arrived within Manu National Park due to persecution and pressure from rubber tappers. With the creation of the National Park, they faced a new challenge of survival, as the park was created with them inside, and they had to comply with the park’s restrictions. When the park was created, they requested to align themselves with tourism activities on the Manu River.

 In 1999, Casa Matsiguenta Lodge began operating with the support of INRENA, APAEC, and the German Technical Cooperation, welcoming its first tourists that same year. Today, the Casa Matsiguenga multi-community enterprise serves as the primary source of income for these native communities within the National Park, enabling them to improve their basic health, education, and food services. It also contributes to environmental conservation.

lodge capacity

Casa Matsiguenka Lodge offers accommodations with a capacity of 32 guests at a time. The cabins were built by the residents themselves using traditional techniques and styles, utilizing materials traditionally used by their ancestors that reflect their own cultural influences.

For better management, the four communities manage the lodge and To serve their guests, one family from each community stays at the lodge for approximately three months. When this period ends, they return to their communities, followed by other families. This way, the Matsiguenkas rotate throughout the years to care for Casa Matsiguenka Lodge.

This lodge is open to any tourism company operating in Manu, but unfortunately many tourism companies prefer to build their camps and lodges so that the entrance is only for them and not shared with the Matsiguenkas. Nowadays only a few tourism companies enter this lodge, by entering this lodge the traveler contributes to them a source of income that is very important.

In the lodge tourists can come into contact with the Matsiguenka tribe and see their demonstrations of how they and their ancestors lit fires using two pieces of stick, how to shoot arrows, see their traditional clothing, their songs that they sing in their ceremonies, etc. Finally, the visitor can take as a souvenir their crafts made by themselves with materials from the jungle.