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Manu National Park is one of the most popular tours that takes you deep into Manu National Park. This six-day tour is the perfect combination of the cloud forest, the Manu Jungle and the Manu Cultural Zone. The Manu Biosphere Reserve is home to more than 800 species of birds and countless species of plants. It is a protected area with a rich flora and fauna. In 1987, UNESCO declared the Manu National Park a World Heritage Site. Manu National Park is huge. It extends over 1,532,806 hectares. The lowland jungle rises from 150 metres above sea level to 4,200 metres.
There are several areas that have not yet been explored. In fact, deep in the jungle, there are native communities living in voluntary isolation. The cultural zone is home to more than 32 native communities. They have maintained their authentic traditions and values. In fact, most of them still converse in Quechua.
On this six-day excursion to the lowland rainforest with our expert English-speaking local naturalist guide, you will get to know the flora and fauna of the region in depth. You will also get to know and delve into the life of the native communities in the area.
We will provide rubber boots – camping equipment – our chef takes into account any allergies, intolerances or meat-free cooking when preparing the food.
We recommend you bring:
At 05AM, we will pick you up from your hotel in Cusco. Then, in our private transport, we will embark on a long journey from the Andes to the Amazon. We will have some interesting stops along the way such as Ninamarca.
Our first stop will be Ninamarca, a pre-Inca burial tower or the Cusco Region, where our guide will provide us with detailed information about this place. We will then stop in Paucartambo, where we will explore the folkloric capital of the Cusco region. Breakfast will be served in this colonial town located at 3900 meters above sea level. After breakfast, we will continue driving to a viewpoint called Tres Cruces. From here you will get a panoramic view of the Amazon basin.
Then we will drive downhill from the Andes to the Amazon, to Manu Biosfera Peru. Upon arrival, we will start our Manu Peru Expeditions. You will have the opportunity to see the biodiversity of the region. Our tour guide will explain about the different species of plants and bird species that are distinctive to Manu.
Here you can also spot the Peruvian National Bird, the Cock of the Rock. The region is home to the Woolly Monkey and the Capuchin Monkey. After the tour, you will be driven to the Atalaya boat dock. Here you will board the motorboat for your trip down the Madre de Dios River. It will be a two and a half hour trip to our lodge located by Pilcopata.
On this 2:30 hour trip, hopefully we will be able to see different species of wildlife such as capybara, howler monkey, tapir, cormorants, tiger heron, pygmy otter, many other species of birds, etc.
Tonight we will stay at Bamboo Lodge, basic accommodation, shared bathrooms and showers.
We will leave Bamboo Lodge after breakfast by car for an hour and a half. Then we will embark on a boat trip from the port Atalaya navigating the Madre de Dios river. We will observe many species of birds and see the mountainous area of the Pantiacolla range after two hours of travel we will stop to enjoy the thermal baths of Shintuya, here we will relax in the thermo-medicinal waters and take our lunch, Afterwards we continue our journey to Papaya lodge where we will stay and have dinner and then we will walk at night to a mammal clay lick where you can see the famous tapir and also observe what nature can show us like snakes, insects etc. This night will be a preparation for what is coming the next days.
After our nutritious breakfast we will depart for our next adventure boat trip and have the opportunity to spot different species of birds and animals. Here you can easily see capybaras, peccaries, giant armadillos, different species of monkeys and birds and lunch will be served en route.
Upon arrival at the Matsiguenka House, our crew will serve dinner. Matsiguenka is a native community. The lodge is part of the community. Here the locals guide the excursion. Mainly because they know this remote place better than anyone else, as they were born and raised here.
After savouring a typical Amazonian dinner, we will embark on a short hike along one of the trails. You will have plenty of opportunities to spot different species of birds, animals and mammals.
After the excursion, we will return to the lodge to enjoy our accommodation.
After an early breakfast, you set off on foot to Cocha Salvador, a calm water lagoon surrounded by lush vegetation. There you board a silent wooden catamaran, ideal for not disturbing the wildlife. Little by little, the giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) appear, social and noisy animals that swim in groups, hunting fish and playing with each other. The guide explains their behaviour, hierarchies and their importance as an endangered species. It is also common to see hoatzins, herons, kingfishers, and occasionally black caimans and howler monkeys. From the boat you may also see very large spider monkeys as well as other species of capuchin monkeys and we return to the Matsiguenka house for lunch.
After lunch, you return for the last time to Cocha Salvador, this time at sunset, an ideal time to observe black and white caimans that start to become active at nightfall. Aboard the catamaran, you glide silently across the lagoon as the sun descends over the forest canopy. With torches, you look for the red reflections of the caiman’s eyes in the vegetation. This visit offers a different experience of the lagoon, more mysterious and nocturnal.
Night walk: At night we will have the opportunity to take a night walk with our expert guide in search of snakes such as the false coral, the royal coral, the bushmaster (shushupe), the shawl boa, the reaper snake, the mouse-eating snake, the green parrot snake, the rainbow boa, etc. Hopefully we will also see other nocturnal creatures such as frogs, tarantulas, night monkeys, scorpion spiders, nocturnal birds, sloths, fruit bats, red deer, etc.
We will return to the lodge, Casa Matsiguenka for a well deserved rest.
05:00 a.m. – Hike to macaw clay lick
Early in the morning, we get up for a 20-minute walk from Casa Matsiguenka to a macaw clay lick, a special place where these birds congregate to feed on the mineral clays.
From a natural observation point, we can see scarlet, red and green macaws, chestnut-fronted macaws, and several species of green parrots. The mixture of colours and the din of their calls create an unforgettable spectacle in the middle of the jungle.
07:00 a.m. – Return and breakfast at the Matsiguenka House
After the observation, we return to the lodge to enjoy a nutritious breakfast, surrounded by the morning tranquillity of the forest.
08:00 a.m. – Departure with luggage and visit to Cocha Otorongo.
After breakfast, we collect our belongings and start our departure journey. On the way, we stop at the nearby Cocha Otorongo, where there is a 30-metre high observation tower.
From the top, you can see the forest canopy and, with luck, spot small monkeys such as the Pichicos (Saimiris), as well as birds and other fauna of the middle and upper stratum of the jungle.
Noon – Return to Limonal checkpoint We continue our journey back to Limonal checkpoint, where we officially check out of Manu National Park.
Afternoon – Lunch en route and final transfer On the way back to civilisation, we stop for lunch. Then, we continue by land transport to the port of Atalaya, where we take the vehicle that will take us to the Bamboo Lodge, a place closer to the Andean zone, ideal to rest after several days in the deep jungle.
After breakfast, from BAMBOO LODGE to Cusco. We return to Cusco through the cloud forest and Paucartambo. We will be back in Cusco in the evening at approximately 6:00 pm.
We will drop you off at your hotel, we can also drop you off directly at the airport in case you have a connecting flight. In this case we recommend you to take your connecting flight after 8:00 p.m.
