Manu National Park

5:30 am we are leaving in a private bus stopping in interesting places like Ninamarcas Chullpas, these are pre-Inca cemetery. The trip will be around 11 hours approximately; the highest pass on this road is 4000 msl. On this day, we travel over the Andes and over the famous cloud forest where we observe the display of the male Andean Cock of the Rocks also call Peru's national bird, after lunch we explore slowly looking for woolly monkey, brown capuchin, quetzals, toucans which inhabit the cloud forest. Later, in the afternoon we arrive to Asuncion village. We will spend the night in Bambu lodge with double rooms.

Optional night walk: Manu National Park (UNESCO).

We will get up early again, this time we will enjoy a delicious breakfast of rich fruits from the rainforest then we will continue the trip on our bus to Atalaya and on the way we will see the plant life of the rainforest, typical of the Manu cultural zone. In Atalaya we will get on our motor boat and navegate in the Rio Alto Madre de Dios for 6 hours to the ¨Boca Manu Lodge¨. On the way we will be able to watch the native birds that make their homes near the riverbank like Storks, Macaws, Vultures and some mammals like the Capybaras, Monkeys and Pumas among others.  We will also see banana and yucca plantations and stop for a break to enjoy natural hot springs known for their medicinal qualities. Afterward we will visit the native community of Diamante, home of the Yine tribe. The Yine are known in the Amazon as the best navigators of the Manu National Park area. Today we will have a scenic lunch on board our boat.

Today we have an early start as we leave on a 4 hour trip by boat toward the Manu River and the entrance to the heart of the Manu National Park (Zona Reservada). We will make a stop at the Limonal outpost where the park guards will check us in and look at our passes to the reserve area and give us their recommendations for the protected nature area. Navigating the Manu River we will have the chance to experience the amazing natural paradise by seeing the great variety of wildlife and plantlife along the river like Caimans, Tortoises and Turtles, Monkeys, Tapirs, Jaguars, and colorful birdlife like Fisher Martins, Flycatchers, Storks, Toucans and more.

We will arrive at our Manu riverbank lodging called Casa Machiguenka, which is the only lodge in the Manu Zona Reservada with its own lake, offering us the opportunity to explore the lake during the night.  We will stay two nights here in the heart of the Manu reserved zone.

We will have another early start in the boat heading to Cocha Salvador (Lake) entering further into the Manu Reserved Zone upriver, COCHA SALVADOR, is a mirror like lake that is very important within the Manu National Park because its ecosystem is home to the ¨Lobo del Rio¨ or Giant Nutria, Black Caiman and Anacondas as well as varieties of birds and up to 13 species of Monkeys in the surrounding forests.  After the visit to Cocha Salvador we will explore the rainforest entering the deepest parts of the Manu Reserved Zone to visit the home of the Machiguenka and the observation tower in Cocha Otorongo. Then we will return to the Casa Machiguenka for the second night of our stay in the Manu National Park.

Today we will leave the Manu Reserved Zone for the area known as the Manu Biosphere, on the way to Maquisapayoc.  Here we will visit an important large mammal gathering area to observe the action in the Collpa, where mammals go to eat clay that is known as a natural detoxifier.  Mammals like Tapirs, Deer, Sihuayros (wild boars); Maquisapa and Coto monkeys; and Porcupines make the trip to this special area.  The visit to the mammal collpa happens at night and is a guided tour.  The trip from Casa Machiguenka to Maquisapayoc takes about 6 hours.  Lunch will be served in the boat and we will arrive at our destination at 3:00pm.

At 5:00 am we set off to the Collpa Guacamayos on a 40 minute boat ride. At this spot we will observe from a hidden platform we will watch dozens of Macaws and Parrots gather to eat minerals contained in the clay cliffs.  We will also provide binoculars and telescopes so you can see up to 5 different species of these regal birds of the Amazon.  In the afternoon we will visit the Torre Canopy that is situated 50 meters above the forest floor, giving us a great panoramic view of the rainforest. From the canopy we will see different species of birds and monkeys from the eagle´s viewpoint. We will stay overnight in the Manu Maquisapayoj Lodge.

Early in the morning, we start with our return trip to Cusco, first by boat to Colorado village and then by car to Puerto Carlos, after crossing the Inambari River, we take our private bus to Cusco, we will be arriving around 19:00 hours and leave you at your hotel. For the people who wants to fly, from Puerto Carlos we take them by another car two and half hours to Puerto Maldonado airport and take the last flight arriving to Cusco Around 15:00 hours transfer and dinner by your own.

TRAVEL OPTION:

If you would like to take a return flight from Puerto Maldonado to Lima, the ticket is not included in the price.  Ask for a special price quote including a return flight to Lima.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides.

 INCLUDED:

• Professional naturalist guide with telescope.
• Birding guide on request.
• Private bus & boat transport.
• Entrance fees to Manu National Park (reserved zone) / Cocha Salvador & Cocha Otorongo
• Entrance fees to Macaw clay lick.
• Tapir lick
• Cook & food (vegetarian on request) and drinking water.
• Camping equipment and Lodging.
• First Aid Kit, extractor (for poison)
• Bite Away for mosquito bites
• Antidote for snake bite
• Radio communication.
• Rubber boots.

 NOT INCLUDED:

• Binocular, Alcoholic drinks etc.

 We recommend that you bring: Manu National Park

• Mosquito repellent
• Long sleeved shirts
• T-Shirts
• Cotton socks
• Hiking shoes
• Sandals or light shoes to change
• Rain gear (rain poncho is ok)
• Sweater ( in case we have coldfront)
• Long pants
• Binoculars very important the best ones are (Leica, Zeiss, Swarovski, Nikon, Bushnell) 8x20, 8x32, 10x25, 10x40, 10x42
• Camera and extra batteries
• Camera charger
• Dry bag back pack.
• Personal things  like toothbrush, etc
• Hat (or handkerchief)
• Sun blocker, sun glasses
• Flashlight LED Lenser H7 - 200 Lumens - Head torch
• Water bottle ( min. 1 l)
• Day pack
• Original passport
• Money (Soles) for soft drinks, handicrafts and tips
• Bite away very important for travelling in Peru

Manu National Park (UNESCO) /Amazon Tours Peru