6day Manu Park Tour that ends in Pto Maldonado

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Bamboo Lodge

Leaving Cusco after breakfast we travel through traditional Quechua communities and through the spectacular eastern ranges of the Andes to the village of Paucartambo, passing snow-peaks and small Andean farmsteads. We will have time here to look around this picturesque village and visit local craftsmen famous for their production of masks used in local festivals. We then ascend to the last pass overlooking the Amazon Basin and begin the breath taking descent from 3500 meters to 1600 meters above sea-level to our comfortable lodge in the orchid laden Cloud Forest. This is a spectacular journey passing cascading waterfalls and multicolored birds along the way. late in afternoon, we'll arrive to our lodge.

Day 2: Bamboo Lodge – Reserved Zone Of Manu National Park  – Casa Matsiguenka

Today we will continue our journey along Alto Madre de Dios River and Manu River as far as the Matshiguenka lodge, inside the Reserved Area, passing Limonal Park Ranger Station, where we will register before entering the Reserved Area. In the course of the trip we will see birds, toucans, macaws, parrots and some mammals such as capybaras, tapirs, peccaries and many varieties of turtles, caiman and, if we are lucky, an impressive, lone jaguar. We will arrive at our lodge in the mid-afternoon, near the Salvador oxbow-Lake, where we will spend two nights.

Day 3: Reserved Zone Of Manu National Park – Casa Matsiguenka

An early morning start will have us paddling in small canoes or on our floating platform in the tranquil oxbow lake, Cocha Salvador, as the morning mists rise. We may encounter an Agami Heron or Sungrebe and Brown Capuchin Monkeys feeding on fruit. We may also see a jaguar, giant river otters - called river wolves, and hoatzins (prehistoric birds). The otters can reach 6 feet in length and weigh up to 70 lbs. and consume between 9 to 11 lbs. of fish daily. They are one of the rarest animals on earth and only remain common in Manu. We will be on the lookout for some of the 13 species of monkeys found here. The sound of red howler monkeys through the mist may make our skin crawl while parrots will be seen flying high overhead. After lunch we walk trails which pass through terra firma forest as we look at the complex ecosystem that surrounds us. Our ecologist guide will explain how the plants and insects interact with the forest. We will be on the lookout for some of the smaller inhabitants of the jungle, such as the emperor or saddleback tamarins. We may even cross paths with a group of Peccaries, a species of wild boar found here. In the late afternoon we may swim in the river as we watch the sun set. We will spend the night at Casa Matshiguenka Lodge.

Day 4: Reserved Zone Of Manu National Park – Tapir Lodge

Today we travel downstream (6 hours) from Manu River to Madre de Dios, late in the afternoon passing two in the afternoon we will arrive to our lodge, where we accommodate and get new water resources to be able to take a 45min to an hour in a half walk through the forest, during the walk we will be able to observe several species of animals including exotic birds like Toucans and macaws.
Near the Tapir clay lick we do have a platform where we will accommodate our selves because we will spend the night in this blind from where at night we can observe Tapirs eating the clay which its reach in minerals; at the platform we do provide mattresses, mosquito nets, blankets and a toilet in the backside of the building.
At this clay lick we can also observe deers, peccaries, spider monkeys, red howler monkeys, guans, and parakeets.

Day 5: Tapir Lodge – Macaw Clay Lick – Tapir Lodge

Very early in the morning we will walk back to the lodge and from there we will travel down river towards the largest Macaw Clay lick found in Manu Park, The activity at the clay lick begins about 5:30 am as medium sized parrots arrive with the dawn, pair by noisy pair, and land in the treetops above the lick. Hundreds of screeching birds clamber about in the branches in preparation for their descent to the riverbank. Eventually, cascades of green, blue, and red parrots circle down to the clay wall. About 7:00 or 7:30 am large macaws start to arrive. After about 40 to 100 have gathered and deemed the lick safe, they begin to descend. This colorful and noisy scene continues for 20 to 40 minutes while the birds eat their fill of clay or until danger arrives in the form of a hawk, eagle, or ocelot. There are normally between 80 to 100 macaws and 600 or more other parrots. This is truly one of the world's great wildlife spectacles. After this activity we will sail up river towards our lodge where we will spend our last night.

Day 6: Tapir Lodge – Boca Colorado – Puerto Maldonado

Today we will start our journey back from the Jungle to Cusco or Lima. After we sail for a couple of hours we will reach Colorado mining town, from here we will continue our trip to Puerto Maldonado by the new Interoceanic road that joins Brazil with Peru. We will arrive to Puerto Maldonado City around 11am; and from there you can flight back to Cusco or Lima (flight tickets are not included on the price).