5day Manu Park Tour that ends in Pto Maldonado

Tour Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco – Cloud Forest – Bamboo Lodge

Departure from Cusco city very early in the morning in one of our trucks specially prepared for this road. We will pass through interesting Inter-Andean valleys and picturesque farmer communities. In the middle of the day we are going to visit the pre-Inca buried towers of Ninamarca, known as “chullpas”. After that we will arrive to Paucartambo city, which is a typical colonial town. It had a lot of importance and it still conserves it’s flavor. Continuing our trip we drive up until the Abra of Accjanaco which is found at 3850 meters over the sea. From this point we start to go down passing through the cloud forest, which is an area rich in endemic species as the spectacular “Andean Bear” (Tremarctos Ornatus) and “The Cock of the Rock” (The Peruvian National Bird), “Orquis”, “Bromelias” and “Ferns” etc. Then in the cloud forest we will visit a lek of “Cock of the Rock”, in which these birds every morning and afternoon made during a very interesting dance called “Displays”. We will spend the night at Bamboo Lodge.

Day 2: Bamboo Lodge – Tapir Clay Lick.

After eating our breakfast we continue the tour by bus going through the high forest arriving to Atalaya which is found next to Alto Madre de Dios River (700 meters over the sea). From this point we start to go down river in a motorized boat (60 hp). At the riverside we will have the opportunity to see a lot of bird species such as “Herons”, “Vultures”, “Cormorants” etc. Along the river there is a hot spring where we will stop for the bath; 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 3: Tapir Clay Lick – 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 4: Tapir Lodge - Blanco Oxbow Lake.

This morning after a short morning walk we will travel towards Cocha Blanco, in this oxbow lake using a floating catamaran we will look for monkeys, giant otters, birds such as macaws, toucans, horned screamers, egrets, herons, cormorants, woodpeckers, and hoatzins. We can also see caimans and turtles around the lake.

****Option: We can do some Piranha fishing in this oxbow lake.

Day 5: 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).