Manu Reserved Zone – 8 Days / 7 Nights

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 45 min 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

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.

After having our breakfast we start the returning trip, but to do this we need to make a short stop in Boca Manu to get fuel for the boat. Then we will continue sailing up Manu River. With a brief stop at the park ranger station at Limonal to present our permits we travel for about five hours up the Manu. Beaches, especially in the dry season, are loaded with nesting birds and feeding Herons, Egrets, Orinoco Geese, Terns and Skimmers to name a few. Some beaches will host sunning White and Black Caimans (South American relatives of the Alligators) and breeding Side-necked Turtles. Hundreds of Sand-colored Nightjars roost during the day on logs and beaches and there is a chance of encountering a sunning Jaguar – the worlds third largest cat. In 1999 one in three of our trips saw Jaguar in Manu. We will see some species of primate on this river trip, possibly Red Howler Monkeys or the smaller Squirrel Monkeys. After having lunch by the river we arrive at our Safari Camp near the lake of Cocha Salvador. We’ll have the afternoon to explore some of the trails through the pristine rainforest in the area. A visit to the lake of Cocha Otorongo is planned, where observation piers and a 20 meter observation tower in the rainforest canopy overlooking the lake are available for observing wildlife. We will also be on the lookout for a large family of Giant Otters that inhabit this lake. Before or after dinner an optional excursion into the forest at night is available with your guide in search of nocturnal creatures. The lakes are full of eye-shine of the large Black Caiman and if we are lucky we may encounter an Olingo Kinkajou or even an Ocelot on the trails. Certainly the night-time noise of tree frogs and insects in the forest is an experience not to be forgotten. Night at Casa Matsiguenka Lodge.

After breakfast we’ll spend the morning at the lake of Cocha Salvador. Some of the time will be spent canoeing the lake on a floating platform observing oxbow lake animal life from the water. We may encounter an Agami Heron or a Sungrebe and Brown Cappuchin Monkeys are usually feeding on fruits nearby. Specially constructed piers that jut out into the lake enable us to look for a family of Giant Otters that live here. These, the worlds largest freshwater carnivores, remain common only in Manu, having been hunted to extinction throughout most of their former range. Each animal consumes between 4 and 5 kilos of fish daily and often they can be seen eating large fish on logs at the lakeside. The rest of the day will be spent walking the trails in the area in search of some of the 13 species of Monkey found in the forest here. Your guide will explain some of the basics of rainforest ecosystems and point out some of the medicinal plants of the area used by local, indigenous groups. We may cross paths with a group of Peccaries – a species of wild boar found here. A late afternoon swim in the river near the camp as the sun sets. Night at Casa Matsiguenka Lodge.

Today we will walk from camp through the forest to a different oxbow lake, Cocha Otorongo – “Jaguar Lake”, to experience another setting and a chance to see further wildlife. We may encounter troops of monkeys especially the Common Woolly Monkey. We’ll pay special attention to the plant life and listen carefully for rustling vegetation and fruits falling to the rainforest floor indicating the presence of animals or large birds. After a leisurely lunch we take our canoes for a 4-hour trip down river until we reach Boca Manu for the night. Overnight at Bamboo Lodge.

Today, after breakfast we will sail Alto Madre de Dios up river to the port of Atalaya, the place from where we started our trip by boat, after reach it we will drive to bamboo lodge where we are going to spend our last night in the jungle of Manu National Park.

GOOD BYE TO MANU!! On the day of our return, we will have an early morning departure from the bamboo Lodge in the direction of Paucartambo, which was the entrance point that led us into the jungle in the first place. At this time we will pass through the beautiful Sacred Valley on the way, arriving in Cusco around 7.00pm.