Manu National Park Reserved Zone 5D/4N

Early in the morning, we start our 8-hour trip on a road that partly goes up to 4000 meters above sea level. On the way, we have a few stops, e.g. to see the pre-inka cemetery Ninamarca and the famous folkloric village of Paucartambo (2900 m above sea level). Then we continue to “Acjanaco “, the park’s entrance. From here we go downhill through the cloud forest, where we can see a spectacular vegetation (orchids, ferns, bromeliads, begonias etc.). Maybe we have the chance to see the first mammals, like e.g. woolly monkeys or capuchin monkeys. Furthermore, we will visit the “Cock of the rock “(rupícola peruviana), Peru’s national bird, to see it dancing its famous mating dance. On our further way we will see quetzals, tanagers, trogons, hummingbirds and other beautiful, colourful birds. We will take our breakfast, snacks and lunch on the road (included in the price). In the afternoon, we arrive at our Bamboo Lodge (700m above sea level), where we will have dinner and then spend the night in double rooms with private bath.

Before sunrise we drive to Atalaya (550m above sea level) wherefrom we take our boat for about 4-5 hours downstream the river “Madre de Dios “. Then we enter the reserved zone and continue our way for about 5 hours on the Manu river until arriving at the Casa Machiguenga Lodge. During our boat trip we can see the impressive wildlife of this nature paradise with its primary forest. This area is home to a lot of biodiversity like e.g. birds, capybaras, monkeys, caimans and tapirs. With a little luck we can also see the biggest cat in South America: the jaguar. We spend our night at the Casa Machiguenga Lodge, which is situated in the heart of the Manu National Park.

This day is special because we will experience primary forest and visit the famous “Cocha Salvador“lake, home of the giant otters. These animals are an endangered species but can reproduce here because of the strict protection of their habitat. Other animals like monkeys, beautiful birds, black caimans etc. also live here and can benefit from this protection.

We discover the waters of “Cocha Salvador “by catamaran. Our guide explains the wildlife of this place to us. Then he leads us on small paths through primary forest, looking for animals and plants that are only found in this area. Afterwards we go back to Casa Machiguenga Lodge, where we spend our second night. Before sleeping, we go on a night walk.

After breakfast we take our boat to our next stop: The Aguas Calientes Tent Camp (400 m above sea level). This overnight accommodation is situated in the transit region between the Andes and low rainforest. We discover some trails to see typical wildlife. During our boat trip we probably can see some more plants and animals that we weren’t able to see before. Once more there’s the chance to maybe see the biggest wildcat of South America, the jaguar.

Early in the morning we start our trip back to Cusco. First we take our motorized boat for about 2-3 hours on the “Alto Madre de Dios “river until arriving to Atalaya. From there we take our private bus about 6-7 hours back to Cusco. On the way, our guide explains some more of the flora and fauna to us. Lunch is provided on the way