Manu Rainforest Peru has a package tour of 6 days / 5 nights for this spectacular region. Enjoy the Acjanaco Mountains, cloud forest and high jungle, and the untouched rainforest around Manu National Park, finishing with a visit to the parrot clay lick and tubing the Palotoa River (located in our private Ecological Reserve). This is a tour designed to see many different kinds of Amazon wildlife in a short time and enjoy beautiful landscapes with comfort and low physical demands.

OVERVIEW & ITINERARY

• Start: Cusco
• End: Cusco
• Style: Original
• Type: Adventure
• Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
• Age Minimum: 10 years with their parents, 18 without parents
• Group size: Minimum 2 Maximum 9

 

TOUR ROUTE

Our route in the minivan by road takes about 11 hours the first day and the last day of return to Cusco 6 hours. Boat tours consist of 20 hours from the second day to the last day, both a mode of transport and a cruise in the middle of the Amazon jungle. The adventure, wildlife and flora highlights await on the river banks of Manu, the Rio Madre De Dios and the Rio Palotoa rivers. It’s not just a ride, it’s an adventure!.

 

IS THIS TRIP RIGHT FOR YOU? 

Manu area reserved 6 days is an adventure tour that involves traveling in a minivan and boat for several hours, crossing the Andes, part of the cloud forest, and the extensive lowland plain, the trip itself is moderate easy. The first day is road travel in our private minivan crossing the high Andes. It may be cold and oxygen will be thin, so we recommend drinking mate de coca before the trip, and wearing warm layers. To avoid the effects of altitude, drink plenty of water. From the afternoon we will descend into the cloud forest and our road will wind through potholes, curves, tunnels, and waterfalls. The views are spectacular. As we descent, the temperate increases and we arrive to a tropical climate where you will want to remove your warm layers and put on repellent. From the second day to the sixth day, we will descend to the river and sail by boat for several hours enjoying a vast Amazonian plain in protected Manu National Park. All our hostels are rustic, clean and accessible to any one of any age. It’s a walk in the park beautiful with wildlife.

 

MEETING POINT AND PICK UP

The meeting point or pick up will be at your Cusco hotel, our Guide will meet you with our private minivan.
 

The tour begins and ends in the city of Cusco. If you're based outside of Cusco in Pisac, Urubamba or Ollantaytambo for example, you will be picked up much earlier to be brought to the city of Cusco to join the tour at its departure point. Please contact us to coordinate. This will have an additional cost, and schedule of pick up will be arranged.

 

TIME OF PICK UP

Pick up time is bright and early, at 4:00 in the morning, to give us more time to enjoy the places of interest on the way. And, leaving early we also take advantage of the fresh morning to see more wildlife on the way. Leaving early we also avoid traffic and other tour groups crowding our way.

 

AVAILABILITY OF TOUR

We normally run this tour from March to December (summer). For January and February, please inquire for availability as it is the rainy season and trips will be scheduled only when it is safe.

 

WE PROVIDE BINOCULARS

We don’t want you to miss out on the spectacular beauty of the flora and fauna Manu rainforest! While your zoom is a great way to catch animals at a distance, binoculars are a great way just to watch! Manu Rainforest Peru provides use of professional binoculars! The Nikon and Vortex 8 x 42 water resistant binoculars offer extended clear viewing and bring the action in close. Please note, while in your care, the binoculars are your responsibility, so please treat them with care as you are liable in the event of any damage or loss.

 

ITINERARY

 

Day 01: Cusco – Cloud Forest – Posada Manu Rainforest

Leaving at 4:00 AM in our private minivan we’ll travel southeastwards to Manu, a natural Paradise. Crossing spellbinding mountains and valleys, we’ll arrive at the colonial town of Paucartambo (the folkloric capital of Cusco), and stop for a coffee. From here we drive upwards to the highest point, Acjanaco pass at 4,000m (13,123 ft.) entering the Biosphere of Manu. After taking in the panorama, we descend through the cloud forest a sea of shrubs, trees and flowering plants fed by the vapor that rises up from the valley. Primordial ferns, epiphytes, lichen, and orchids adorn the mountainside. Birds in the area include hummingbirds, quetzal, trogon, toucan, parrots, and tangaras, all of which we are likely to see. The country’s national bird, the beautiful cock of the rock (Rupícola peruviana) is also resident. We’ll likely also see the wooly monkey, unique to the cloud forest, among the many rolling cascades and tumbling waterfalls.

Overnight Posada Manu Rainforest.

 

Day 02: Posada Manu Rainforest - Casa Machiguenga

We’ll leave at dawn, enjoying our breakfast on the boat so we can spend more time on the river with the wildlife. These early morning hours are ideal for wildlife encounters. Sunrise over the Alto Madre De Dios River is a sight you won’t forget. From here we change waterways to the Manu River, where we’ll pass the next four hours in the most biodiversity area in the world. The vistas are stunning. Keep your eyes open for the elusive jaguar (Panthera onca), sinister black caiman (up to 7m long!) or white caiman, rows of turtles balancing on trunks, and, perched on the branches or soaring in the air, the multitude of exceptional birdlife. At night we’ll venture in the jungle in search of frogs, spiders and serpents and other night active creatures.

 

Overnight at Casa Machiguenga; this lodge belongs to the indigenous people of the zone and is constructed with local materials. It has capacity for 16 guests. It’s situated at the center of the reserved zone of Rio Manu

 

Day 03: Cocha Salvador – Cocha Otorongo (oxbow lakes)

Today we wait our turn to enter the park at the Guard’s station. Our first objective will be to navigate the Cocha Salvador in catamaran. Giant otters (Pteronura brasiliensis), are our goal today, as well as troupes of howler monkeys (Alouatta sara), spider monkeys, and the agami egret. As well, we’ll explore the forest for big trees like the ficus and ceiba (these trees are quickly disappearing for lumber in other parts of the world). After a delicious lunch follows, we’ll view Cocha Otorongo (one of the largest oxbow lakes in Manu), from a 20m (60 ft.) tower lending us panoramic views of the water habitat and unprecedented views of visiting wildlife (bring your zoom lens!) It’s spectacular to watch the giant otters at play and fishing. Your guide will also point out the enormous black caimans, white caimans, bird life, and medicinal plants and trees around.

 

Overnight at Casa Machiguenga.

 

Day 04: Casa Machiguenga – Robles Tree House

We’ll return to the river after a delicious breakfast, navigating the placid waters of Manu River, the perfect time to catch the jaguar (Panthera onca) out for a morning hunt, capybaras foraging, or tapirs bathing. The eagle arpía, one of the largest predators of the air in South America might soar overhead in search of a morning meal. A few hours later we arrive at the small settlement of Boca Manu. Continuing, we’ll cross the turbulent waters of the Alto Madre de Dios River for five hours by boat, another great way to enjoy the amazing panoramas, with flocks of birds flying overhead. At night we make a toast in appreciation of the group and the great wonder called Manu National Park.

 

Overnight at Robles Tree House

 

Day 04: Parrot and Macaw Clay Lick - River Tubing

Let’s go at parrot lick! At 5 in the morning we visit the clay lick of parrots and macaws. With good weather activity will be magnificent. Attended by hundreds of parrots such as: blue-headed parrot, amazon yellow fronted parrot, mealy parrot, and macaws such as: chestnut fronted macaw, blue headed macaw, scarlet macaw, blue and yellow macaw, and many parakeets, with all these creatures will be a spectacle gift of nature only Manu Rainforest Peru takes you to these places. We have even spotted an otter here!

 

Unique to our trip is river Tubing, which consists of gliding down a stretch of the river Palotoa with an inflated tire. Let yourself be guided by the river current for a stretch of 4 kilometers immersed in the sounds and sights of the Manu rain forest: an unforgettable part of our packages that we offer in our private Robles Ecological Reserve.

 

Overnight in comfort at Posada Manu Rainforest.

 

Day 06: Posada Manu Rainforest – Cusco

Every day, every moment in the jungle is a new opportunity. Everything depends on the spirit of each person, for this reason we have the chance to experience the forest in a different way each time. So, in returning to Cusco the same route we have yet another chance to appreciate the beauty, wonder and wildlife of Manu.

 

At dawn we breakfast and head out on the river for the last time, change to minivan in Atalaya and make our way back to Cusco. Expected arrival time is at 6:00 PM. We conclude the tour leaving you at your hotel and wish you happy travels.

 

INCLUSIONS

  Meals :5 breakfasts, 6 lunches, 5 dinners (vegetarian option available)

 Transport : Land transportation (minivan), river transportation (canoe motorized), Peke Peke (small boat motorized, perfectly designed for small rivers)

 Accommodation : At Posada Manu Rainforest (2night), Robles Tree House (2night), Casa Machiguenga (2 nights).