Manu National Park 6D/5N

We will leave Cusco very early to visit the pre-Inca tombs of the Ninamarca and the colonial village Paucartambo, which is also known as the center of folklore of this region. The next stop is going to be at Acjanacu (3,530m), which is the entrance to the Biosphere of Manu and from here we will see the Amazon. Then we will descent through the different ecological layers, such as the Puna, the small forest and the cloud forest. Along the way we have the possibility to see endemic flora and fauna, such as helechos arbóreos and orchids, butterflies, monkeys, birds, toucans and tangaras among others. The cloud forest is the habitat for the cock of the rocks, the national bird of Peru (Rupícola peruviana). We will visit its lek and the Andean bear (tremarctus ornatus), a unique bear in South America. We will stay for the night in a comfortable accommodation in the village Pilcopata. (L, D)

We will make a 45 minute journey to Atalaya (500m), where we will board our motor boat and drive to our accommodation (40 minutes downstream), which is situated above the riverbanks of the Alto Madre de Dios River. Here we will spend the day to explore the surroundings, interesting paths and the ecosystem. We will visit a small lake, where we have the possibility to see the pre-historical hoatzin, some caimans, capibaras, monkeys and different species of birds. Later we will have dinner and during a night walk listen to the sound of the Amazon, such as the night active monkey (Aotus trivirgatus), the Kalinowski rat, frogs, foals and the small owls among other night active inhabitants.(B, L, D)

We will travel for 3 hours by boat, till we reach the private reservoir of Blanquillo. There we will have the possibility to take a walk before we have lunch. In the afternoon we will explore the lake and its surroundings. With the help of a catamaran we are able to visit the lake quietly and observe the great biodiversity, which is concentrated in the ecosystem, such as black caimans, white caimans, a group of wolves of the river and birds, associated with this lake. After the return from the lake, we have the opportunity of a night walk, where we can see nocturnal birds, if we are lucky, and listen to the spectacular sounds. (B, L, D)

Before breakfast we will drive downstream till we are able to position ourselves in a hiding place, in a distance of 90 meters from the Collpa, which is a wall with minerals and clay in the river. From here we can observe the different species of parrots and macaws, which give us an impressive colorful and noisy show. After breakfast and this unforgettable spectacle, we will continue to the Madre de Dios River, till we reach the Boca Manu airport. There we will leave the people, who chose the option to return to Cusco by flight. The rest of the group will continue in the boat to an applicable place to camp at the beach of the Alto Madre de Dios River. (B, L, D)

Our boa will bring us to the Atalaya Port, where our bus will be waiting for us to bring us to the hospitable accommodation in the village of Pillcopata, where we will spend our last night in the forest. (B, L, D)

This is our last day. In the morning we have the final opportunity to see the cock of the rocks. After breakfast our bus will bring us back to Cusco, where we will arrive in the afternoon. (B, L, D)