Manu National Reserve 9 Days and 8 Nights

Description | Detailed Itinerary | Includes | Doesn't Include | Important | Reservations | Print

Tour Description

Manu National Park was established in 1977 and in recognition of its uniqueness was designated a ''World Heritage Site” ten years later. Manu is internationally acclaimed as one of the most bio-diverse areas on earth.

Approximately half the area of Switzerland, the Manu Biosphere is a complete ecosystem with protected watershed embracing Andean mountain cloud forest, tropical lowland forest and the rivers Alto Madre de Dios and Manu drainage systems. The biosphere itself is subdivided into a National Park and two adjacent zones, one for tourism and the other for cultural subsistence. It is home to over 1000 species of birds, 15,000 species of plants, over 200 species of mammals, an untold number of insects and within its heart remain yet unconnected peoples.

Manu retains healthy populations of jaguar, tapir, anteater, black caiman, and giant otter and among the 13 species of monkey we find the unique pigmy marmoset, the smallest monkey in the world, and the nocturnal night monkey. Because of Manu's low human population and their continued use of traditional hunting techniques, the animals in the park show little fear of man and are more readily approachable than in many other rainforest locations. Manu, therefore, offers unparalleled animal watching opportunities.

Wildlife aside, however, the journey into the park itself is amazingly spectacular and not to be missed either. Access is normally by road and the two day trip from Cusco to the entrance of the Manu Reserved Zone carries you over the mountains to an elevation of 4000 m, past pre-Inca ruins and down through the cloud forest on the eastern side of the Andes into lush lowland rainforest. Roads remain largely unpaved and wind their way precariously past cascading water, deep gorges and precipices. Manu is truly a complete experience.

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Cusco - Cloud Forest
Leaving Cusco we head over the Andes, stopping for a coffee at the beautiful colonial village of Paucartambo. Continuing, we climb to the highpoint of the Manu Biosphere at about 3,800 m before descending to the cloud forest. In these mysterious surroundings we take a hike to the lek of the incredible cock-of-the-rock, to see the 'performance' of the males right under our eyes. We spend our first night in the camping huts of Posada San Pedro (1,600 masl).

Day 2: Cloud Forest – Atalaya - Manu River
At daybreak we continue by bus to the tropical lowland rainforest. At the small village of Atalaya at 650 m, we change into a motorized canoe to navigate down the turbulent Alto Madre de Dios River to Boca Manu. As night falls we make camp on one of the beaches.

Day 3 and 4: Lake Salvador and Lake Otorongo
On the morning of the third day we turn up the Manu River. From this vantage point we will have great views of riverside birds, sunbathing caimans, and the enormous aquatic guinea pig, the capybara. We reach our campsite deep inside Manu in the afternoon. This will be our base for the next two days. During this time, we will hike through the virgin forest and explore one of the most beautiful lakes of the Manu basin, Lake Salvador, by catamaran. There is a chance to see a huge variety of colourful birds, numerous species of monkey and with luck, a family of giant otters. A five hour hike through the forest takes us to Lake Otorongo and a 20 metre-high observation platform that overlooks the lake. At night we can explore the forest by torchlight or go moonlight caiman spotting on the lake.

Day 5: Lake Salvador - Boca Manu - Beach Tambo Blanquillo
After a final walk through the forest surrounding Lake Salvador, we return back down the Manu River. At Boca Manu, you return to Cusco by light aircraft if you are participating in the 5-day trip. If your tour is of 7 or 9 days, we continue on the Madre de Dios River and we arrive at Blanquillo, near the claylick for macaws, where we spend the night on a beach.

Day 6: Macaw Clay Lick
At first light we head to the macaw lick to watch the dazzling spectacle of hundreds of parakeets, parrots and macaws eating clay. In the afternoon we visit another one of Manu´s beautiful oxbow lakes, Cocha Kamungo. The night is comfortably spend in the jungle lodge Tambo Blanquillo.

Day 7: Tambo Blanquillo - Boca Manu - Pantiacolla Lodge
A short boat ride takes us to Boca Manu. If you are participating in the 7-day trip you will take a return flight to Cusco over the rainforest and the Andes by light aircraft. If you are participating in the 9-day tour, we carry on up the Alto Madre de Dios River. Travelling on the river gives us our best chance to see rare animals such as the puma or jaguar that are resting or foraging on the beaches; we also get great views of the Andes. For the next two nights we stay at the lodge, right at the foot of the Pantiacolla Mountains.

Day 8: Pantiacolla Mountains
This day we hike through a very special rainforest: this is where the Andes and the lowland tropical rainforest meet and provides the visitor with a chance to see a good selection of birds from both zones as well as some endemic species.

Day 9: Atalaya - Cloud Forest - Cusco
Back on the boat early in the morning, we head upstream to Atalaya where our bus is waiting to take us back over the Andes to Cusco.

Includes

• Qualified natural English and Spanish speaking guide.
• Transportaion by private bus from Cusco to the Cloud Forest and Atalaya (5 and 7 day tours), and back from Atalaya to Cusco (9 day tour).
• Transportation by private boat from Atalaya to Lake Salvador and Boca Manu (5-day tour), to Blanquillo claylick to Boca Manu (7-day tour), to Pantiacolla Lodge and Atalaya (9-day tour).
• Flight from Boca Manu to Cusco (5 and 7 day tour).
• All meals.
• Tents and mats.
• Manu National Park guide book.
• Paperwok for Park entrance.

Doesn't Include

• Manu Reserved Zone entrance fee (US$ 45.00 per person).
• Sleeping Bag (it can be hired at our agency for US$ 4.00 a day).
• Soft drinks, beers and others.

Important

Things you should bring along on a trip to Manu.

• Group Size: Maximum 10, minimum 6.
• Available discounts: SAE: US$ 10.00 (valid South American Explorers Club membership card required).
• Sleeping bag.
• Binoculars, Camera and film ASA 200 and 400 for the inner forest.
• Warm clothing (in case of a cold front), long sleeve shirts and long pants (cotton).
• 100% waterproof rain gear (long poncho or rain wear).
• Insect repellent (at least 50% Deet), sunscreen lotion.
• One pair of lightweight ankle height boots and sandals.
• Flashlight, enough batteries (alkaline) and bulbs Towel, swimming suit, personal edicines and/or supplies (liquid for contact lenses for example) a day pack and one back pack or duffel bag of luggage.
• Daily departures minimum 2 participants.
• Sharing service.

Other useful information

• Malaria: There is an extremely low malaria risk in the Manu area and the occasional cases of malaria in the Alto Madre de Dios River and zone have proved completely curable. Please use insect repellent and effective clothing to avoid being bitten.
• Boca Manu – Cusco flight: two types of aircraft are used for the flights between Cusco and the airstrip at Boca Manu. One, a Beechcraft King Air B-90 seats ten people and the other, a Twin Otter seats eighteen. The flight lasts about 50 minutes.In case of heavy rain or low clouds, flights may be delayed to and from Boca Manu.

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