MANU
5 Days - 4 Nights

TOUR DESCRIPTION

Day 1: Cusco to Boca Manu and Manu Wildlife Center.

An early morning transfer to Cusco airport will be followed by a 45-minute flight by turboprop aircraft to Boca Manu, and then a 90-minute motorized canoe journey down the Madre de Dios
river to Manu Wildlife Center, in time for lunch.

Later, we make our first acquaintance with the lowland rainforest, learning about the plants and forest ecology as we explore some of the 30 miles of trails that surround the lodge. We have an excellent chance of encountering some of the 12 species of monkeys, including the Monk Saki and Emperor Tamarin, which inhabit the surrounding forest.
After dinner there will be an enchanting night walk along the trails, in search of the nocturnal birds and animals of the rainforest.

Day 2: The Macaw Claylick, Canopy Tower & Tapir Claylick.

Another early start is followed by a short boat ride downstream. We take a 20-minute trail through palm plantations to a cut-off channel of the river, where we find the Blanquillo Macaw Lick. A spacious hide provided with individual chairs and a convenient place for cameras and binoculars is our ringside seat for what is usually a very spectacular show. We enjoy a full breakfast here while waiting for the main actors to arrive.
Later we set off along the “collpa trail”, which will take us to the lodge’s famous Tapir Claylick. Here at the most active tapir lick known in all the Amazon, our research has identified from 8-12 individual 600-pound Tapirs who come to this lick to eat clay from under the tree roots around the edge. This unlikely snack absorbs and neutralizes toxins in the vegetarian diet of the Tapir, the largest land animal of Latin America. The lick features a roomy, elevated observation platform 5m/17ft above the forest floor. The platform is equipped with freshly-made-up mattresses with pillows. Each mattress is covered by a roomy mosquito net. The 50-m-long, elevated walkway to the platform is covered with sound-absorbing padding to prevent our footsteps from making noise. This Tapir Experience is unique and exciting because these normally very shy creatures are visible up close, and flash photography is not just permitted, but encouraged.

Day 3: Cocha Blanco and the Wildlife trails.

We set off early for Cocha Blanco, an old oxbow lake full of water lilies and sunken logs. As we circle the lake on our catamaran we might encounter the resident Giant Otter family on a fishing expedition, or troops of monkeys crashing noisily through the trees. Wattled Jacanas step lightly on the lily pads, dainty Sun Grebes paddle across the water, supple-necked Anhingas air-dry their wide, black wings, and perhaps an Osprey scans for fish from a high branch.
Amongt the bushes near the waterline, Hoatzins, which look like rust-colored, punk chickens, announce their presence with distinctive, bizarre wheezing and grunts. Woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, toucans and parakeets all finally come swooping in to trees surrounding the lake. Many of them roost around the lake for the night.
After lunch at the lodge our guide is available to lead us on freewheeling expeditions in search of further wildlife encounters, or we may take one of the lodge’s many trails on private and personal excursions to commune with the spirits of the rainforest.

Day 4: Cocha Camungo & Big Tree Canopy Tower.

Rising at dawn we board our motor-canoe to visit Cocha Camungo, an oxbow lake. Each of these forest lakes seems to have its own personality, and after circling these enchanted waters by catamaran to look birds and other lakeside fauna, we will explore the forest trails and visit the 40m/130ft canopy platform, set amongst the massive branches of a giant kapok tree. This platform provides a beautiful view of Cocha Camungo, as well as the forest canopy, and on very clear days we can spot the distant ranges of the Andes above the undulating treetops of the forest.
After lunch at the Center we will explore the forest trails, with the emphasis on visiting the fruiting and flowering trees that our experienced naturalist guides have been monitoring. Here we will hope to encounter more monkey species as well as numerous species of birds. Before or after supper, avid explorers will have a second chance to visit the Tapir Claylick.

Day 5: Manu to Cusco.

vuelo-manu-reservetocusco After an early breakfast, we leave on the two-hour boat trip to the Boca Manu airfield, enjoying early morning wildlife activity as we go. From here we fly to Cusco, where our adventure ends with a pickup and transfer to our hotel.