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Puerto
Maldonado |
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Overview |
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MANU NATIONAL PARK, TAPIR AND MACAW CLAY LICKS 7 DAYS / 6 NIGHTS |
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Departures from Cusco
: Every Tuesday (From April through October)
Per Person Prices:$2863 based on Single Occupancy
Per Person Prices:$2341 based on Double or Triple occupancy |
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Note: We require
minimum two passengers traveling together If single traveler ask for the
supplement.
In this vast area we find
1,000 of the globe’s 10,000 bird species (200 more than all of the U.S.
and Canada combined), 15,000 of the world’s 250,000 flowering plant
species, and hundreds of Jaguars. To put all of this in conservation
perspective, this protected area is TWICE AS LARGE as all Costa Rican
reserves---in fact, fully half the size of ALL of Costa Rica.
Manu
National Park with Tapir & Macaw Clay Licks
Out Colorado - Puerto Maldonado - Cusco by commercial flight
Manu Cloud forest, Manu National Park and Manu Wildlife Center
7 days/6 nights
This is one of the most fascinating nature trips in the world. Our
overland route crosses an extraordinary range of life zones from
highlands to lowlands, taking us through an array of ecosystems found
nowhere else on the planet in such close proximity. We see high altitude
farming valleys and traverse stark highland puna, plunge through layers
of grassland, elfin forest, layers of lush, ever-changing cloud forest,
and then lowland tropical valleys where farmers cultivate coca and
exotic fruits. All the way we traverse the habitat of innumerable bird
species. Then our journey winds its way by river through lowland
rainforest, taking us to a remote jungle village, then to a tented camp
in the heart of Manu, the Upper Amazon basin’s greatest national park,
and finally to the comfort of the Amazon’s finest wildlife lodge.
Only 20% of the entire Amazon has rich, floodplain soils that produce
high yields of rainforest fruits, and therefore support dense
populations of monkeys, macaws, and all other vertebrates and
invertebrates. Of this 20%, ONLY ONE PERCENT is both protected by
biological reserves AND has regular jet or turboprop flights. Manu
Wildlife Center is the finest lodge in that “one percent of 20%” – which
explains why Condé Nast Traveler Magazine found it to be “the most
intense wildlife experience in Amazonia”.
Manu National Park, Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, Manu Wildlife Center
Private Reserve, and Los Amigos Private Reserve comprise a single,
continuous complex of protected areas in Manu province —the best
protected section of the one percent of the 20%. The oldest of these
units, Manu National Park, boasts the coveted status of UNESCO World
Heritage Site. The entire complex covers 2.5 million hectares/6.2
million acres, almost the size of Belgium or the U.S. state of Maryland.
The region includes vast areas inhabitated only by either uncontacted
tribes or a handful of intrepid scientists.
In this vast area we find 1,000 of the globe’s 10,000 bird species (200
more than all of the U.S. and Canada combined), 15,000 of the world’s
250,000 flowering plant species, and hundreds of Jaguars. To put all of
this in conservation perspective, this protected area is TWICE AS LARGE
as all Costa Rican reserves —in fact, fully half the size of ALL of
Costa Rica.
In Manu we navigate the waters of an isolated oxbow lake, home to giant
otters, caimans, monkeys and an endless variety of birds.
Our trip ends downriver with the Amazon’s finest wildlife viewing
opportunities, at Manu Wildlife Center. This lodge offers the finest
Tapir viewing in ALL the Amazon, as Tapirs are nightly visitors to the
lodge’s mud wallow. The mornings feature clay licks and fruiting trees
teeming with parrots and macaws. A network of trails, two towers for
forest canopy viewing, and two adjacent pristine lakes round out the
perfect rainforest experience.
After a short canoe journey we return to Cusco aboard a modern,
commercial airplane.
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Duration
7 days and 6
nights
Departures
Every Thursday (From May through November)
Activities
Jungle excursion (see detailed program
below)
Airfares
Included, Boca Manu - Cusco
Meals
Included as specified below
Customizable
YES, feel free to ask for extra services |
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Day 1: Cusco to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.
 Our overland journey begins at 3,400 m/11,150 ft, with an
early departure from the highland city of Cusco. Today's
destination is the lush cloud forest region where the Andes
fall away to the Amazon basin. This is a day of scenic drama
and striking contrasts. We first visit a mountain wetland
habitat teeming with migrant and local waterfowl, before
crossing two mountain ranges between the Cusco valley and
the Paucartambo valley, to a maximum altitude of 3,900
m/12,790 ft. Finally we follow a sinuous ribbon of highway
on its plunge through an extraordinary world of forested
cliffs, waterfalls and gorges. We take leisurely stops to
see mountain villages, a hilltop necropolis of chullpas (pre-Inca
burial chambers), and the abrupt ridgetop of Ajanaco, which
marks the final high point where the Andes begin their swoop
into the Amazon basin. In clear weather we will see a
breathtaking panorama of cloud forest and mountain giving
way to the lowland rainforest plains far below us.
After a picnic lunch near here we descend through the
startling and rapid environmental transformations
characteristic of the tropical Andes, passing from grassland
and stunted trees through elfin forest, until we wind
through a lush and magical world of overhanging trees, giant
ferns, monster begonias, countless orchids and bromeliads,
and a diverse and teeming birdlife.
We make frequent spontaneous stops, perhaps spotting a
brilliantly feathered quetzal, a trogon, or the wild
turkey-like Guan. We reach the comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock
Lodge in the late afternoon, the best hour to visit the
nearby viewing platform for the display ground, or "lek".
This is usually the highlight of a long, full day, a chance
to see Peru's dazzling national bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock (Rupicola)
in full, raucous courting display. (Box Lunch, D).
Day 2: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to Boca Manu
 Rising early, we have a second chance to view the
Cock-of-the-Rock display, and then scout for birds, and
perhaps Brown Capuchin or Woolly monkeys along the nearby
road. Or we can take a secluded nature walk on a short trail
loop to the river and back. After breakfast we continue our
drive, as mountains give way to low rolling hills and
farmland. At Patria we visit a plantation of coca grown
legitimately for the Peruvian coca leaf market. At midday we
reach Atalaya, a tiny port where the Piñipiñi River meets
the Alto Madre de Dios. Now the lowland rainforest part of
our journey begins. Rivers are the highways of the
rainforest, and henceforth we will travel in large,
comfortable dugout canoes shaded by canopy roofs and driven
by powerful outboard motors.
As we follow the river's broad, rushing course past the last
foothills of the Andes, our ever-changing route offers
sightings of new birds —terns, cormorants, White-winged
Swallows, and flocks of nighthawks flushed from their
daytime lairs by the sound of our engine.
Splashes of brilliant yellow, pink and red foliage dot the
forest-clad slopes around us, and the breeze is laden with
the heady perfumes of the tropical forest.
At our overnight lodge near Boca Manu, a new array of forest
sounds awaits our ears. As night falls the whistling
call-and-response of tinamous gives way to the loud shrill
of cicadas. (B, Box Lunch, D)
Day 3: Boca Manu to Manu National Park (Manu Wildlife
Tented Camp).
 In the morning we may join other eco-guests arriving by air
from Cusco. We make a short visit to the village of Boca
Manu, riverside capital of the remote and sparsely populated
Peruvian province of Fitzcarrald. The main activity here is
building dugout boats for travelers on the river, and we see
how these sturdy craft are made. Logging is prohibited here,
so the resourceful villagers work entirely with lumber
brought downriver by floodwaters.
Now we turn northward up the chocolate-brown waters of the
Manu River into the lake-rich lower Manu National Park. The
pristine quality of the forest is instantly apparent, with
abundant birdlife and no signs of outside development.
We check into the park at Limonal ranger station and then
proceed upstream, as our boat driver steers skillfully
through shallows and driftwood snags. Orinoco Geese and
Horned Screamers strut on the beaches, Capped and
White-necked Herons patrol the shoreline, and countless
sunbathing turtles dive off their log perches as we approach.
After some six hours on the river we reach InkaNatura's Manu
Tented Camp, a simple but comfortable low-impact lodge
nestled almost invisibly in the forest.
Time permitting, we will take a short walk before dinner to
stretch our legs and enjoy our first encounter with virgin
rainforest. (B, Box Lunch, D)
Day 4: Manu National Park (Manu Wildlife Tented Camp):
Cocha Salvador & Cocha Otorongo.
Today we visit two lakes near our camp. Park authorities
determine the time of our visit to Cocha (Lake) Salvador;
depending on this schedule, we will visit Cocha Otorongo
earlier or later in the day.
Our trail to Cocha Otorongo begins some 30 minutes
downstream from the camp. This brief river journey to the
trailhead can always offer the chance of a thrilling
wildlife sighting. Perhaps we will spot a family of
Capybaras, the world's largest rodent, browsing on the
riverbank, or if we are very lucky, a solitary Jaguar might
stalk slowly off an open beach into the forest, flicking its
tail in annoyance at our intrusion.
On the short trail to the lake we may spy one or more of the
park's 13 monkey species leaping through the canopy high
above. And some of the trees which form that canopy —such as
kapok, ironwood and figs, will astound us with the vast size
of their trunks and buttressed root systems.
These are oxbow lakes, formed when the river changed course,
leaving a landlocked channel behind. The lakes are abundant
in fish and wildlife, and provide optimum habitat for
caimans and the Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), one of
the Amazon's most endangered mammal species.
This lake enjoys maximum protection, and boats are not
allowed. However, it features two dock platforms and a 50ft
tower from which to scan the trees and marshy shoreline for
monkeys, kingfishers, Anhinga (a large, long-necked
waterbird), and countless other species. We have a good
chance of sighting the resident Giant Otter family as they
dive for the 4Kg. of fish that each individual consumes
daily.
Cocha Salvador is the largest of the area's lakes, at 3.5 Km,
or some two miles long. It is also home to a family of Giant
Otters. We cruise the lake on a floating catamaran platform,
which offers superb new perspectives of lake and forest. The
lakeside trees are often alive with monkeys; Scarlet,
Chesnut-fronted and Blue-and-gold macaws beat a path
overhead; a variety of herons and egrets scout the water's
edge; and the reptilian eyes and snouts of caimans,
motionless as logs, may be spied beneath the branches.
Somewhere on the open water or in among toppled bankside
trees, we may spot the sleek heads of the shy Giant Otters.
These social animals play and fish together, and we may see
them sprawled on a fallen tree trunk, dozing or gnawing on a
fish. (B, L, D)
Day 5: Manu National Park (Manu Wildlife Tented Camp) to
Manu Wildlife Center and Tapir Clay lick.
We set off downriver at dawn. At this hour chances of
wildlife encounters are excellent. We return to the Limonal
park station, to file our wildlife report before leaving the
park. After reaching the turbulent union of the Alto Madre
de Dios and Manu rivers and then the village of Boca Manu,
we may drop off some passengers returning to Cusco. After
ninety more minutes downstream we arrive at Manu Wildlife
Center —the exciting final stop of our journey— in time for
lunch.
After an early afternoon rest we set off along the "collpa
trail", which will take us to the lodge's famous Tapir Clay
Lick. 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 5 m/17 ft
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 10-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.
The hard part for modern city dwellers is to remain still
and silent anywhere from 30 minutes to two or more hours.
Many prefer to nap until the first Tapir arrives, at which
point your guide gently awakens you to watch the Tapir 10-20
m/33-66 ft) away below the platform. Most people feel that
the wait is well worth it in order to have such a high
probability of observing the rare and elusive Tapir in its
rainforest home. (B, L, D)
Day 6: Manu Wildlife Center: the Macaw Clay lick & Cocha
Blanco.
Another early start (inevitable on wildlife expeditions), 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 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.
In groups of twos and threes the big Red-and-Green Macaws
come flapping in, landing in the treetops as they eye the
main stage below -- the eroded clay banks of the old channel.
Meanwhile the supporting cast appears: these may included
Blue-headed, Mealy, Yellow-crowned, and Orange-cheeked
Parrots -- and the occasional villain, a menacing and
unwelcome Great Black Hawk.
The drama plays out in first in tentative and then bolder
approaches to the lick, until finally nearly all the macaws,
parrots and parakeets form a colorful and noisy spectacle on
the bare banks, squabbling as they scrape clay from the hard
surface.
(Please note that the clay lick is most active from August
to October and less so during the months of May and June.)
In the afternoon we visit 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.
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. (B, L, D)
Day 7: Manu Wildlife Center to Cusco - Departure day
We leave our lodge very early on the two hour and half
return boat trip downstream to the Colorado Village, the
breakfast will be serve on the boat while you enjoying early
morning wildlife activity as we go, of course this is a
perfect time to take advantage of valuable early morning
wildlife activity along the river, in additions this journey
allows us to see several lowland native settlements and gold
miners digging and panning gold along the banks of the Madre
de Dios River. We will stop in the far-west type gold-mining
town of Colorado to start our overland journey to Puerto
Carlos for 45 minutes, then you will cross the Inambari
River for 15 minutes boat trip to Santa Rosa, finally a van
or bus will drive us to the airport in Puerto Maldonado City,
in approximately two-hours and half, from here you fly by a
commercial airplane to Cusco, with a pickup and transfer
assistant to your hotel your jungle adventure ends. (B)
Important note:
•Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to
maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports
of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides based
at the lodge.
END OF OUR SEVICES |
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INCLUDES: All hotel
and lodge accommodations based on double or single occupancy. All
scheduled land, lake and river transportation. All transfers. All
scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services. All entrance
fees. Meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Breakfast; L=Lunch; D=Dinner.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE
International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees,
excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight
cancellations, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages or bottled water,
snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or
messages, reconfirmation of international flights and items of personal
nature. |
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Mon-Fri 9 Am - 6 Pm ET
please allow pop-ups
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Call Centers |
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NORTH AMERICA TOLL FREE
Monday - Friday
From 9 am to 6 pm ET
1 888 671 2852 voice
1 888 671 2853 voice
Discounted Airfares Toll Free
1-866-856-8368
1 480 247 4242 Fax
United Kingdom - TOLL FREE (Freephone)
0-800-098-8450
Australian Customers TOLL FREE
1-800-194078
Rest of the world
+51 1 4443027 - 4457704
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