Manu Paradise & Macaws

5 days dificulty: 1		cod: PER-106 activity: Bird Watching

Beginning in Cusco, this 6-day adventure offers a wide range of activities. Colonial towns, indigenous jungle villages and the immense Amazon basin are just part of this package. For the adventurous, there’s optional mountain biking and rafting on the Kosñipata River. The cloud forest is home to a fantastic selection of ecosystems. Downstream along the Madre de Dios River, a visit to the macaw clay lick is an experience you will never forget.

An early start from Cusco gives you limitless opportunities to enjoy Peru’s many jewels. The trip to the cloud forest takes you through Andean landscapes of unmatched beauty; deep valleys and highlands are decorated with rural communities. Along the way you will observe highland birds such as the mountain caracara, Puna ibis and Andean flicker. Cultural sites include the burial towers of the Lupacas pre-Inca culture and the colonial town of Paucartambo, which is known as the folkloric capital of the Cusco region. Here you will visit the church with its image of the Virgin of Carmen, and the Carlos V colonial bridge spanning the river. This bridge has been the gateway to the Manu forests since pre-Hispanic times. After Paucartambo the journey continues by crossing the Acjanacu Pass (3,850 meters/12,628 feet), the official entrance to the Manu National Park. From here the road descends to the cloud forest, passing through Andean grasslands where the sparse vegetation is the habitat of birds such as the Andean guan, white-collared jay, crimson-mantled woodpecker and the endemic Puna thistle tail. You’ll have ample time to walk along the road and enjoy the area’s flora and fauna, which includes the cock-of-the-rock, golden-headed quetzal, blue-crowned motmot, mountain toucan and many tanagers, flycatchers, jays and hummingbirds. South America’s only bear, the spectacled bear, also shares this area with white-tailed deer, butterflies, ferns and orchids. You will spend the first night in the comforts of Paradise Lodge (1,470 meters/4,821 feet).

Driving distance: 181 km/113 miles (6 to 8 hours)
Included: lunch & dinner

Your day begins with a pre-breakfast forest walk to see Peru’s national bird, the cock-of-the-rock, in its daily ritual in which 8 to 10 males perform an amazing show to attract female attention. After returning to the lodge for a delicious typical breakfast, the rest of the day will be spent hiking and looking for local species of birds, monkeys, mammals, plants and insects in the cloud forest, and also enjoying a refreshing swim in a nearby small stream. Late in the afternoon you will board the private bus to the port of Atalaya, from where you will take the boat downstream to the lodge for an evening meal and a good night’s rest. After dinner you’ll enjoy the opportunity to take a short hike around the lodge to observe the nocturnal forest life.

Driving distance: 71.6 km/44.8 miles
Included: breakfast, lunch & dinner

Begin day 3 with a nice breakfast before continuing downstream to the village of Boca Manu. Along the way you will observe a variety of birds, including great billed terns, tiger herons, snowy egrets, black skimmers and black vultures among the trees, and also caiman on the river. After a short stop in the village continue to the private Blanqillo reserve, enjoying more bird watching and seeing birds of prey such as the harpy eagle, falcons and vultures. After dinner at the reserve you will take a nocturnal walk to Lake Blanquillo to observe caiman and listen to the spectacular sounds made by night monkeys (musmuqui), the world’s only nocturnal primate, accompanied in its symphony by the bamboo rat and numerous species of toads, insects and other forest inhabitants that only emerge at night.

Included: breakfast, lunch & dinner

Before breakfast, a 30-minute hike takes us to a position just 30 meters (90 feet) from the “collpa,” a rich riverbank deposit of minerals and clay. From a blind camouflaged with palm leaves, you will observe several species of parrots and macaws in a colorful show as they feed on minerals. After this unforgettable spectacle we will return to camp for a well-deserved breakfast. The rest of the day will be devoted to exploring Lake Blanco, where visitors often see a family of rare giant river otters, caiman, turtles and many other species native to this oxbow lake ecosystem. You also have the option to walk the game trails in the afternoon, walk around the lake at night and take an after-dark canoe ride to see caiman up close.

Included: breakfast, lunch & dinner

After an early breakfast, you board the boat again and head downstream toward the mining town of Colorado, where the private vehicle will be waiting to take you to the Inambari River. After crossing the river, continue by bus to Puerto Maldonado, arriving late in the afternoon. Here you will spend the night in a comfortable hotel.

Included: breakfast, lunch & dinner

After a leisurely breakfast, we transfer by bus to the airport for the breathtaking flight back to Cusco or Lima. Flight times depend on airline schedule and weather conditions. If your flight is to Cusco, we will provide transfer from the airport to your hotel.

Included: breakfast

• Specialized bilingual guide
• Accommodation in private lodges (4 nights) and hotel (1 night)
• Private bus transportation
• Motorized boat with cushioned seats, roof and life jackets
• All meals indicated on the itinerary:
  B= breakfast, L= lunch, D= dinner (soup, main dish and dessert), BL= box lunch
  No additional charge for vegetarian diets
• Drinking water from Cusco
• Basic first-aid kit
• Specialized books are available during the trip

• Plane tickets from Puerto Maldonado to Cusco or Lime (approximately $140)
• Excess baggage charges for plane (maximum 20 kilos per person)
• Personal items and medicines (gear, clothing, laundry service, telephone calls, etc.)
• Tips to local staff (we recommend $8-10 per day of service per guide or driver)
• Airport departure taxes

• 1 photocopy of passport.
• Daypack.
• Hiking boots.
• Sweater.
• Light warm jacket.
• Rain gear.
• Long-sleeved cotton shirts.
• Hiking shorts.
• Hat / Bandana
• Swimsuit
• Sport sandals.
• Sunscreen / Sunglasses.
• Insect repellant.
• Flashlight.
• Pocket knife.
• Camera and film (ASA 200/400) or memory card
• Battery charger (220V)
• Binoculars for wildlife viewing (8 or 10X magnification).
• Zipper lock bags and garbage bags for keeping clothes and other personal items dry.