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Early in the morning, a private transport picks you up at your hotel to start this exciting journey. As we ascend the Andes, we find Ninamarca, a small complex of circular tombs of still unclear and mysterious origin scattered on the top of a hill, overlooking the snowed capped mountains around them. Then, we arrive to the town of Paucartambo, at the center of ancient trading routes of the Incas, where we will have a short explanation on traditional dances and celebrations. We will stop for coffee, and a chat at a small local restaurant will give us time to learn about ancestral biodiversity uses by Andean communities. We will continue our way towards one of the highest points of the day at Acjanaco (3,500 m), a Park Rangers Station and the entrance to Manu National Park. If the weather conditions permit, we will have the first spectacular view of the one of the largest National Parks of Peru. Amidst the clouds, we will start our descent until we reach San Pedro, where we will have lunch. As we observe the dramatic changes of the landscape, we will reach our Cloud Forest lodge where we will have dinner and spend this first night.
Coffee and snacks in Paucartambo
Box lunch at San Pedro
Dinner at Cloud Forest lodge
Overnight at Cloud Forest lodge
The Cock of The Rock is the national bird of Peru, and it is a main attraction in the Cloud Forest. Males dance to attract the females, and we observe their activity at the lek, early in the morning, at incredible short distance. The ten-minute walk that takes us back to the lodge for breakfast gives us great chances to see a band of monkeys looking for breakfast themselves among the trees, by the road. Then, our journey continues down the Cloud Forest through the trees and water falls of the narrow ravine, home to one of the richest varieties of birds and to the spectacled bear. As we approach Pillcopata, coca plantations become visible and we will stop to visit one of them, to learn about the uses of the coca leaves and their medicinal properties. After a short stop at Pillcopata, we head for the port-town of Atalaya, where we will board a motorized canoe. A one hour ride to the Manu Learning Centre gives us the first impression of a meandering Amazonian river, the Alto Madre de Dios, one of the most southern tributaries of the legendary Amazonas River. Once at the Centre, lunch and a warm welcome from our friendly staff will be waiting for us. A basic introduction will be provided to us to make or stay more comfortable and enjoyable. Then, we will have a first short walk on the nearby trails.
Breakfast at Cloud Forest lodge
Lunch and dinner at the Manu Learning Centre
Overnight at the Manu Learning Centre
One of the most interesting activities at the Manu Learning Centre is the monitoring of the clay lick or collpa where, among others, the Blue Headed Macaw is observed and studied as it is an endangered species. At 5:00 a.m. in the morning, we join the scientists and researchers on the boat and head for the hide, five minutes up river, to observe the activity of macaws, parrots, and parakeets. As the day breaks and the rays of the sun paint the walls of the clay lick with magic colors, the birds display their dances, come and go in pairs, in flocks, until they leave to continue their day, deeper in the jungle. Then, we go back to the centre for breakfast.
After breakfast, we will take the opportunity to visit the MLC orchid garden, home to more than 120 species of orchids, some of which have not been identified yet and are waiting for a researcher (or a visitor!) to identify one as a new species and give it a name!
A visit to the bio-garden will give us a better understanding of how the Centre’s projects are a bet for a sustainable future for the jungle and its human inhabitants. Then, we will start our second visit to the trails, towards the outlook, from which it is possible to see the distant mountains of the Andes and the misty slopes of the Cloud Forest; and towards the Mascoitania ravine and its lovely creek-ponds. We will be back in the Centre for lunch.
In the afternoon, a short speech will help us put in context the work we do at CREES on sustainability and conservation, and a new visit to the trails will take us to some of the transects where the research work is carried out, as we try to spot monkeys, mammal tracks and birds.
In the evening, depending on the weather conditions, we will observe the sky, identifying southern hemisphere constellations while we are told about Andean and Jungle Cosmovisions, and stories of the jungle are told to us afterwards, in the dark, in the comfort of the living room.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner at the Manu Learning Centre
Overnight at the Manu Learning Centre
After an early breakfast, our boat will take us on a two-hour trip to the hot springs of Aguas Calientes, in the land of the native community of Shintuya. Among the trees, we will have a short time enjoying the hot ponds and the cool waters of the creek. Then, we will continue our boat ride in the Alto Madre de Dios River, passing the territories of the native communities of Shintuya, Shipetiari and Diamante on the way to the lower lands, leaving behind the mountain ranges of Piñi Piñi and Pantiacolla, where the legend wants to see located the El Dorado gold city.
Boca Manu is at the confluence of the Manu river and the Alto Madre de Dios, which, at this point, changes its name and becomes the Madre de Dios river. Some minutes away from Boca Manu, we will arrive to our lodge for dinner.
Breakfast at the Manu Learning Centre
Lunch on the boat
Dinner at Boca Manu lodge
Overnight at Boca Manu lodge
After breakfast, our boat takes us to the clay laden waters of the Manu river. The Manu river will open our journey to the most pristine forest in the richest jungle of Peru. The Park Ranger Station of Limonal controls access and we present our permits to start an amazing trip up river. The beaches offer the incredible view of numerous nesting birds and an extraordinary variety of mammals, red howler monkeys or the smaller squirrel monkeys, black caimans, side-necked turtles, and even the elusive jaguar, eventually resting on a log, indifferent to our excitement.
Lunch will be taken on the boat and we will continue the ride surrounded by this extraordinary jungle. Finally, we will arrive to the Casa Matsiguenka, built and run by the native Matsiguenkas who accompany us to the trails. We will spend this first night surrounded by the most diverse ecosystem in the world.
Breakfast at Boca Manu lodge
Lunch on the boat
Dinner at Casa Matsiguenka
Overnight at Casa Matsiguenka
After breakfast we will visit the nearby lake of Cocha Salvador and use the floating platform to observe wild life in the ox-bow lake. Monkeys, such as the Brown Cappuchin, may be visible as well as a well known family of Giant Otters eating by the lake, undisturbed, after being at the border of extinction as a species. Using an alternative trail, we will return to Casa Matsiguenka for lunch. The ecology of the rain forest, the functions of every element visible and invisible, will be the topic of our conversations with the guide, as we learn about the delicate balance of nature and the influence of us, human beings.
In the afternoon, the boat will take us to the lake of Cocha Otorongo. An incredible 20 meter observation tower in the rainforest canopy will become one of the most amazing experiences of this day. Again, chances to see wildlife are high, and more than 13 species of monkeys (like the woolly and black spider monkeys) are among the most common sights in the area. Then, we will return to Casa Matsiguenka for dinner. An optional night excursion can close this day and give us the experience of hearing several species of frogs singing around us, as black caiman may become visible near the water.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Casa Matsiguenka
Overnight at Casa Matsiguenka
Breakfast will be taken at Casa Matsiguenka before we say good-bye to our Matsiguenka friends and start our return boat trip down the river. Once again, the amazing wild life at the river sides will let us see more of the rich variety of birds (herons, egrets, Orinoco geese, terns and skimmers), the ever-amazing black caimans, the lazy turtles resting in the sun and, one more time, we will have a chance to see jaguars. Check-out at Limonal will allow us to visit an observation platform located near the Park Rangers Station. The place is a favorite for macaws roosting.
Arriving to Boca Manu, we will take some time to rest and then we will continue for a couple of hours on the Madre de Dios river to the Manu Wildlife Centre, where we will have dinner. The lodge trails and a hot water shower will be available as well.
Breakfast at Casa Matsiguenka
Lunch at the Manu Wildlife Centre
Dinner at the Manu Wildlife Centre
Overnight at the Manu Wildlife Centre
After breakfast, our boat will take us back to Boca Manu, to the air stripe to take a flight back to Cusco. The flight is the perfect closing of our adventure as we see the green jungle, the meandering rivers, and the snowed peaks of the Andes, until we reach Cusco. Transport will be waiting for us and take us to our hotel.
Breakfast at the Manu Wildlife Centre
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