Manu National Park Tour (3 Days)

The Manu National Park tour 3 Days and 2 Nights begins with a hotel pickup in Cusco. We embark on a journey towards Manu National Park, passing through picturesque inter-Andean valleys and the pre-Inca “chullpas” tombs of Ninamarca by noon. Our next stop is Paucartambo, a charming village renowned for its colonial houses and museums displaying ancient ceramics and diverse costumes and masks used in the celebrated “Virgen del Carmen” festival.

Approximately at noon we will be arriving at Paucartambo, a beautiful village that welcomes us with its colonial houses and museums where we can appreciate ceramics of ancient cultures, and different costumes and masks used in the different dances of the famous festival “Virgen del Carmen”.

Then we proceed to the lookout point at Acjanaco at the pass 4,000m (13,123 ft.) for an outstanding view over the cloud forest and lowlands. This is the entry point to Manu National Park. From here we travel down through pristine cloud forest which feeds the local flora unique to this clime.

The landscape is stunning: we will pass many waterfalls, sweeping views of the valley and dense cloud forest vegetation: mosses, lichens, orchids and birds unique to this part of the world ply the mountainside. The cock of the rock, trogons, tanagers; capuchin monkeys and wooly monkeys can also be seen. Then we arrive to our lodge in the evening, where we will sleep in a beautiful and rustic lodge.

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Meals: Lunch (Box Lunch) Dinner

Starting the day off we’ll take a guided tour around the lodge, with an emphasis on local medicinal plants, peruvian Amazon fruit trees and a coca plantation. Later we’ll pay a visit to the animal rescue center (donation only) for an hour. Once in the Rescue Center we can enjoy the free running, jumping spider monkey, titi monkey, and capuchins and pet the tapir. Volunteers will guide you around the wildlife and explain how they ended up here. After we continue to the small town of Atalaya, 600 m (1,968 ft), we will board the motorized boat and meet with the local crew. From Atalaya we leave by motorized boat to our lodge. A long the boat trip we will see many different kind of animals, birds, plants and flowers.

In the afternoon we will visit Machuwasi Lake, on the way there are great birding and wildlife spotting opportunities and in the oasis of the lake live caiman, the prehistoric bird hoatzin (Opisthocomus hoazin), capybara and other Amazonian aquatic life. Have your cameras ready, as the trip on simple balsam pole rafts as the placid water is mirror like and we will encounter many birds, insect and some monkeys in this secluded lake.

After this walk in the extraordinary Amazon we return to our lodge

• Accommodation: Lodge
• Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

We will leave early to visit the parrot clay lick, we’ll board our river boat to visit the parrot clay lick nearby. Weather conditions permitting, we’ll have an unforgettable look at parakeets, parrots, and (with luck) macaw pairs dining on the mineral rich clay they use to help supplement their diet and improve their digestion. It’s a truly vibrant site with all the colors and movement. After returning for breakfast, we pack in to the boat and head for back up river to Atalaya where we rejoin our minivan for the winding and beautiful drive back through the cloud forest to Cusco.

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch