Manu Jungle – 7 days, 6 nights
Manu Jungle – 7 days, 6 nights
Day 1 : Cusco – Pilcopata
We leave from Cusco by private bus, first stopping to visit the pre Inca burial towers of Ninamarca. We then drive through the mountains, to get to the typical and folkloric town of Paucartambo. Here we will take a short walk around town before carrying on to Tres Cruces, the highest point and entrance to Manu National Park. From here we will continue into the cloud forest and at San Pedro we will walk for around one hour to observe the national bird of Peru, the cock of the rock, and many different kinds of monkeys, plants and flowers. We arrive to Pilcopata in the evening where we will sleep in a local lodge.
Day 2 : Pilcopata – Bonanza
After breakfast we will continue by private bus to Atalaya. On the way we will stop to observe a coca plantation. We will also stop at a view point where you can get a good overview of the jungle and river. From Atalaya we leave by motorized boat to Aguas Calientes, where you can bath in the natural hot springs. From there we will continue by boat to Bonanza (camping platforms). We will arrive in the mid-afternoon. In the late afternoon we will walk in the jungle and fish in the river, returning to Bonanza for dinner. After dinner we will take a night walk in the jungle to look for spiders and snakes. We will camp on our platforms in tents.
Day 3 : Bonanza
We will walk in the jungle most of the day. On the way we will appreciate many different kinds of animals, such as tapir, collared peccaries, monkeys, coati, birds as well such as eagles, parrots, toucans, flowers, and the giant trees of the jungle. We will have our lunch in the jungle, and follow that with fishing. We will return to Bonanza for dinner, and after dark we will take a small canoe and catch Caimans. We will sleep in Bonanza like on the second day.
Included
Day 4 : Bonanza – Blanquillo
After breakfast we leave Bonanza by river visiting the native community of Diamante. There we will walk around the village, learning about native life and practices. We then continue by boat to Boca Manu, where you will have a chance to buy snacks, repellent, beer... We go on by boat along the Madre de Dios River until Blanquillo. Here we camp on the sandbank.
Day 5 : Blanquillo – Boca Manu
We will leave very early to visit the macaw clay lick. We use a camouflaged boat to view the clay lick where the parrots and macaws eat mineral salt. From that point we take our boat back to Boca Manu and in the afternoon we will visit the native community of "Isla de los Valles" where we will fish piranhas, watch the beautiful sunset and have another opportunity to catch Caimans. We will camp here on the sandbank close to the river.
Day 6 :
Boca Manu – Soga de Oro – Pilcopata
We take the boat for around six hours back to Soga de Oro. In the late afternoon we will visit Salvación lake and take a balsa raft to view the wildlife from the lake. After dark we will have another opportunity to catch Caimans. In the evening we will build a bonfire, relax and have some drinks and a BBQ. We will spend the night at Soga de Oro sleeping on raised platforms in tents. You have the option to spend another night in Pilcopata in a local lodge as on the first night if you prefer.
Day 7 :
Soga de Oro – Pilcopata – Cusco
We leave after breakfast to Atalaya by boat and then to Cusco via the cloud forest and Paucartambo. We will arrive back in Cusco in the late afternoon.
