Manu Wildlife Camping Safari

Day 1: Paucartambo - Cloud Forest Overland

After breakfast in Paucartambo, we break camp and set off on our next Peru adventure tour with our naturalist guide for the Manu cloud forest through high grassland puna of the Andes. On the way we pass stone chullpas, or burial chambers, of the Pre-Inca Lupaca people, and catch site of some of the bird species of the high Andes, including the Giant Hummingbird and Mountain Caracara.
Enjoy a picnic lunch at the Ajanaco pass affording a spectacular view on a clear day over the vast expanse of lowland Amazon rain forest. The road plunges down the eastern slope of the Andes, past remnant patches of elfin forest, through swirling mist and cloud, to emerge in a forest of stunted evergreen trees, festooned with mosses, lichens, bromeliads and other epiphytes. Nestled in this forest within earshot of a rushing mountain stream lies our lodge for the night, the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.

Wildland Adventures Peruvian Amazon Part I

Accomodations: Cock of the Rock Lodge

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Manu Foothills

Rise before dawn to see the display ground (lek) of the Andean cock-of-the-rock. From our observation blind we watch the blazing orange males just a few feet in front of the blind strut and dip their crested heads, screeching in the hope of attracting a mate. After breakfast we walk along the sinuous jungle road looking at orchids, flowers and cloud forest birds such as the golden-headed trogon, as well as numerous, brightly colored tanagers and hummingbirds. We may see a troop of muscular-limbed woolly monkeys or brown capuchin monkeys.

In the late morning we continue our drive (2-3 hours), as mountains give way to low rolling hills and farmland. At Patria we visit a coca plantation grown legitimately for the Peruvian coca leaf market. At midday we reach the small riverside port of Atalaya to board our motorized dugout canoe with comfortable seats shaded by a canopy roof. Following down the river’s broad, rushing course, the foothills of the Andes fade and our ever-changing route offers sightings of new lowland birds. After about 5 hours downstream we reach Boca Manu, a small outpost village where native peoples, gold miners, subsistence farmers and ecotravelers congregate on their way in or out of the jungle. Here we see how the sturdy dugout canoes are made: logging is prohibited here, so the resourceful villagers work entirely with logs carried downriver by floodwaters. Overnight at Boca Manu Lodge.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 3: Manu River & National Park

This morning we turn northward to motor up the chocolate-brown waters of the Manu River into the lush, pristine lower reaches of the Manu National Park. The pristine quality of the forest habitat becomes 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, butterflies flutter around us, and countless sunbathing turtles dive off their log perches as we approach. After approximately six hours on the river we reach Manu Tented Camp, a simple but comfortable low-impact lodge nestled in the forest. Time permitting, we will take a short walk before dinner to stretch our legs in the primary rainforest. Here we are on the boundary of the core zone of the Manu Biosphere Reserve where only scientists are allowed to enter and native Machiguenga families still reside, some of whom have never made contact with outside civilization. Overnight at Manu Tented Camp.

Accomodations: Manu Tented Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 4: Manu National Park & Oxbow Lakes

Today we visit two beautiful oxbow lakes hidden in the rainforest near our camp. Our short morning canoe downstream to our trailhead offers the chance to spot a family of capybaras, the world’s largest rodent, browsing on the riverbank, or if we are very lucky, a solitary jaguar might be found drinking by the bank of the river. Oxbow lakes provide critical habitat between forest and water for fish, birds and other wildlife including caimans, the primitive looking hoatzin bird, and the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), one of the Amazon’s most endangered mammal species. On easy walks along the lake shore we typically encounter several of the 13 monkey species leaping through the forest canopy above. The massive kapok, ironwood and stranger fig trees are astounding with the vast size of their trunks and buttressed root systems. We explore this habitat and photograph the wildlife from docks extending out from shore, paddling on a stable floating platform great for tripods, and a 50ft tower into the canopy from which to scan the trees and marshy shoreline for monkeys, kingfishers, scarlet, chestnut-fronted and blue-and-gold macaws, and countless other species. With a little luck, chances are good for sighting the resident giant otter families as they dive for piranhas and other fish. Overnight at Manu Tented Camp.

Accomodations: Manu Tented Camp

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5: Manu Wildlife Center

Set off downriver at dawn, the best time to observe wildlife along the river’s beaches, stopping at the ranger station to file our wildlife report before leaving the park. After reaching the turbulent union of the Alto Madre de Dios and Manu Rivers (2 hours) it’s just ninety more minutes downstream to arrive at Manu Wildlife Center in time for lunch. This afternoon we continue our Amazon jungle exploration on specially designed forest trails through the private rain forest reserve in search of 10 species of resident monkeys, including the red howler and black spider monkey and many other species of flora and fauna. Take a nocturnal foray through the forest to the tapir clay lick blind where you can observe and photograph these 500 pound beasts, the largest land animal in South America. The blind is complete with mattresses and pillows so you can relax and nap until the first tapirs arrive. Overnight Manu Wildlife Center.

Wildland Adventures Peruvian Amazon Part 2

Accomodations: Manu Wildlife Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6: Manu Wildlife Center

Rise before dawn to motor by boat 25 minutes downriver to the Blanquillo macaw clay lick. This is perhaps the best macaw lick in the world to photograph and observe macaws eating mineral-rich clay on the bank of the river. The spacious blind is located in front of a wide swath of river bank where the macaws perch to eat clay. Breakfast is served in the blind and a bathroom is available. First smaller parrots flock to the lick, and if the weather is good and no predators are in sight, the macaws congregate and descend in a cacophony of sound and color. Return to the lodge for lunch.
Later, we continue to explore and discover the rainforest, its lore and plant life, on the network of trails surrounding the lodge, arriving in the late afternoon at the 34m/112ft canopy tower. On its platform high up in the rainforest where most species reside, we witness the activity of twilight in the rainforest before night closes in. From late afternoon until after dinner, we may have the opportunity to search for caiman and other nocturnal life along the riverbank by boat if the level of river allows it. Overnight at Manu Wildlife Center.

Note: Although the macaw clay lick is active year round, the best months for viewing and photography are July through November when there are larger flocks and less rain.

Accomodations: Manu Wildlife Center

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 7: Return To Cusco

Depart from the lodge very early for the return boat trip downstream to the gold-mining town of Colorado Village (2.5 hrs). Enjoy breakfast on the way while watching early morning wildlife activity and miners who pan for gold along the Madre de Dios River. Drive 45 minutes to Puerto Carlo where we’ll cross the Inambari River for a 15 minute boat trip to Santa Rosa. In Santa Rosa a vehicle awaits for the two and a half hour drive to Puerto Maldonado. We’ll catch our afternoon flight to Cusco and return to the Garden House Hotel for a final overnight to collect luggage and relax before departing the next day.

Accomodations: The Garden House Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch