This program is designed for visitors to the Manu area, with limited time available, and who want to maximize their rainforest experience in Peru staying at Manu’s premier lodge. This area of forest and lakes has a higher diversity of life than the Manu River itself..  This trip has two major wildlife attractions – the Macaw lick and the worlds only know Tapir lick where in the comfort of mattresses and mosquito nets you may watch the largest of all South American Land Mammals visit mineral lick

DAY ONE : We pick you up at your hotel in Cusco and drive to the airport for the 35 minute flight to a small airstrip cut into the rainforest at Boca Manu. On arrival at the airport you will be met by your rainforest guide. Our motorized dugout will take you on the two hour (approx) trip down the Madre de Dios River to the Manu Wildlife Centre, a strategically located lodge owned by Manu Expeditions and a local conservation group. On the river journey we will see our first Amazonian wildlife and riverside birds such as Skimmers, Terns, Herons, Egrets and Orinoco Geese. We should arrive at the lodge for lunch and meet some of the visiting biologists working here. In the afternoon we explore a trail that leads out to a lookout point high above the river to watch roosting flights of Parrots as the sun sets, and we may encounter a troop of monkeys in the forest. Those who wish can do a night walk with the guide in search of nocturnal inhabitants of the forest. Night Manu Wildlife Centre.  L:D
DAY TWO : Early start for the Macaw Clay Lick. This is truly one of the worlds great wildlife spectacles as hundreds of Parrots and their larger relatives, the Macaws, congregate at this traditional locality to eat clay that is essential to their digestion . We'll use a floating blind to get close to the birds. The noise alone is incredible, but the sight of these brightly colored birds at the lick is unforgettable. As the lick slows down in mid-morning we'll head for Cocha Blanco, an old ox-bow lake, in search of a Giant Otter family that lives here. We'll canoe around the lake on our floating platform looking for other wildlife. After a leisurely lunch, we'll explore other trails in search of Emperor and Saddleback Tamarins, and we have seen the rare Goeldi's Monkey repeatedly in this area. Night at Manu Wildlife Centre   B:L:D
DAY THREE : Full day to explore the forest and trails around the lodge.. We'll be on the lookout for Monk Saki - an uncommon and rarely seen monkey that is occasionally seen here. We'll explore trails where groups of Manakins, perhaps the most enigmatic of neo-tropical birds, perform their strange mating dances and walk to one of our blinds at a large mammal lick where Guans and forest Parakeets and Parrotlets come for clay. Here too groups of Black Spider Monkeys visit on occasions for clay to help their digestion. Those who wish will return with the guide to the lodge in the late afternoon, however there is an opportunity to stay at the lick after dark until midnight to see what nocturnal creatures come to the lick. Tapirs, the largest South American land mammal are frequent visitors with up to 12 animals visiting in one night.Other nocturnal creatures are always possible. Night Manu Wildlife Centre. B:L:D
IF YOU ARE ON THE MONDAY 5 DAY TOUR YOU WOULD SPEND ANOTHER FULL DAY EXPLORING THE TRAILS, LAKES, CANOPY TOWERS AND WILDLIFE ATTRACTIONS AT THE MANU WILDLIFE CENTER LODGE.
DAY FOUR (or FIVE) :After breakfast we head upriver ( about 2 hours ) to the small airstrip at Boca Manu. Early morning flocks of birds pass over the boat and we may see a Capybara, the worlds largest rodent. Arriving at the airstrip we board our aircraft for the 35 minute flight over seemingly endless rainforest and then over the Andes , passing  glaciers and snow peaks to the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, where our staff will be waiting to take you to your hotel.   B.

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Waiting in front of the Airport
lounge at Boca Manu.

The floating platform used to view the Macaw Lick.

THIS IS A FIXED DEPARTURE TRIP AND LEAVES EVERY FRIDAY EVERY MONTH OF THE YEAR.  
Rated   Easy

After breakfast we'll spend the morning at the lake of Cocha Salvador. Some of the time will be spent canoeing the lake on a floating platform observing ox-bow lake animal life from the water. We may encounter an Agami Heron or a Sungrebe and Brown Cappuchin Monkeys are usually feeding on fruits nearby. Specially constructed piers that jut out into the lake enable us to look for a family of Giant Otters that live here. These, the worlds largest freshwater carnivores, remain common only in Manu, having been hunted to extinction throughout most of their former range. Each animal consumes between 4 and 5 kilos of fish daily and often they can be seen eating large fish on logs at the lakeside. The rest of the day will be spent walking the trails in the area in search of some of the 13 species of Monkey found in the forest here. Your guide will explain some of the basics of rainforest ecosystems and point out some of the medicinal plants of the area used by local, indigenous groups. We may cross paths with a group of Peccaries - a species of wild boar found here. A late afternoon swim in the river near the camp as the sun sets . Night at Cocha Salvador Safari Camp. B:L:D.

Note: The first fixed departure of each month will stay at the Machiguenga Lodge.
 

Day 5:

This morning we have time to explore the small trail system at the lodge before heading across the river to the tiny airstrip of Boca Manu. On arrival at the strip we board our aircraft for the 35 minute flight to Cusco. First we fly over seemingly endless rainforest and then past snow peaks and glaciers to Cusco, where our staff will be waiting to take you to your hotel. B:

Well fed and rested we leave Boca Manu, leaving the relatively clean waters of the Madre de Dios behind, we enter the clay laden waters of the Manu River. With a brief stop at the park ranger station at Limonal to present our permits we travel for about five hours up the Manu. Beaches, especially in the dry season, are loaded with nesting birds and feeding Herons, Egrets, Orinoco Geese, Terns and Skimmers to name but a few. Some beaches will host sunning White and Black Caimans (South American relatives of the  Alligators) and breeding Side-necked Turtles. Hundreds of Sand-colored Nightjars roost during the day on logs and beaches and there is a chance of encountering a sunning Jaguar - the worlds third largest cat. In 1999 one in three of our trips saw Jaguar in Manu. We will see some species of primate on this river trip, possibly Red Howler Monkeys or the smaller Squirrel Monkeys. After having lunched by the river we arrive at our Safari Camp near the lake of Cocha Salvador. We'll have the afternoon to explore some of the trails through the pristine rainforest in the area. A visit to the lake of Cocha Otorongo is planned, where observation piers and a 20 meter observation tower in the rainforest canopy overlooking the lake are available for observing wildlife. We will also be on the lookout for a large family of Giant Otters that inhabit this lake. Before or after dinner an optional excursion into the forest at night is available with your guide in search of nocturnal creatures. The lakes are full of eye-shine of the large Black Caiman and if we are lucky we may encounter an Olingo Kinkajou or even an Ocelot on the trails. Certainly the nighttime noise of tree frogs and insects in the forest is an experience not to be forgotten. Night at Cocha Salvador Safari Camp. The camp is really not a camp. There are flush toilet and shower facilities and large walk-in tents on raised roofed wooden platforms with cots for sleeping. B:L:D

Note: The first fixed departure of each month will stay at the Casa Machiguenga Lodge.

After breakfast we'll spend the morning at the lake of Cocha Salvador. Some of the time will be spent canoeing the lake on a floating platform observing ox-bow lake animal life from the water. We may encounter an Agami Heron or a Sungrebe and Brown Cappuchin Monkeys are usually feeding on fruits nearby. Specially constructed piers that jut out into the lake enable us to look for a family of Giant Otters that live here. These, the world’s largest freshwater carnivores, remain common only in Manu, having been hunted to extinction throughout most of their former range. Each animal consumes between 4 and 5 kilos of fish daily and often they can be seen eating large fish on logs at the lakeside. The rest of the day will be spent walking the trails in the area in search of some of the 13 species of Monkey found in the forest here. Your guide will explain some of the basics of rainforest ecosystems and point out some of the medicinal plants of the area used by local, indigenous groups. We may cross paths with a group of Peccaries - a species of wild boar found here. A late afternoon swim in the river near the camp as the sun sets . Night at Cocha Salvador Safari Camp. B:L:D.

Note: The first fixed departure of each month will stay at the Machiguenga Lodge.

Today we'll walk from camp for 4-5 hours through the forest to Cocha Otorongo. We may encounter troops of Monkeys. This is a particularly good trail for Woolly Monkey. We'll pay special attention to the plant life on this walk and take it slowly listening for the rustle of vegetation or the soft sound of fruits falling to the rainforest floor that may betray the presence of animals or large birds. We'll be met at the river by our cook with a picnic lunch and then board our motorized dugout for the 4 hour trip down river to Boca Manu for the night. The river trip may hold surprises and we'll be attentive for any wildlife on the beaches. Night at the lodge at Boca Manu. B:L:D