New Tour to Manu Biosphere Reserve by Bus 6d/5n
Note: This tour starts and ends in Cusco and goes all the way to Manu Biosphere Reserve by the "Inter oceanic Road" that joins Brazil and Peru, this tour combines the Reserved Zone of Manu Park with the largest Macaw Clay Lick in the Cultural Zone.
| This Tour includes the following activities | Tour Map |
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Tour itinerary
Day 1: Cusco - Mazuco - Blanquillo Reserve
We will leave Cusco very early in the morning, driving through traditional Quechua communities along the Inter Oceanic Road that unifies Brazil with Peru. This journey to Mazuco will take about 6 hours, once we get to Mazuco we will cross the Inanbari river in a small motorized boat and from there we will take a car to Colorado. Once we get to Colorado, a mining town, we will sail up river in our Motorized 60HP Boat to our lodge in Blanquillo Reserve.
We will reach the lodge late in the afternoon.
Day 2: Blanquillo Reserve - Macaw Clay Lick - Hummingbird Lodge
Activity at the Macaw clay lick begins about 5:30 am as medium sized parrots arrive with the dawn, pair by noisy pair, and land in the treetops above the lick. Hundreds of screeching birds clamber about in the branches in preparation for their descent to the riverbank. Eventually, cascades of green, blue, and red parrots circle down to the clay wall. About 7:00 or 7:30 am large macaws start to arrive. After about 40 to 100 have gathered and deemed the lick safe, they begin to descend. This colourful and noisy scene continues for 20 to 40 minutes while the birds eat their fill of clay or until danger arrives in the form of a hawk, eagle, jaguar or ocelot.
There are normally between 80 to 100 macaws and 600 or more other parrots. This is truly one of the world's great wildlife spectacles. In the afternoon we will continue wailing up river until reach our lodge where we will spent the second night. (optional night walk)
Day 3: Humming bird Lodge - Manu Biosphere Reserve
Today we will continue our journey along the Manu River as far as the Matshiguenka lodge, inside the Reserved Area, passing Limonal, the Park Ranger Station, where we will register before entering the Reserved Area. In the course of the trip we will see birds, toucans, macaws, parrots and some mammals such as capybaras, tapirs, peccaries and many varieties of turtles, caiman and, if we are lucky, an impressive, lone jaguar. We will arrive at our lodge in the mid-afternoon, near the Salvador oxbow-Lake, where we will spend two nights.
Day 4 Manu Biosphere Reserve all day
An early morning start will have us paddling in small canoes or on our floating platform in the tranquil oxbow lake, Cocha Salvador, as the morning mists rise. We may encounter an Agami Heron or Sungrebe and Brown Capuchin Monkeys feeding on fruit. We may also see a jaguar, giant river otters - called river wolves, and hoatzins (prehistoric birds). The otters can reach 6 feet in length and weigh up to 70 lbs. and consume between 9 to 11 lbs. of fish daily. They are one of the rarest animals on earth and only remain common in Manu. We will be on the lookout for some of the 13 species of monkeys found here. The sound of red howler monkeys through the mist may make our skin crawl while parrots will be seen flying high overhead. After lunch we walk trails which pass through terra firma forest as we look at the complex ecosystem that surrounds us. Our ecologist guide will explain how the plants and insects interact with the forest. We will be on the lookout for some of the smaller inhabitants of the jungle, such as the emperor or saddleback tamarins. We may even cross paths with a group of Peccaries, a species of wild boar found here. In the late afternoon we may swim in the river as we watch the sun set. Overnight at Casa Matshiguenka Lodge.
Day 5: Manu Biosphere Reserve - Hummingbird Lodge
Today we will walk from camp through the forest to another oxbow lake, Cocha Otorongo - "Jaguar Lake", to experience another chance to see further wildlife. We may encounter troops of monkeys especially the Common Woolly Monkey. We’ll pay special attention to the plant life and listen carefully for rustling vegetation and fruits falling to the rainforest floor indicating the presence of animals or large birds. After a leisurely lunch we take our canoes for a 4-hour trip down river until we reach Boca Manu for the night. Overnight at Boca Manu Lodge.
Day 6: Hummingbird Lodge - Mazuco - Cusco
Today we will start our journey back from the Jungle to Cusco. After we sail for a couple of hours we will reach Colorado mining town, from here we will continue our trip to Cusco by car. We will arrive to Cusco between 6pm to 9pm.
