Manu Selva

Manu National Park - Home Matsiguenka in 8 days

Day 1: Cusco – Cloud Forest (BL, L, D)

You wake up early to leave Cusco and begin a winding ascent into the Andes. After a brief stop in chullpas Ninamarca (pre-Inka) the road starts to descend towards the village of Paucartambo where we stop to stretch our legs again and discover some interesting facts about this colonial town.
Leaving Paucartambo you begin your ascent through eucalyptus groves, cultivated fields, and remnant patches of native vegetation. Forty minutes from Paucartambo you reach Acjanaco at 3,500 meter atop the Eastern Cordillera of the Andes. At this point you have entered the Manu Biosphere Reserve where you are above the clouds gazing below into the lush jungle of the Amazon. As you ascent down from Acjanaco, the baron Paramo starts to change to an elfin forest.
Here you will stop for lunch to admire the view. From here you descend further into the cloud forest where the tree canopy covered by mist gives life to numerous epiphytes, moss, luscious green ferns and the Kur-Kur (high land bamboo). This area is a natural playground for a vast number of birds. You make your way to an observation post where, with a little luck, you will be able to watch the fascinating dance of Peru’s National bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock and hopefully spot the Woolly monkey.
You arrive at our accomadation at 6 p.m. where you will spend the night. After a delicious meal you can enjoy the beautiful surroundings before turning in for the evening.

Day 2: Cloud Forest – Blanquillo (B, L, D)

At day break we head to the river port of Atalaya in the headwaters of the Alto Madre de Dios River. From Atalaya, we have a relaxed boat journey down stream to the lowland forest. During the trip we will enjoy lunch on the boat. Throughout the day we observe different types of flora and fauna. We continue our journey to reach Blanquillo hostel, known for having one of the largest macaw clay licks. If we have time we will hike the trails in the area. Here we will have dinner and stay the night.

Day 3: Blanquillo (B, L, D)

Early on we will go in the catamaran and park in front of the macaw clay lick. From the hide we will fully enjoy the arrival of hundreds of parrots and parakeets, as the macaws descend to supplement their diet with minerals from the clay. After this great show we will continue our journey to the hostel near Boca Manu, known for its mammal lick. In the evening we will go to a platform in the forest where it is possible to spot the tapir at night.

Day 4: Casa Matsiguenka

Once we have had breakfast, we board our boat in order to enter Manu Park, making a brief stop at the Limonal station to show our authorization giving us access to the park. We continue coasting down the river and enjoying everything that nature, always capricious, will show throughout the day.
Lunch will be served in the boat and in the afternoon we arrive at Casa Matsiguenka. On arrival we are greeted by the natives of this ethnic group. Here our guides for the following day will introduce themselves and brief you on the activities for the next day which will show all the richness of the area.

Day 5: Casa Matsiguenka (B, L, D)

This day we cruise the Lake Salvador on a catamaran in search of giant river otters (Pteronura brasiliensis) and explore the forest of the Casa Matsiguenka trying to find the spider monkey (Athelas paniscus) or the bustling peccaries (Tayassu peccary). After a full day of enjoying all this region of the Amazon has to offer, we will overnight at Casa Matsiguenka.

Day 6: Casa Matsiguenka – Shintuya (B, L, D)

After breakfast we take the boat to start our return journey upstream. Traveling down Manu rive, we will make a brief stop at the checkpoint Limonal to record our departure. Continuing along the Madre de Dios River we will stopover at the hot spring to take a soothing bath. Finally, we arrive at a hostel of the Shintuya native community in the evening to spend the night.

Day 7: Shintuya – Bosque Nublado (B, L, D)

In the morning we continue our journey by boat to reach the port of Atalaya. In Atalaya our car will be waiting to take us back to our hostel in Chontachaca. This will be our last chance to enjoy a hike on one of the many trails available to us in the Chontachaca and to relax and soak up the tranquility of the jungle. We spend the night here.

Day 8: Chontachaka – Cusco (B, BL, L)

After breakfast, time permitting, we shall have our last walk in the jungle and prepare ourselves for our trip back to Cusco. On the road we will make a short stop for lunch and will stop in interesting places, again in the Cloud Forest and our last stop in Paucartambo to have a coffee before the arrival to Cuzco. End of our services.
You will arrive at 5.00 p.m.

B: Breakfast, L: Lunch, D: Dinner, BL: Box Lunch

Important:

Manu National Park is not endemic area about Malaria neither Yellow fever you can bring a good insect repellent but if you decide to put the yellow fever vaccination for prevention you can do it 10 days before start your trip to the jungle.

It includes:

All land and river transportation, specialized and bilingual guide, 03 nights in Lodge, meals (vegetarian option is available) and first aid kit.

Additional:

Entrance ticket de Manu National Park + USD 60 per person

Not include:

Some kind of drinks such as beers or sodas, tips and the last dinner.

We recommended taking:

• Binoculars
• Towel for the all tour
• Camera and films
• Warm clothing (in case of a cold front), long sleeve shirts and long pants (cotton) wide brim hat and sun glasses for sunny days
• 100% waterproof rain gear (long poncho or rain wear)
• Insect repellent (at least 50% DEET)
• Sunscreen lotion
• Hiking shoes and sandals
• Flashlight, enough batteries (alkaline) and bulbs
• Towel for all the tour
• Swimming suit
• Personal medicines and/or supplies (liquid for contact lenses for example)
• One day pack and one back pack or duffel bag of luggage