Itinerary
- Day 1
Cusco to Pilcopata
You'll leave Cusco early in the morning by private bus, traveling through valleys and mountain communities. The first stop takes you to Ninamarca to see pre-Inca Ch'ullpas graves, then it's on to the Andean village of Paucartambo where you'll grab breakfast and walk around the community. From there, the road keeps climbing to Acjanacu at 3,852m/12,638ft, which marks the gateway into Manu National Park. After that, you'll descend into the lowland rainforest and take a walk looking for the Cock of the Rock, Peru's national bird, along with other tropical wildlife. You'll arrive at Pilcopata lodge for dinner and settle in for the night.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast in Paucartambo village), Lunch (Lunch en route through rainforest), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit pre-Inca graves of Ninamarca (Ch'ullpas)
- Walk through historic village of Paucartambo
- Climb to Acjanacu at 3,852m
- Enter Manu National Park lowland rainforest
- 30-minute walk to see Cock of the Rock (Rupicola Peruviana) in mating ritual
- Bird and wildlife viewing (Trogons, Quetzals, Tanagers)
Landmarks Manu National Park Paucartambo - Day 2
Alto Madre de Dios River - Jungle Lodge
After an early breakfast, you're heading by bus to Atalaya at 600m/1,969ft, a tropical lowland rainforest village, then switching to a motorized canoe for the Alto Madre de Dios River. The river's pretty turbulent in sections. Following lunch, there's a hike up to a mountain range viewpoint where you can watch for large monkeys and birds from different forest zones. Once evening hits, you'll explore the forest with torches to catch nocturnal wildlife like insects, snakes, spiders, frogs, and night-monkeys, sometimes called douricouli. You'll head back to the lodge for dinner and overnight.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Travel by motorized canoe down Alto Madre de Dios River
- Hike to mountain range viewpoint
- Wildlife viewing in lowland tropical rainforest
- Evening torchlight forest exploration for nocturnal wildlife
Landmarks Alto Madre de Dios River Atalaya - Day 3
Clay Lick - Jungle Lake
The day starts early with a boat trip to a clay lick where parrots and rare blue-headed macaws gather in their natural habitat. You'll have breakfast right there with views of the wildlife. Later, continuing through the jungle, you'll search for medicinal plants and keep an eye out for other animals. Back at the lodge after lunch, the afternoon brings a visit to one of the few lakes on the Alto Madre de Dios River where you can paddle around on small traditional rafts. A short evening walk rounds out the day before you return to the lodge.
- Meals
- Breakfast (Breakfast at the clay lick with view of parrots and macaws), Lunch
Included Activities
- Early morning boat trip to parrot clay lick
- View rare blue-headed macaws and parrots
- Jungle exploration for medicinal plants
- Wildlife spotting in lowland tropical rainforest
- Lake exploration by traditional raft
- Evening forest walk
Landmarks Alto Madre de Dios River - Day 4
Jungle to Cusco
After a final breakfast in the jungle, you'll travel by boat back upriver to Atalaya. From there, it's a drive through the cloud forest and back over the Andes mountain region, arriving in Cusco by late afternoon.
- Meals
- Breakfast
Landmarks Cusco
