Itinerary
- Day 1
Cusco to Pilcopata
You'll head out from Cusco early, traveling through Andean valleys and past rural communities on your way down. The route takes you to pre-Incan tombs from the Lupaca culture, and then you'll stop in the colonial city of Paucartambo to walk through its museum. From there, the road descends into cloud forest where you might catch sight of spectacled bears and the Peruvian national bird among other local wildlife. By evening you'll reach Pilcopata Inn for your first night.
- Start point
- Cusco, Cusco, Peru (Hotel, 07:00 - 19:00)
- Meals
- Lunch (Lunch in the cloud forest), Dinner
Included Activities
- Visit pre-Incan tombs of the Lupaca culture
- Explore Paucartambo colonial city
- Visit Paucartambo museum
- Cloud forest wildlife observation
Landmarks Paucartambo - Day 2
Pilcopata to Amazon Manu Lodge
Breakfast comes early, followed by a short walk through the forest to look for monkeys and birds. Later you'll tour a coca plantation and stop at a wildlife rescue center before heading to Puerto Atalaya on the Alto Madre de Dios River. From there, you'll take a boat downriver, watching for herons and vultures along the way. After arriving at Amazon Manu Lodge, there's time to swim and have lunch. The afternoon includes a trip to a swamp for toucans and macaws, then an evening search for caimans before dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Early forest walk for fauna observation
- Visit coca plantation
- Visit wildlife rescue center
- Boat descent on Alto Madre de Dios River
- Bird species observation (herons, vultures, cormorants)
- River bathing at Amazon Manu Lodge
- Swamp wildlife observation (toucans, woodpeckers, macaws)
- Caiman night observation
Landmarks Puerto Atalaya Alto Madre de Dios River - Day 3
Amazon Manu Lodge
You're up well before dawn to get on the boat and reach the parrot clay lick where blue-headed parrots, white-eyed parakeets, and chestnut-fronted macaws show up each morning for mineral-rich clay. Back at the lodge after the early observation, breakfast waits before a 2 to 3 hour forest walk. After lunch, you can rest or swim if you like. In the afternoon, you'll explore Lake Machuwasi by raft, possibly seeing hoatzins and maybe monkeys or capybaras. A night forest walk searching for insects and amphibians comes before dinner.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Parrot clay lick observation
- Forest walk (2-3 hours)
- Lake Machuwasi exploration by raft
- Bird observation (hoatzin and others)
- Night forest walk for insects and amphibians
Optional Activities
- Zip line canopy experience with 25-meter rappel
Landmarks Lake Machuwasi - Day 4
Mount Pinipini Jungle Trek
After an early breakfast, you'll start climbing Mount Pinipini into uninhabited jungle. The morning involves several hours of hiking through remote forest before stopping for lunch. Hiking continues for a few more hours until you reach the summit, where camp gets set up for the night. Dinner happens at the mountaintop with jungle sounds and stars for company.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Mount Pinipini climb
- Deep forest exploration
- Wildlife observation (monkeys, birds, jungle flora)
Landmarks Mount Pinipini - Day 5
Mount Pinipini to Amazon Manu Lodge
Breakfast at camp, then packing up begins the descent down the other side of Mount Pinipini. Your guides use machetes to cut through dense forest as you hike and watch for jungle plants and animals. After about 6 hours of hiking, you'll reach the mountain's base and board an inflatable raft for roughly 3 hours back to the lodge. Dinner happens at the lodge where you'll spend your final jungle night.
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Included Activities
- Mount Pinipini descent
- Machete jungle trail hiking
- River raft return journey
- Day 6
Atalaya Hot Springs to Cusco
Following breakfast, you'll swim in the Atalaya hot springs. Then you'll board a boat back to Puerto Atalaya where your vehicle is waiting for the drive back to Cusco. Lunch happens somewhere along the route, and you should arrive in Cusco between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
- End point
- Cusco, Cusco, Peru (Hotel, 07:00 - 19:00)
- Meals
- Breakfast, Lunch (Lunch along the route back to Cusco)
Included Activities
- Atalaya hot springs swim
Landmarks Atalaya Hot Springs
