This trip takes you along the best transect of highlands to lowlands in South America. Starting in Cusco, you drive across the Andean plateau until well above treeline, then plunge into successive ecosystems of highland temperate forest, cloud forest, and finally lowland rainforest. Your senses will overload as you watch highland streams become lowland rivers, all the while entertained by wildlife spectacles.

The first stop, the dancing ground of the stunning Andean Cock-of-the-Rock, is where large, bright red males strut, bow and squawk in a frantic attempt to impress potential mates. The Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge was designed to provide easy access to this sight and a specially designed blind brings the action to you. The lodge protects and supports a 12,500-acre private cloud forest reserve in this valley, which seems to be clearly understood by the inquisitive local population of Capuchin Monkeys.

Peter Oxford

As you descend into the lowlands along the Madre de Dios River to the Manu Wildlife Center, the wildlife becomes even more impressive: from a floating blind you edge up to a Macaw clay lick, surrounded by hundreds of parrots and macaws flying, screeching, and eating the clay that detoxifies poisonous nuts they eat. From a house-like blind in the forest you view 550-pound Amazonian Tapirs as they come to a salt lick. From canopy towers you experience the parallel world that exists in the tops of the rainforest trees. And from comfortable, stable catamarans, you paddle around an oxbow lake teeming with wildlife, including the rare Giant Otter.

Each stop on this itinerary has been chosen by the professionals at Tropical Nature Travel to deliver the best that Peru has to offer. No other itinerary will expose you to so much wildlife, and so much wilderness. Hundreds of bird species will surround you in the trees, and you will return with happy memories of a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

You will visit Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge and Manu Wildlife Center on this trip.


Day 1 - Cusco to Manu Cloud Forest
Leave early for the Manu Cloud Forest. You will cross over the high Andes, see the treeless puna habitat, and then descend through temperate highland forest, high-altitude cloud forest, and down to the comfort of the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge. The journey lasts approximately 8 hours and is one of the most impressive drives in Peru. L, D

Day 2 - Manu Cloud Forest to Andean Foothills
We visit the display ground of the Andean Cock-of-the-Rock in the morning and enjoy the comfortable climate and beautiful surroundings. We also explore the cloud forest trails and hike the "the best birding road in the world," according to one leading bird tour operator. After all this activity, many guests enjoy a relaxing dip in the cool mountain stream. Monkeys frequently pass by right next to the lodge, and colorful tanager flocks skim through the trees. After a 3-4 hour bus ride we reach the Alto Madre de Dios River, where we may have a box lunch in Atalaya.  From here we switch over to a cargo canoe with a 55 hp or 65 HP outboard motor and continue for 10 minutes on the Alto Madre de Dios River to Amazonia Lodge.  This afternoon we plan a walk around the lodge in successional flood plain,  finishing the day in the mini tower in the swamp area.  Dinner and overnight Amazonia Lodge. B, L, D

Note: If your departure is on a Wednesday, you will continue down the Alto Madre De Dios River to the Pantiacolla Lodge. If there is time before dark you will be able to start your exploration of the 20km of marked forest trails which surround the lodge. Dinner and overnight at Pantiacolla Lodge. B, L, D

Day 3 - Foothills to Manu Wildlife Center
We rise early to enjoy the sights and sounds of the forest on the trails surrounding the guesthouse before returning for a leisurely breakfast. We then travel for approximately 6 hours by motorized canoe down the Madre de Dios River, passing small towns and even smaller groups of farms until civilization melts away into pristine rainforest. You will arrive at Manu Wildlife Center in the late afternoon and settle into your private cabanas, and perhaps even begin exploring the 40 miles of trails that the Manu Wildlife Center has to offer. B, L, D

Day 4 & 5 - Manu Wildlife Center
Manu Wildlife Center activities. B, L, D

The first morning we take a motorized canoe 25 minutes to the Macaw clay lick. From a large floating blind in the middle of the river, you can watch as the first parrots and then macaws come down to the lick, followed by hundreds of others. Other excursions include:

Tapir clay lick - One evening you will have the opportunity to walk through the forest to a house-like blind at the tapir clay lick. The walk lasts about an hour, and is filled with the sights and sounds of the jungle at night. The first tapir usually arrives between 9:30 p.m. and 11:00 p.m, but there are comfortable beds, bathroom facilities, and other amenities to ease your wait. Many guest prefer to stay the entire night at the blind, but there is always the option to return to the lodge.

Oxbow lake and Giant Otters - Sit comfortably on a stable catamaran as your guides paddle you around the Cocha Blanco oxbow lake to search for Giant Otters and see a huge variety of birds including the prehistoric-looking Hoatzin.

Rainforest hikes - Explore the extensive trail system with our expert guides showing you the way. We search for some of the 12 species of monkeys that have been seen within a few kilometers of the lodge. The forest has more than monkeys, though, and your guides can show it all to you.

Canopy Observation - The Manu Wildlife Center boasts two canopy towers from which you can experience the parallel world that exists a hundred feet above the forest floor. From here you can look a monkey in the eye, watch macaws fly by, and see canopy bird flocks pass right through your tree.

Day 6 - Manu Wildlife Center to Cusco
Our last day will start with an early morning ride up the river in a motorized canoe to the grass airstrip at Boca Manu. From here it is a short flight back to Cusco and the world that you left behind. B

Manu Biotrip
Trip length	6 days/5 nights
Departs	Wednesday and Saturday
Per peson cost	contact us for price
Single supplement	$250.00
Prices based on two people sharing. Maximum eight people per guide. Private departures available on request for any day except Sunday. Pricing and itinerary are subject to change until booking is confirmed.