| 9
Day Complete Manu Experience
Suitable
for Families
9 DAYS (8 nights lodge)
This
Trip is the Complete Manu experience in the sense that we
visit all points of interest fro the Manu Macaw Lick to the
Ox-Bow lakes of the Manu National Park. A great combination
of lodges including the native owned Casa Matsiguenka.
Day
One. Leaving Cusco after breakfast we travel through
traditional Quechua communities and through the spectacular
eastern ranges of the Andes to the village of Paucartambo,
passing snow-peaks and small Andean farmsteads. We will have
time here to look around this picturesque village We then
ascend to the last pass overlooking the Amazon Basin and begin
the breath taking descent from 3500 meters to 1600 meters
above sea-level to our comfortable lodge in the orchid laden
Cloud Forest. This is a spectacular journey passing cascading
waterfalls and multicolored birds along the way. In the late
afternoon, we'll walk into the lodge to the sounds of Quetzals,
Trogons and Gray-breasted Wood-Wrens. Night at Cock-of-the-Rock
Lodge. L:D:
Day
Two. Pre- breakfast walk to a nearby spot in the
Cloud Forest where the strange and beautiful Cocks-of-the-Rock
display at dawn. This is a wonderful sight, as up to 25 bright
red-orange males dance and sing, attempting to attract the
favors of the duller, burgundy colored females. After visiting
this lek we return to the Lodge for a leisurely breakfast
and continue in our all terrain bus to the Madre de Dios River
and our motorized dugouts and we begin our journey down the
river, past the last folds of the Andes, to it's confluence
with the Manu River. We’ll pass settlements and native
communities during the trip. Just before we get to the village
of Boca Manu we pass the native community of Diamante. Their
culture is Piro and this is the largest settlement in the
area. There is a small handcraft shop here, which offers hand
painted fabrics, necklaces of seeds native to the region and
a small selection of weavings and ceramics. A stop here must
be pre-arranged through your guide. Passing the village of
Boca Manu we arrive at to-nights destination -a small, locally
built and managed lodge. The lodge is across the river from
the tiny airstrip of Boca Manu. The two species of Tamarin
monkeys are here -the Saddleback and Emperor. The latter with
their long, white moustaches are a rare and precious sight.
There is a trail system we can explore if time permits. Night
at Boca Manu Lodge B:L:D
Day
Three. Well fed and rested we leave Boca Manu, leaving
the relatively clean waters of the Madre de Dios River behind,
we enter the clay laden waters of the Manu River. With a brief
stop at the park ranger station at Limonal to present our
permits we travel for about five hours up the Manu. Beaches,
especially in the dry season, are loaded with nesting birds
and feeding Herons, Egrets, Orinoco Geese, Terns and Skimmers
to name but a few. Some beaches will host sunning White and
Black Caimans (South American relatives of the Alligators)/
and breeding Side-necked Turtles. Hundreds of Sand-colored
Nightjars roost during the day on logs and beaches and there
is a chance of encountering a sunning Jaguar - the world’s
third largest cat. In 2001 one in three of our trips saw Jaguar
in Manu. We will see some species of primate on this river
trip, possibly Red Howler Monkeys or the smaller Squirrel
Monkeys. After having lunched by the river we arrive at our
Tented Camp near the lake of Cocha Salvador. We'll have the
afternoon to explore some of the trails through the pristine
rainforest in the area. A visit to the lake of Cocha Otorongo
is planned, where observation piers and a 20 meter observation
tower in the rainforest canopy overlooking the lake are available
for observing wildlife. We will also be on the lookout for
a large family of Giant Otters that inhabit this lake. Before
or after dinner an optional excursion into the forest at night
is available with your guide in search of nocturnal creatures.
The lakes are full of eye-shine of the large Black Caiman
and if we are lucky we may encounter an Olingo, Kinkajou or
even an Ocelot on the trails. Certainly the nighttime noise
of tree frogs and insects in the forest is an experience not
to be forgotten. Night at the Casa Matsiguenka, a rustic native
owned lodge run by the Matisguenka’s themselves with
its own exclusive trail system. There are shared flush toilets
and ambient temperature shower facilities and screened twin
rooms with comfortable beds and mosquito nets. B:L:D
About
the Casa Matsiguenka
The Casa Matsiguenka is designed using the indigenous people’s
building techniques and counts on 12 fully screened twin rooms.
Beds are furnished with mosquito nets. There is a private
trail system and local Matsiguenka guides will accompany you
on the trails. There is an interactive interpretation center
and locally made souvenirs are for sale.
Day
Four. After breakfast we'll spend the morning at
the lake of Cocha Salvador. Some of the time will be spent
canoeing the lake on a floating platform observing ox-bow
lake animal life from the water. We may encounter an Agami
Heron or a Sungrebe and Brown Cappuchin Monkeys are usually
feeding on fruits nearby. Specially constructed piers that
jut out into the lake enable us to look for a family of Giant
Otters that live here. These, the world’s largest freshwater
carnivores, remain common only in Manu, having been hunted
to extinction throughout most of their former range. Each
animal consumes between 4 and 5 kilos of fish daily and often
they can be seen eating large fish on logs at the lakeside.
The rest of the day will be spent walking the trails in the
area in search of some of the 13 species of Monkey found in
the forest here. Your guide will explain some of the basics
of rainforest ecosystems and point out some of the medicinal
plants of the area used by local, indigenous groups. We may
cross paths with a group of Peccaries - a species of wild
boar found here. A late afternoon swim in the river near the
camp as the sunsets. Night at the Casa Matsiguenka B:L:D.
Day
Five. Today we'll walk very slowly from camp for
4-5 hours through the forest to Cocha Otorongo. We may encounter
troops of Monkeys. This is a particularly good trail for Woolly
and Black Spider Monkeys. We'll pay special attention to the
plant life on this walk and take it slowly listening for the
rustle of vegetation or the soft sound of fruits falling to
the rainforest floor that may betray the presence of animals
or large birds. We'll be met at the river by our cook with
a picnic lunch and then board our motorized dugout for the
4 hour trip down river to Boca Manu for the night. The river
trip may hold surprises and we'll be attentive for any wildlife
on the beaches. Night at the lodge at Boca Manu. B:L:D
Day
Six. Leaving the lodge we'll head down the Madre
de Dios River for two hours to the comfortable lodge facility
near the Macaw Clay Lick - Manu Wildlife Center. This strategically
located lodge facility is jointly owned and run by Manu Expeditions
and a local conservation group and is a base for scientific
research in the area and a center for visitors wanting to
explore the rainforest. We should arrive in time for lunch
and a shower (hot water) and get to meet whichever researchers
are onsite. The afternoon is set aside to relax or, if you
want, to explore a trail through the untouched forest to a
lookout point on a cliff over the river to watch roosting
flights of Parrots and Macaws as the sun sets. Manu Wildlife
Center has a canopy platform and an observation tower. The
canopy platform is accessible via a spiral staircase so everyone
can get to enjoy the rainforest canopy. Those who wish can
participate in a night walk with your guide in search of nocturnal
animals. Night at Manu Wildlife Center. B:L;D
IMPORTANT
NOTE: If you are taking the 9 day trip and continuing onto
Manu Wildlife Center, a delay may occur at the Boca Manu Aerodrome
en route as some of your traveling companions may be taking
the 6 day option.
Day
Seven. Early start to-day for the Macaw Clay Lick.
This is truly one of the world’s great wildlife spectacles
as hundreds of Parrots and their larger relatives, the Macaws,
congregate at this traditional locality to eat the mineral
rich clay that is essential to their digestion. We'll use
a blind (hide) to get close to the birds. The noise alone
is incredible and the sight of these brightly colored birds
at the lick is a sight not to be forgotten. As the lick slows
down in midmorning we'll head for Cocha Blanco, an old ox-bow
lake, in search of a family of Giant Otters that live there,
and canoe around the lake on our floating platform looking
for other wildlife. After a leisurely lunch at the lodge we'll
explore other trails in search of Emperor and Saddleback Tamarins,
and we have seen the rare Goeldi's Monkey repeatedly in this
area. Night at the Manu Wildlife Center B:L:D
Day
Eight.
A full day to explore the forest and trails around the lodge.
We'll be on the lookout for Monk Saki - an uncommon and rarely
seen monkey of the tierra firme forest that is occasionally
seen here. We'll explore trails where groups of Manakins,
perhaps the most enigmatic of neo-tropical birds, perform
their strange mating dances and walk to one of our blinds
at a large mammal lick where Guans and forest Parakeets and
Parrotlets come for clay. Here too, groups of Black Spider
Monkeys visit on occasions for clay to help their digestion.
Those who wish will return with the guide to the lodge in
the late afternoon however there is an opportunity to stay
at the lick after dark to see what nocturnal creatures come
to the lick. Tapirs, the largest South American land mammal
are frequent visitors with up to 12 animals visiting in one
night. We watch them from the comfort of mosquito nets and
mattresses from our specially constructed blind. Other nocturnal
creatures are always possible. Night at the Manu Wildlife
Center. B:L:D
Day Nine. After breakfast we head upriver
(about 2 hours) to the small airstrip at Boca Manu. Early
morning flocks of birds pass over the boat, and we may see
a Capybara, the world’s largest rodent. Arriving at
the airstrip we board our aircraft for the 35 minute flight
over seemingly endless rainforest and then over the Andes,
passing glaciers and snow peaks to the ancient Inca capital
of Cusco where our staff will be waiting to take you to your
hotel. B:
THIS
IS A FIXED DEPARTURE TRIP AND LEAVES EVERY SUNDAY THROUGHOUT
THE YEAR EXCEPT FOR THE MONTHS OF JANUARY, FEBRUARY AND MARCH.
Price:
from $1652USD + $175 air + $63 National Park Entrance Fee
= $1890
Single Supplement $372USD
DISCOUNTS FOR GROUP BOOKINGS |
