Have questions? We're here.
Hear no evil, see no evil

Manu Biosphere

Example 8 Day Tour
Talk with an expert
Build your ideal Peru trip. Call 1.406.541.2677
Start Planning My Trip
Wander the cobblestone streets of Cusco, exploring markets, museums and nearby ruins. Then, embark on a stunning two-day journey over mountains and through cloud forest, stopping for the night at small jungle lodges. Your destination is the Manu Wildlife Center, set amidst some of the most prolific jungles in the entire Amazon basin. During your tour of the Amazon, spend your days searching for monkeys, red and green macaws, giant otters, tapirs, and other fascinating resident wildlife. Fly from Puerto Maldonado back to Cusco or return to Lima.
And so it begins!  On the canoe, heading upriver to our first stop, Refugio Amazonas.Those blue-headed parrots sure love claySpotting monkeys at Cocha Otorongo in ManuUnique and friendly insect found in the Amazon Looking down the stairsPeru's national birdA peaceful reading locationSquabbling scarlet macawsA challenge for those with vertigoSunrise on the Madre de DiosHear no evil, see no evil
Highlights
  • Explore the narrow streets and nearby ruins of Cusco
  • Visit the lush cloud forest and see dramatic landscapes
  • Learn about the plants and forest ecology of the Manu Wildlife Center
  • View hundreds of parrots arriving at a large macaw clay lick
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
0

Full Itinerary

Expand All

Day 1: Arrive Lima

Overnight.

Day 2: Fly Cusco

A morning flight takes you to the colonial city of Cusco. Andean history comes alive in Cusco, and the day is yours to wander its narrow streets, tour nearby ruins, and visit Qoricancha (the Inca's Temple of the Sun) with a guide. For the energetic, Cusco offers mountain biking, rafting and horseback riding! Travelers also have the opportunity to visit the Center for Traditional Textiles in Cusco, a local organization committed to preserving the region's weaving traditions. Watch weavers demonstrate their craft and learn about the history and processes of Peru's most well-known art form. The evening is yours to take in some of Cusco's varied and exciting nightlife.

Day 3: Cusco to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge | Cloud Forest

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Your overland journey begins at 11,150 feet with an early departure from the highland city of Cusco. Today’s destination is the lush cloud forest region where the Andes fall away to the Amazon basin. This is a day of scenic drama and striking contrasts. You first visit a mountain wetland habitat teeming with migrant and local waterfowl, before crossing two mountain ranges between the Cusco valley and the Paucartambo valley, to a maximum altitude of 12,790 feet. Finally you follow a sinuous ribbon of highway on its plunge through an extraordinary world of forested cliffs, waterfalls and gorges. Take leisurely stops to see mountain villages, a hilltop necropolis of chullpas (pre-Inca burial chambers), and the abrupt ridgetop of Ajanaco, which marks the final high point where the Andes begin their swoop into the Amazon basin. In clear weather you can see a breathtaking panorama of cloud forest and mountain giving way to the lowland rainforest plains far below.

After a picnic lunch nearby, descend through the startling and rapid environmental transformations characteristic of the tropical Andes, passing from grassland and stunted trees through elfin forest, until you wind through a lush and magical world of overhanging trees, giant ferns, monster begonias, countless orchids and bromeliads, and a diverse and teeming birdlife. Your trip makes frequent spontaneous stops, perhaps spotting a brilliantly feathered quetzal, a trogon, or the wild turkey-like Guan. Reach the comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge in the late afternoon, the best hour to visit the nearby viewing platform for the display ground, or “lek”. This is usually the highlight of a long, full day; a chance to see Peru's dazzling national bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock, in full courting display.

Day 4: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge | Amazonia Lodge or Pantiacolla Lodge

  • Hotels
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Rising early, you have a second chance to view the Cock-of-the-Rock display, and then scout for birds, and perhaps brown capuchin or woolly monkeys along the nearby road. Or you can take a secluded nature walk on a short trail loop to the river and back. After breakfast you continue your drive, as mountains give way to low rolling hills and farmland. At Patria, visit a plantation of coca grown legitimately for the Peruvian coca leaf market.

Reach Atalaya at midday, a tiny port where the Piñipiñi River meets the Alto Madre de Dios. Now the lowland rainforest part of the journey begins. Rivers are the highways of the rainforest, and henceforth you travel in large, comfortable dugout canoes shaded by canopy roofs and driven by powerful outboard motors. During normal river conditions, arrive at the lodge in time for exploration and wildlife viewing – which may include toucans, kingfishers, a rare endemic hummingbird and a multitude of butterflies -- along one of its many forest trails.

Day 5: Manu Wildlife Center

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Follow the broad, rushing course of the Alto Madre de Dios river past the last foothills of the Andes. Pass the mouth of the Manu river, the gateway to the Manu National Park, and pause to stretch your legs and visit Boca Manu, the village a short way downriver. Visit the boatyards where local people build the dugout boats so essential to life on the river.

After a boat journey of approximately 6 hours, arrive at Manu Wildlife Center, one of the world’s top ten wildlife lodges. After a reception and orientation, move into your private bungalow and rest to escape the midday heat.

Later, make your first acquaintance with the lowland rainforest, learning about the plants and forest ecology as you explore some of the 30 miles of trails that surround the lodge. Hope to encounter some of the 12 species of monkeys, including the Spider Monkey and Emperor Tamarin, which inhabit the surrounding forest. (B/Box Lunch/D)

Day 6: The Macaw Clay Lick Project, Canopy Tower & Tapir Clay Lick

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Rising before the sun, take a twenty-five minute boat journey downstream to the largest parrot and macaw clay lick in the 4.4 million acre Manu Biosphere Reserve. A floating catamaran blind lets you get closer to the morning action - hundreds of parrots arriving at the lick, followed by large red and green macaws, eating the clay for its high salt content. The birds begin to disperse around nine in the morning, and you head back to the lodge to spend the rest of the day exploring the trails, canopy platform, and the Amazon's largest known tapir lick. The elevated screened-in platform overlooking the tapir lick is equipped with inflatable mattresses and pillows, along with fresh pillowcases. Adventurous souls are welcome to spend the night there as tapirs come and go in the dark!

Day 7: Hike to the Oxbow Lake and the Wildlife Trails

  • Hotel
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Set off early for an old oxbow lake full of water lilies and sunken logs. As you circle the lake on the catamaran, you might encounter the resident giant otter family on a fishing expedition, or troops of monkeys crashing noisily through the trees. Wattled jacanas step lightly on the lily pads, dainty sun grebes paddle across the water, supple-necked anhingas air-dry their wide, black wings, and perhaps an osprey scans for fish from a high branch. Among the bushes near the waterline, hoatzins, which look like rust-colored, punk chickens, announce their presence with distinctive, bizarre wheezing and grunts. Woodpeckers, tanagers, macaws, toucans and parakeets all finally come swooping in to trees surrounding the lake. Many of them roost around the lake for the night.

After lunch at the lodge the guide is available to lead you on freewheeling expeditions in search of further wildlife encounters, or you may take one of the lodge’s many trails on private and personal excursions to commune with the spirits of the rainforest. This evening, from the late afternoon until after dinner, you have an opportunity to search for caiman and other nocturnal life along the riverbank by boat

Day 8: Puerto Maldonado

  • 1 Breakfast
Depart the lodge very early for a two and a half hour boat trip downstream to the Colorado Village. Breakfast is served on the boat while you enjoy early morning wildlife activity along the river. Stop in the gold-mining town of Colorado to start your two and a half hour overland journey to Puerto Maldonado. Fly from Puerto Maldonado to return to Cusco, Lima, or to your next destination in Peru. Click here to see our Peru extensions!

Accommodations

Lima - Hotels

Cusco - Hotels

Manu - Hotels

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$2,712

Notes

Select a Date
Included
  • 7 Breakfasts, 4 Lunches, 5 Dinners
  • 7 Nights Accommodations
  • 1 Day Locally Hosted Guide Service
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Rubber boots are provided by your Amazon lodge. There are size limits for the following lodges in the Amazon.
    Hacienda Concepcion: Sizes 32-45
    Reserva Amazonica: Sizes 32-46
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Internal Flights - Lima-Cusco and Puerto Maldonado-Lima

Map

When to Go

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Good to ideal period to travel, and many people choose to visit at this time.
Typically not offered during this period because of weather conditions.

Inquire

* By providing your phone number, you consent to receive direct phone calls or SMS messages from our Trip Planners to get the process started. We do not share your information with third-parties.
Change & customize to make it yours.
Travel Agents

We Love to Talk Travel

Call 1.800.344.6118
or
Chat Now
Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
Nancy Sin

Peru Travel Guide

Favorite Peru All Trips

More Reasons

Why Travel With Adventure Life

All News

Recognized By