PAT PTM EC - 0211 - MANU NATIONAL PARK RESERVED ZONE

We leave Cusco early in the morning in one of our vehicles. We will pass through interesting valleys and picturesque communities. We continue to the cloud forest, an area rich with endemic species like the Spectacled Bear, the Cock of The Rock, a variety of orchids, bromeliads and ferns etc. We continue to the town of Pilcopata* then at Atalaya Port which is situated on the shores of the Madre de Dios River at 700 m.s.n.m. From Atalaya we will continue our journey by boat to our Private reserve of “Erika”. On the way you will be able to see a large diversity of bird species such as Herons, vultures and cormorants etc. We will walk along the interesting trails that are in the transistion zone between high and low jungle and your guide will point out and explain the interesting diversity of wild life that surrounds you. We will have the chance for a night walk to catch a glimpse of insects and amphibians. We overnight in our Erika Lodge.

* 1 Free Option – Rafting: In Pilcopata will have 90 minutes of rafting (grade I & II) on the Koñeq and/or Madre de Dios Rivers. You can enjoy the beautiful landscape and have a swim in the refreshing wáter.

* 2 Free Option – Canopy Zip Line: In Erika our guests can glide from tree to tree and from platform to platform with a harness on a horizontal cable rail system at high speeds above the trees in the incredible amazon jungle. You then rappel from a height of 15m  back to the jungle floor.

Very early we board our boat and make our way to Collpa, a clay wall by the river where a variety of parrots such as the blue headed parrot, the White eyed parakeet, possibly the Maracana Macaw and others come every morning to subsitute their diet with minerals and salts. After this activity we return to Erika for breakfast, pack up and board our boat again. We will head down the Alto Madre de Dios River to the of the hot springs of Aguas Calientes, which are surrounded by the magnificent Jungle. After relaxing in the water and a refreshing cold lunch, we wil continue to the town of Boca Manu. During this part of our journey we will see birds like skimmers, herons, several species of kingfishers, swallows and flycatchers.

At dawn, we will make a brief stop at the Limonal Ranger Station where we will register in the Visitor’s Book which controls entry into the reserve. We continue on the Manu River towards the heart of the reserve for about 4 hours to Lake Salvador leaving all traces of civilization behind. We will spend the next two nights in our safari camp. During this trip you can often see a variety of bird species like macaws, herons, pink rosettes and with a Little luck, capybaras, caimans, river turtles, monkeys, and hopefully some felines often sunning on the beaches or feeding in surrounding trees. In the afternoon we spend our time walking in search of wildlife in this pristine forest.

We will most likely be woken early by the howler monkey declaring his territory. Before breakfast we will talk a morning walk as the temperature at this time is more pleasant and it makes it a bit easier to find animals who are in search of food. We will explore Lake Salvador by catamarán and try to see the giant otter, a species in danger of extinction. They can be seen fishing, playing or swimming. We will be looking for the Black Cayman, the Hoatzin and the interesting surrounding flora. We will visit Lake Otorongo and the observation tower which is 15m heigh which enables us to fully appreciate the landscape of the surounding primary forest and we are more likely to see the family of otters whom reside here. There may be a possiblity to do a short night walk to look for American bullfrogs, horned frogs , tree frogs and a host of colorful insects.

We will wake early again to take a walk around our campsite and Lake Salvador. You will be amazed by the gigantic Ceibas, colorful butterflies and curious squirrel, capuchin and wooly monkeys. After breakfast we will pack up, board our boat and head down the Manu River. We stop at Cocha Brashco (a recently open Oxbow lake for tourism), we walk for about 30 minutes through a very exciting new trail and use the catamarán to try to spot the Giant Otters from this Lake, will keep our eyes open for peccaries, caymans, turtles and birds. We continue to Boca Manu arriving at dusk. Overnight at the lodge.

Today we cross the Alto Madre de Dios River, against the current, taking in the beautiful scenery of the Amazon jungle and the huge diversity of bird species. Late afternoon, we will arrive at our Private Reserve of Erika where you can rest comfortably and spend your last night, surrounded by the magic of the jungle.

We get up very early, we travel up the river to Atalaya Port where our bus is waiting to take us back to Cusco, arriving early evening.