Day 1    Cusco - Paucartambo - Pilcopata Lodge
We leave Cusco early in the morning in our prívate transportation and will arrive mid-morning at the interesting tombs of Ninamarca, commonly know as Chullpas. After a brief visit we'll continue to Paucartambo, a picturesque colonial town where we will stop for a few mintues to learn about its' history. We will continue up to the Acjanacu pass which marks the beginning of the Cultural zone of the Manu biosphere reserve. Here, a thick cloak of clouds provides perpetual humidity and makes an ideal habitat for epiphytic plants such a bromeliads. During our descent into the cloud forest we'll take a break from the bus and do some walking to look for cloud forest birds such as trogons and the Peruvian National bird, "Cock of the Rock" (Rupicola peruviana) as well as a great variety of orchids, tree ferns, heliconias, mosses and lichens. In the afternoon we'll reach our lodge for dinner where we have electricity and hot water. Night in lodge.

Meals LD

Day 2    Atalaya - Boca Manu
After breakfast, the bus transfers the group to the port of Atalaya. The rest of the day is spent traveling on the Alto Madre de Dios River. On the way you can see a variety of bird life, like herons, egrets, kingfishers, and the ever present vultures of which the most spectacular is the condor of the jungle, King Vulture (Sarcoramphus papa). In the afternoon a short stop at the village of Boca Manu to have refreshing cold beverage. Later on the group arrives to the Lodge near Boca Manu. Walks explore some of the many trails in the area. Night in Lodge.

Meals BLD

Day 3    Boca Manu - Lake Otorongo
From Boca Manu we again board our boat and head up river to the Reserve Zone entrance. On the river edges we will begin to see groups of turtles, White Caimans (Caiman cocodrylus), Capybaras (Hydrochaeris) and maybe a Jaguar (Panthera Onca) resting on a log and observing its territory. We will arrive in the afternoon to our campsite in Otorongo. Later on we will walk the trails around lake Otorongo and climb the giant otter observation tower. Night walk options. Night platform camping, bed with mosquito net.

Meals BLD

Day 4    Lake Otorongo - Lake Salvador
From lake Otorongo we'll paddle 30 mins on catamarans (log rafts) to lake Salvador. We again have the opportunity to watch the giant otters of the lake. We can also see birds such as the polla sultana (Porphyrula martinica) or the blue trumpeter (Agamia. Reaching dry land we will walk the main trails and learn about the native plants, animals, history and traditions of the local people. In the afternoon we will return to our 1st camp in lake Otorongo. Night walk option. Night platform camping, bed with mosquito net.

Meals BLD

Day 5    Lake Otorongo - Pakitza
In the morning we take our boat to Pakitza where we will have new opportunities to see to black caiman and a variety of rare bird species. When we arrive at Pakitza we will go on hikes looking for new mammal species. In the afternoon we return to lake Otorongo. Night walk option. Night platform camping, bed with mosquito net.

Meals BLD

Day 6    Lake Otorongo - Boca Manu Lodge
Today we will begin our way back to Boca Manu, but first we will stop over at the local communities for a visit. As we return we can see more species of birds and mammals we may have missed. Night in lodge.

Meals BLD

Day 7    Boca Manu - Paititi Lodge
After breakfast we continue by boat along the Madre de Dios river where we have the option to observe more birds. We'll stop in at the Shintuya Lodge to enjoy the naturally occuring hot springs. We'll continue another 2.5 hrs until we reach Paititi Lodge. Night in Lodge.

Meals BLD

Day 8    Atalaya - Cusco
After a delicious breakfast we will come back by boat to the port of Atalaya then return by bus to Cusco observing the cloud forest on the way. We'll arrive around 5 - 7 pm.

Meals BL