Manu (4 Day)

DAY 1:  (Mon) CUSCO - MANU WILDLIFE CENTER
An early transfer from your hotel to Cusco airport will be followed by a 45-minute commercial flight to Puerto Maldonado. From there you will have a 3 hour van transfer to Santa Rosa Village. From there we will cross the Inambari River by a short boat ride, followed by an hour car ride to the Boca Colorado Village. Here we will board our motorized boat for lunch and enjoy a final 3 hour journey upstream the Madre de Dios River to Manu Wildlife Center. After dinner there will be an enchanting night walk along the trails, in search of the nocturnal birds and animals of the rainforest. (L,D)

DAY 2:  (Tue) MANU WILDLIFE CENTER (Macaw Claylick, Canopy Tower & Tapir Claylick)
Rising before dawn, we take a 25 minute boat journey down stream to the only large parrot and macaw clay lick in the Manu area. From a floating catamaran we are offered excellent views and photo opportunities of hundreds of medium-sized and large parrots arriving first at the lick, followed by the large Red-and-Green Macaws arriving to eat the clay. Please note that the clay lick is not as active in May, June and July. After lunch at the Center we continue to explore the miles of forest trails surrounding the lodge, and spend the late afternoon up a 34 meter canopy platform. Here we watch the last frantic activity in the rainforest canopy before night settles. We return for dinner back at the center and then enjoy a leisurely hike for 60-75 minutes through the night forest to the Amazon’s largest known Tapir clay lick. We climb up a 17 foot by 17 foot observation platform perched 17 feet above the lick itself where we wait for the lumbering Tapirs to arrive, then using powerful flashlights we observe and photograph them in action. (B,L,D)

DAY 3:  (Wed) MANU WILDLIFE CENTER (Cocha Blanco and the Wildlife trails)
Up at dawn and after breakfast, the morning presents two possible activities: Rising at dawn you will board the motor-canoe to visit the Camungo Oxbow Lake. This lake has populations of a variety of aquatic life and water birds, including the prehistoric-looking hoatzin and the possibility of seeing the resident family of giant otters. We will also explore the forest trail and visit the 40 meter high canopy platform. This Canopy platform provides a beautiful view of the Camungo Lake as well as the forest canopy; on very clear days it is possible to look over the rainforest to the Andes. After lunch at the Center we will explore the forest trails with the emphasis on visiting the fruiting tress that our experienced naturalist guides have been monitoring. Here we will hope to encounter more monkey species as well as numerous species of birds. After supper, those explorers still with enough energy will have a chance for another visit to the Tapir clay lick. (B,L,D)

DAY 4:  (Thu) MANU WILDLIFE CENTER - CUSCO
We leave our lodge very early for the three-hour return boat trip downstream to the Colorado Village. Breakfast will be served on the boat and this is the perfect time to take advantage of valuable early morning wildlife activity along the river. In addition, this journey allows us to see several lowland native settlements and gold miners digging and panning gold along the banks of the Madre de Dios River. We will stop in the far-west type gold-mining town of Colorado to start our overland journey to Puerto Maldonado. A van or bus will drive us four hours to the airport in Puerto Maldonado. From here you fly to Cusco, where your jungle adventure ends. Arrival at Cusco Airport, reception and transfer to your hotel. (B)

**Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and experienced naturalist guides based at the lodge.

Key: (B)reakfast, (L)unch, (D)inner