Tapir and Macaw Clay Licks
Manu National Park
7 days/6 nights.
1 night at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, 1 night at Boca Manu Lodge, 2 nights at Manu Wildlife Tent Camps & 2 nights at Manu Wildlife Center.
Departs every Thursday from May through November.
ITINERARY
Day 1, Thursday: Cuzco / Manu Cloud Forest
Depart Cusco in our private, custom-designed expedition bus, to our private reserve, 11000-acre cloud forest. The bus stops frequently during the trip for visits to small Andean towns and for exploration of cloud forest habitats. Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge for overnight. (L,D )
Day 2, Friday: Manu Cloud Forest / Boca Manu
Observe Cock-of-the-Rocks displaying and calling at dawn, and then enjoy breakfast back at the lodge. Explore the cool, moist, mosquito-free cloud forest and search for Brown Capuchin Monkeys. Travel by bus for 2-3 hours to the riverside hamlet of Atalaya, where we board our motor-canoes to travel down the Alto Madre de Dios River towards the mouth of the Manu River. Depending on the road and river conditions on this day, we either sleep in a simple tented camp (with small tents) or in a rustic local lodge near the mouth of the Manu River. (B,L,D)
Day 3, Saturday: Boca Manu / Manu Wildlife Tented Camps at Manu National Park
Dawn in the forest or on the riverbank and a visit to the town of Boca Manu. Today we will join the group that comes from Cusco by plane and together we will travel by motor-canoe up the Manu River for 5-6 hours to the Wildlife Tented Camp near Cocha Salvador. We will stop at the park guard station to be registered. Continuing on we will have the chance to observe beaches inhabited by different birds, black caiman, capybaras, turtles, etc. Afternoon arrival at Manu Wildlife Tented Camp. After settling in we will explore some trails in the primary forest to search for monkeys. After dinner, guests that wish to can explore other trails looking for different species, including insects and frogs. (B,L,D)
Day 4, Sunday: Manu National Park
Visit Cocha Salvador and take a canoe or catamaran outing on the lake to look for the famous and endangered Giant Otters and observe birds and monkeys searching for food. The rest of the day we will explore other trails through different forest types, with excellent opportunities to observe monkeys and other wildlife. (B,L,D)
Day 5, Monday: Manu National Park / Boca Manu/Manu Wildlife Center
Leave very early to motor down the Manu River to Boca Manu (here some of the people will take the flight to Cusco.) After visiting the Boca Manu community we take a motorized-canoe for the 90 minute journey down the Madre de Dios River to Manu Wildlife Center. Late afternoon will be spent exploring some of the 30 miles of forest trails that surround the lodge. On these trails you have an excellent chance to encounter some of the 12 species of monkeys which inhabit the surrounding forest and include the Saki Monkey and the Emperor Tamarin. We can return to the Center for dinner or pack our meal for the leisurely hike of about 60 minutes through the forest to the Amazon’s largest known Tapir clay lick. Here we climb up to a 17 foot by 17 foot observation platform perched 20 feet above the lick itself where we wait for the lumbering Tapirs to arrive. Then, using powerful flashlights we hope to observe and photograph them in action. Our scientific reports reveal that tapirs usually visit the clay lick between 9:00 pm and midnight with activity continuing until dawn. (B,L,D)
Day 6, Tuesday: Manu Wildlife Center
Rising before dawn, we take a 25 minute boat journey downstream to the only large parrot and macaw clay lick in the Manu area. From a blind we are afforded excellent views and photo opportunities of hundreds of medium-sized and large parrots arriving first, then followed by the large Red-and-Green Macaws arriving to eat the clay. The clay lick is most active from August to October. After lunch at the Center we continue by boat and a short hike in from the river to visit Blanco Oxbow Lake. This lake has populations of a variety of aquatic life and water birds, including the prehistoric-looking hoatzin and offers the possibility of seeing the resident family of giant otters. Alternatively, this time is could be used to experience this expanse of rainforest on your own. This evening we offer an opportunity to search for caiman and other nocturnal life along the riverbank by boat. (B,L,D)
Day 7, Wednesday: Manu Wildlife Center / Cusco
After early breakfast, we leave near dawn by motor canoe for the two-hour return trip to the Manu landing strip, taking advantage of valuable early morning wildlife activity along the river. 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.