The Manu Zone Reserve Natural is a protected area in the Amazon rainforest of southeastern Peru, known for its incredible biodiversity. The reserve covers over 15,000 square kilometers and is home to over 1,000 species of birds and 13 species of monkeys, as well as jaguars, giant otters, and many other animals. Visitors can take guided tours to explore the rainforest and its wildlife, and learn about the indigenous people who live in the area.
The reserve is also a popular destination for birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts, and offers a unique opportunity to experience the beauty and complexity of the Amazon ecosystem.
Summary: Four days exploring the culture and wildlife of the Amazon
Itinerary – Four Days Exploring the Amazon’s Cultural Zone
Day 1: Cusco – Cloud Forest – Paucartambo – Pilcopata Lodge
We pick up from your hotel very early in the morning from 5:30 a.m. at 6:00 a.m. in our confortable and private bus. On the way, we visit the funerary towers or Chullpas of Ninamarca at 3750 meters above sea level and brief visit to Paucartambo, a folkloric town, a colonial bridge. We ascend to area of Paucartambo, the Acjanaco sector (4000 m.s.n.m) This is the point of entry to the Manu National Park.
Then we descend through the mysterious cloud forest, which hosts a great variety of flora and fauna, full of beautiful orchids, heliconias and primitive ferns. We toke a walk to give you the opportunity to witness the Cock of the Rocks (Rupícola Peruvian) in the ritual of mating. There are also possibilities to observe Trogones (Trogon sp.), Quetzales (Pharomachrus sp.) In addition, much more and if we are lucky we can observe Spectacled Bear (Tremantus Ornatus). In the afternoon, we arrive at a village called Pilcopata at 550 meters above sea level in your typical lodge that is outside the town with private bathrooms and showers where we will spend the night.
Day 2: Pilcopata Lodge - Atalaya - Machuwasi Lake - Paititi Lodge
After a delicious breakfast, we continue our trip by bus to Atalaya for 45 minutes, height of 490 m.s.n.m, where we will embark by boat for 30 minutes to the Paititi Lodge, where we will spend the night in our typical lodge with private bathrooms and showers.
On the way, we will observe a variety of animals. After the delicious lunch, in the afternoon we will go to the Cocha Machuwasi, where we will ride a catamaran typical of the area, to observe a variety of birds such as the Shansho (Ophisthocomus hoazín), monkeys, reptiles, dwarf alligators and insects, and perphaps some ronsocos (Hydrochaeris). At night, we have the optional night trekking program.
Night in Hostel with private bathrooms and showers available.
Day 3: Parrots Clay Lick - Lake Maravilla
Very early, we left by boat until the clay lick of green parrots (Wall of clay with minerals) where 3 to 4 species of parrots are observed, then we return in boat where we will have a walk inside the forest, arriving to the private lagoon or cocha Maravilla from a platform we can see a variety of birds, monkeys, small reptilies, dwarf allgators and insects.
In the afternoon, we return to our hostel for lunch. At night, we will have night walks. Nigth in hostel with bathrooms and private showers.
Day 4: Paititi Lodge - Atalaya - Cusco
After our delicious breakfast, unfortunately we return by boat from Paititi Lodge to Atalaya. Finally we will wait for the bus to return to Cusco, passing through the mysterious cloud forest again to the Imperial city of Cusco (Approximate arrival at 6:30 am to 7:00 pm
Included: Essential services for a responsible experience on Amazon
Packing List: Essentials for a Rainforest Adventure
Travel Information: Important Information Before Venturing into the Amazon
Briefings
All briefings are done at our office at 7:00 PM one or two nights before your trek. If you are unable to make this time, you need to coordinate another time with a member of the Xtreme Tourbulencia office team. Briefings are approximately 40 minutes long.
Pickups
Xtreme Tourbulencia is one of the only companies to pick you up directly from your hotel. As long as your hotel is in the center of Cusco city, we will coordinate this pickup based on a time that your guide will discuss at the briefing. Pick up times may vary 30 – 45 minutes based on traffic conditions and previous pickups.
Cusco is an old city with cobblestoned streets and very narrow passageways. Smaller hotels and Airbnbs are often located on streets that cars can´t pass through.
They also are frequently on hillsides with long steep climbs, making it difficult to carry luggage. We highly recommend that you book accommodations with better access. We have a list of hotels that are all comfortable with easy access to pick up and drop off.
Health Concerns
You must be honest with your guide about any health conditions or concerns you might have. While our guides are not medical professionals, they do have first aid training. We also work with a clinic in Cusco that can help assist our team.
You are responsible for assessing whether a Tour is suitable for you. You should consult your physician to confirm your fitness for travel and participation in any planned activities. You should seek your physician’s advice on vaccinations and medical precautions.
Xtreme TourBulencia will not provide medical advice. It is your responsibility to assess the risks and requirements of each aspect of the Tour based on your unique circumstances, limitations, fitness level, and medical requirements.
If you develop extreme altitude sickness or any other illness that prevents you from hiking, and you still wish to visit Machu Picchu by train, we will work with you to coordinate this trip. Since this will be a new trip, it may require additional fees. We will use as much of the original itinerary to keep costs low.
If you experience issues while hiking and can not continue, a porter will accompany you to the closest road and wait while a car comes to pick you up and bring you to the nearest health clinic.
Group Tours
Group tours are made up of all different types of people, with various hiking skills and ages. By agreeing to a group tour, you agree that some people might be slower or faster than you are.
Everyone can go at their own pace for the trek, and the guide will work with the group to spend time with everyone. Groups might request some modifications to the tour, and the guide will work with everyone to make the best decision for the group.
Strikes
Unfortunately, strikes are frequent in Peru and can disrupt our tours. Roads are often blocked, and trains stopped. We will make sure your trek continues as planned, even if that means leaving the night before your start date.
Under these circumstances, tours might need to be canceled. But our operations department will coordinate with you in this situation. Your safety is always our top concern and will dictate how we decide.
Lost Items
You are responsible for your items throughout the Tour. Please be diligent about where you leave your things and remember to remove all items from our vans, your tents, restaurant, etc.
Do not leave anything unintended during your hike. Other trekkers or teams might pick it up not knowing whos it is.
Tips
Tipping is part of the tradition of any trek to Machu Picchu. While we pay good wages to our entire team, anything extra is always appreciated. Please know that this is not obligatory and that you should never feel pressured into this.
Typically the participants in a group pool their tipping money together for the porters and chef. The amount recommended is different per trek and listed below.
For the guide, this is more personal and needs to be decided based on your relationship with them and done separately from the group. Porters and Chefs prefer soles if possible. Guides are happy with U.S. dollars, Peruvian Soles, or even your credit card.
Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is inexpensive and strongly recommended. With trips being planned months ahead of time, you never can predict what could happen. Adventure travel includes more risk than the average trip.
Insurance is a way to protect the investment you have made on this journey. We can help recommend an agent to walk you through this type of insurance if needed.