Yanayaco and Bocamanu – 5D/4N

We leave Cusco at 6:00am in a private bus, crossing many valleys and communities. Mid-morning we visit the graves of pre-Inca Ninamarca known as Ch’ullpas, then head to the historic village in the Andes, Paucartambo where we have breakfast. We will take a walk through the village and continue our journey up the mountain to climb to 3,852 to Acjanacu. This is the starting point of Manu National Park as we continue through the lowland rain forest full of beautiful Orchids, Ferns and primitive Heliconias. We will have lunch on the way and walk 30 minutes to see the famous national bird of Peru, Rupicola Peruviana, or Cock of the Rock in its mating ritual. We may also have the opportunity to see the birds Trogons, Quetzals, Tanagers and many more. In the evening we arrive at Pilcopata where we have dinner and spend the night in a lodge.

After a delicious breakfast we go by bus to the port of Atalaya where we transfer to our boat to sail on the river, Alto Madre de Dios. On the way we see a great variety of birds such as Herons, Kingfisher and always there is the presence of Vultures of which the most spectacular is the Condor of the jungle. At noon we arrive at our lodge in Yanayacu for lunch. Then we will have a rest in the hammocks, preparing for an afternoon walk on the trails. The neo-tropical jungle is like a scientific laboratory; 25% of pharmaceuticals get their medicines from the species here, however less than 1% of all of the species have been analysed. We will learn a bit of the medicinal plants that grow in the forest and of the animals that live among them. After the walk we will be returning to the lodge for dinner and again prepare for a 50 minute night walk to Collpa, where we see Tapirs, the largest mammal in South America eating salty clay. We finish the night by heading back to the lodge to relax.

We get up early to go to the parrot clay licks, a formation naturally caused by parrots who visit there daily and erode the walls feeding. This is part of their diet to eliminate toxins from their body. Not only is it a colourful show, it’s one of the best bird views in the world! We then return to the lodge for breakfast and continue our trip to the village of Boca Manu. From here we take a walk to the Native Islands where the valleys are full of ancient lake vegetation. We sail the river in search of turtles, birds and alligators and you also have the opportunity to try some piranha fishing. After a brief rest we head upstream to the native community of Diamante, where we have lunch and you can stroll through the community and appreciate native art such as arrows, bows, hammocks, Cushma, Q’uempos and more. Afterwards, we climb into the boat again to go back to our lodge here we have dinner and spend the night.

After breakfast we will go up the river towards Atalaya. At noon we take a relaxing dip in the hot springs where we expect a delicious lunch afterwards. We continue the journey back to Watchtower where our baggage is transferred from boat to bus, bound for Pilcopata where we spend our last night in the jungle.

After breakfast we return to Cusco by bus, stopping in many interesting places throughout the trip, arriving to Cusco around 5:00pm.