AMAZON BIRDING – THE ULTIMATE IN WILDLIFE TOURS IN MANU

Manu National Park has the highest biodiversity of any protected area in the world. The unparalleled beauty of this trip is in the landscape and variety of habitats ranging from orchid-draped cloud forest where Spectacled Bears and Cock-of-the-Rocks still exist unbothered, to pristine Amazon rainforest with 13 primate species and oxbow lakes frequented by Giant Otters. A trip to Manu is a trip to one of the world´s great wilderness areas where wildlife is still plentiful and over 1000 species of birds have been recorded. Add to this a breathtaking visit to Machu Picchu and you have a trip of a lifetime.

EXPLORE MANU BIOSPHERE: Cloud forest, Tapir & Macaw clay licks, canopy tower & Oxbow lakes at Manu lowland rainforest.

Depending on arrival time in Lima we either transfer to our hotel in Lima or connect to Cusco.

Today we will leave early, first driving through scenic intermontane valleys. We will make selected stops for the Lupacas Pre-Inca cementery and Paucartambo village. Reaching a high mountain pass at Acjanaco, we will begin our journey into a vast intact wilderness area as we descend along the sinuous road that will take us to the Manu foothills. Along the extraordinary altitudinal transect that this remarkable road represents, new wildlife species continually appear whilst others drop out. Initially, the steep Andean slopes are clad in stunted forest, temperate shrubbery and wet paramo, and here we may well encounter such high-elevation species as Mountain Caracara, Shining Sunbeam and Moustached Flower-piercers. A little lower down, where the magnificent cloudforests begin, we shall look out for the beautiful Orchids and the famous Andean cock-of-the-Rock at the Lek, proclaimed as Peru´s national bird. With a little luck we will see a Woolly Monkey and Brown capuchin Monkeys. We will stay for one night at Bamboo Lodge. Optional night walk. L:D.

After a final morning, we will descend further down the Manu road to Atalaya port. From here we shall continue our river journey, dawn the Alto Madre de Dios River, leaving behind the green ridges of the foothills as we delve deeper into the humid lowlands. Here in the strict confines of Manu Biosphere, Black Skimmers, Sand-colored Nighthawks and the bizarre Orinoco Goose on the sandbars, whilst White Caimans lazily sun themselves nearby. Careful scanning of the river edge may reveal the awkward shape of a Great Black-Hawk, the flash of a Sunbittern or the reddish brown of a Capybara, the world´s largest rodent. With just a little luck on our side we should also be able to spot the stately Razor-billed Curassow, a species driven to near-extinction in large parts of Amazonia but still reasonably common here. Raucous Blue-and yellow, Scarlet and Red-and-green Macaws float overhead, clothed in a riot of colours. Eventually we will arrive at the comfortable Manu Birding Lodge for a three nights stay, with optional night walks. B:L:D.

We start early morning, 40 minutes downriver to the most spectacurar and the bigest Macaw Clay lick, this one featuring up to 100 Red-and-green Macaws and observe the spectacle of hundreds of Parrots and Parakeets very close from our blinds. Red-and-green Macaw is a highlight. Here we will see the beautiful Orange-cheeked Parrrot, Blue-headed Parrot as well as Mealy and Yellow-crowned Parrots. Smaller visitors include White-eyed, Cobalt-winged and Tui Parakeets. We´ll use a blind(hide) to get close to the birds. Breakfast at the blind. The noise alone is incredible and the sight of these brightly colored birds at the lick is a sight not to be forgotten. As the lick slows down in midmorning we have the opportunity to climb a 42 meters a Canopy Tower to get great view of the amazon basin and we may have chance to see the Black-spider Monkeys and bright color birds like cotingas or nesting the Great Potoo. After a leisurely lunch at the Blanquillo lodge, we´ll visit Camungo Oxbow Lake, an old oxbow lake, in search of a family of Giant Otters that live there, and canoe around the lake on our floating platform looking for other wildlife like Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth. Night at Manu Birding Lodge. B:L:D.

Today early in the morning we will visit additional the Blanco Oxbow Lake picking up species we may missed, we have a floating platform so that access to the lake ensures that all lakeside fauna can be readily observed. There is one family of the endangered Giant Otters (Pteronura brasiliensis). Good place to see the endangered Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger). And plenty of wildlife. In the afternoon we will walk about 45 minutes through the forest is a large mammal clay lick where Tapirs (Tapirus terrestris), the largest South American land mammal, regularly come for minerals. At night Red-brocket Deer, Bicolor-spined Porcupine, Paca and other animals share this necessary ingredient to the digestive system. There is a large, raised blind here equipped with mattresses and mosquito nets for those who want to spend the night in comfort observing these nocturnal creatures. During the day several species of Rose-fronted and Rock Parakeets and Dusky-billed Parrotlet as well as Spix´s and Blue-throated Pinping Guans, Ruddy and Plumbeous Pigeons, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Razor-billed Curassow and White-lipped and Collared Pecaries, Southern Amazon Red Squirrel, Amazon Dwarf Squirrel, Brown Agouti, Red Howler and Black Spider Monkeys regularly visit the clay lick. Night at Manu Birding Lodge. B:L:D.

The call of the Red Howler Monkeys will wake us up for the delicious breakfast, then we will be exploring the extensive trail systems which have been designed to visit different forest types. The area around this lodge has the most forest types of anywhere in the Manu area, and thus the highest bio-diversity, which means the most species of flora and fauna. With the extensive Varzea, Tierra Firme and Mature Transitional Floodplain Forest, this means a mind-boggling variety of wildlife. We expect this lodge area to hold more species of birds than anywhere else in the world and the bird list over 600 species. We may see Emperor and Saddleback Tamarins, Monk Saki Monkey, Black Spider Monkey, Brown and White-fronted Capuchin Monkeys, Bolivian Squirrel monkey, Dusky Titi Monkey and for the optional night walks the Night Monkey or visit the Tapir clay lick. Nights at Manu Birding Lodge.B:L:D.

Starting early this morning on our comfortable boat we will have one last look at the numerous parrot flocks for which Manu is famous. The first part of our journey down the Madre de Dios River, will give us another opportunity to see riverside wildlife activity. Leaving our boat, we will take a local car from Boca Colorado to pto Carlos and we will cross the Inanvari River with a local boat, then we´ll drive back to Cusco and transfer to your Hotel and your tour Manu Biosphere ends. B:L.