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Manu Biosphere Reserve 2009 |
Itinerary |
Day 1: Cusco - Cloud ForestLeaving Cusco early in the morning, we begin an 8-hour journey over the Andes by bus, stopping for a coffee at the beautiful colonial village of Paucartambo. Continuing, we climb to the highpoint of the Manu Biosphere at about 3,530 m before descending to the cloud forest. In these mysterious surroundings we take a hike to the lek of the incredible cock-of-the-rock, to see the ‘performance’ of the males right under our eyes. We spend our first night in the rustic lodge Posada San Pedro (appr. 1,600 masl / 5,248 ft). |
Itinerary |
Day 2: Cloud Forest – Atalaya - Manu RiverAt daybreak we continue by bus to tropical lowland rainforest. Here at the small village Atalaya at 650 m / 2,132 ft, we change into a motorized canoe to navigate some 5 hours down the turbulent Alto Madre de Dios River to Boca Manu. As night falls we stay in a basic lodge, or camp next to that lodge, depending on availability. |
Itinerary |
Day 5: Lake Salvador-Boca ManuAfter a final walk through the forest surrounding Lake Salvador (flight schedule permitting), we return back down the Manu River. At Boca Manu, you return mid-day to Cusco by light aircraft, if you are participating in the 5-day trip. If your tour is of 7 or 9 days, it continues as follows: Day 5: Lake Salvador-MacawLick Joining the Madre de Dios River we arrive at Blanquillo, near the claylick for macaws, where we spend the night in the jungle lodge Tambo Blanquillo. |
Itinerary |
Day 6: Lake Salvador-Macaw LickAt first light we head to the macaw lick to watch the dazzling spectacle of hundreds of parakeets, parrots and macaws eating clay. In the afternoon we visit another one of Manu´s beautiful oxbow lakes, Cocha Blanco. Going back up the river we stay in a basic lodge, or camp next to that basic lodge, depending on availability. |
Itinerary |
Day 8: Pantiacolla MountainsThis day we hike through a very special rainforest: this is where the Andes and the lowland tropical rainforest meet, providing the visitor with a chance to see a good selection of birds, insects and flora from both zones as well as some endemic species. |
Itinerary |
Day 9: Atalaya - Cloud Forest - CuscoBack on the boat early in the morning, we head upstream to Atalaya where our bus is waiting to take us back over the Andes to Cusco. * Bearing in mind the uncontrollable forces of nature, the programme could be subject to changes at any time |
Price Information |
Prices per person 2009 – Standard Pool service Adult:
* Manu Reserved Zone entrance fee not included: S/. 150.00 per person (to be confirmed as of April 2009)
Private Service tours are also available. Please contact us for more information. |
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Departure dates 2009 |
MANU Reserved Zone 5, 7 and 9 days
*since generally there are no flights between Boca Manu and Cusco on Sundays, the “5-day” programme starting on Wednesdays will have an extra overnight in the Yine Lodge (5th night) to travel by plane to Cusco on Monday morning (flight conditions permitting) |
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Group Size |
Maximum is 10 people per guide and 14 people per group, no minimum is required on a fixed departure. |
What is included |
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What is not included |
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What we recommend that you bring |
Rainforest expeditions are not comfortable tours, but with the following equipment you will get the best out of the forest and yourself:
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Other useful information |
Health: Though it only is a small risk, it is possible you get infected with malaria in Manu, and we recommend you take a prophylaxis when going on one of our tours. The yellow fever situation is about the same. Moreover, yellow fever is almost always lethal. Therefore, it is not only recommended but even required that one receives the yellow fever vaccination at least ten days before entering Manu. |
Booking online |
If you would like to make a reservation for this program, please go directly to the Booking Online section of this website by clicking here. In case you have any doubts, queries or require additional information, please contact us, we will be very glad to assist you. Your request will be answered by return mail within a maximum of 2 working days. |
Manu National Park |
Our recommendations for a low impact trip in Manu National ParkWe would like to share with you our recommendations for how to have as little an impact upon the natural environment in Manu as possible during your visit.
If you have additional ideas you’d like to share, we’d be pleased to hear them and add them to this list! |
Frequently Asked Questions |
Below is a list of the most frequently asked questions by passengers with answers, hopefully this will give you more information and a better idea about our tours to Manu. What is the maximum group size on the trips?The maximum size of the groups is 10 people per guide. If we have up to 13 people we send two guides but the group travels as one in the same bus and boat. If there are more than 13 people we split into two independent groups - both with their own boats, guides, cooks and program. The only time they spend together is on the first day and a part of the second, while travelling by bus. What kind of transportation do you provide for the trip into Manu?We own 4-wheel drive mini van for maximum 6 passengers and a big bus for maximum 18 passengers. Both vehicles have been adapted for the unpaved Manu road. Are participants expected to help with carrying luggage and with cooking, or is this done for us?Cooking and dishes are done by the cook and his assistant. In principal the boatmen and the guide will carry your luggage to and from the boat to your accommodation. Often people like to assist them, preferring to carry their own bags – which is gratefully accepted but no obligation. What are the overnight conditions for each night of the tour?We believe it is important to minimize our impact as much as possible; therefore we do not promote this as a luxury tour. On the contrary you may encounter some physical discomforts such as heat, humidity, biting insects, plus basic washing and toilet facilities. first night: Posada San Pedro is a basic lodge with double and triple rooms with beds with mattresses and mosquito netting. There are shared hot water showers and toilets and a dining area. second night: Yine Lodge is a basic lodge with double and triple rooms. Sometimes in the high season (July, August) all lodge facilities of the area are occupied and you spend the night in tents near the Yine Lodge, where you will still be able to use the shower and toilet facilities. third and fourth night: at our campsite near Lake Salvador. Our campsite consists of little rustic huts, raised from the forest floor, with beds with mattresses and mosquito netting. There are shared showers and toilets and there is a dining area. fifth night: at Tambo Blanquillo, near the clay lick for macaws. This is a long platform with division to make double/triple rooms, shared hot water showers and toilets. sixth night: Yine Lodge is a basic lodge with double and triple rooms. Sometimes in the high season (July, August) all lodge facilities of the area are occupied and you spend the night in tents near the Yine Lodge, where you will still be able to use the shower and toilet facilities. seventh and eighth night: at Pantiacolla Lodge, a beautiful lodge with double rooms with beds and mosquito nets and shared showers and toilets. What safety measurements do you have?Concerning the back-up facilities, all our overnight places have a radio communication at the site. All our personnel have been trained in first-aid, and a first-aid kit is available during the tour. Do the boats have a roof?Yes the boats have a roof to protect yourself against the sun and rain (if you are sitting on a moving boat rain always comes in on one side though). Is all drinking water provided? Is this purified?Just for the first day you should bring your own water. For the rest of the trip we provide mineral water that we bring in from Cusco. What is the food like?Our food is not typical Peruvian food, nor typical tourist food. It is food that lasts in the heat and humidity of the tropical rainforest. For breakfasts there are omelettes, scrambled eggs, pancakes etc. The lunches in general consist of cold salads, since it is usually hot at that time of the day, and the dinners feature soups (the great Peruvian soups!), a main course with meat for the first part of the tour and beans or lentils for the second part (since meat cannot been kept cool for a long time) and desserts of fresh fruits or puddings etc. You can also ask for a special diet, such as vegetarian, saltless or anything else that you need or prefer. For drinking we have mineral water as much as you need, plus lemonades, coffee, tea and maté. There are places where one can buy beers or soft drinks, but you pay for them yourself. Do you remove all waste from the campsites?Yes, of course we remove all waste from the campsite. Biodegradable garbage is decomposed in the ground at a specially designed area near Pantiacolla Lodge. Non-biodegradable waste is returned to Cusco. Do we need to bring sleeping bags?Yes, we provide sleeping mats but we ask you to bring your own sleeping bag. You can hire those here in Cusco for $2, 00 (price of 2008) per night per sleeping. Do we need to bring our own mosquito nets?You do not have to bring your own mosquito nets; wherever they are needed we will provide them. Are you guaranteed to see birds at the Macaw Lick?The dry season is a good season to see the birds. The most likely reason for them to come together and eat the clay is because at certain times of the year there are hardly any fruits available for them, just seeds. Seeds in general have a toxic layer to prevent animals eating them. If the macaws eat them they have a build up of poison in their stomach. To neutralize the acids that the poison produces in their stomachs they eat the clay. In the rainy season there are many fruits up until the beginning of the dry season, which is May. So the macaws eat fewer seeds and more non-toxic fruits and feel less necessity to eat the clay. Usually it means there are fewer macaws present: in the middle of the dry season there may be from 100 to 150 macaws visiting the clay lick in one morning, whereas these maybe only 10 to 50 at the end of the rainy season. What are the temperatures like in Manu?The first night you spend in the cloud forest, at 1600masl, where temperatures are about 10 degrees Celsius (50F). In Manu’s lowland forest, the temperature at night is normally around 24 degrees Celsius (75F) and during the day about 30 degrees Celsius (86F). However, cold winds from Patagonia may reach Manu and the temperature may lower to about 10 degrees Celsius (50F). These “friajes” are more common during the southern hemisphere’s wintertime (between April and the end of August). Is there a lot of walking?There is not a lot of walking in the sense of going far. All walking is done slowly. This is because most of what you find in a rainforest is vegetation and to be able to pick out the animals you have to take your time to look around, and listen as well. The first day of the tour has an afternoon walk of about two hours. The second day is mostly spent looking for birds and animals on the Alto Madre de Dios River, with less walking than the other days. The third and fourth days feature a short walk to Lake Salvador, and various different walks in the Reserved Zone and on trails around the accommodation. The sixth day a two hour walk and the seventh day no walk at all except for those on the 9 day tour who will walk a trail on arrival to Pantiacolla Lodge. Night walks can be added to most days depending on the camp area. Are the flights Boca Manu to Cusco often delayed?Concerning the Manu flights, they can be delayed, due to bad weather (there is no radar on the Boca Manu landings strip) or other external circumstances, but in appr. 50% of the cases we fly with a delay of some hours. You still return to Cusco on the same day, but in the afternoon instead of in the morning. Other reasons for delay can be mechanical problems of the only plane that flies between Cusco and Boca Manu or just the way the flights are administrated. In about 20% of the cases we fly, people have to wait an extra night at the Boca Manu airport, returning to Cusco the morning of the next day. The extra costs occasioned in the rainforest by a non-flight situation are paid by Pantiacolla (extra overnights, meals etc.). Extra costs outside of the rainforest, such as hotel expenses in Cusco or elsewhere, changing airplane tickets etc., are not Pantiacolla´s responsibility. In case we know there will not be a flight available for the next day, we will coordinate with you for return by land. Should I take a malaria prophylaxis?Though it only is a small risk, it is possible you get infected with malaria in Manu, and we recommend you take a prophylaxis when going on one of our tours. The yellow fever situation is about the same. Moreover, yellow fever is almost always lethal therefore it is required that one receives the yellow fever vaccination at least ten days before entering Manu. Will there be a Pre-departure briefing?The day before departure there will be a briefing at 18:00 hrs, at the Pantiacolla office. In case you cannot be present for the briefing, please let me know, to make sure you get at least information about departure time and place. |
Copyright © Enigma Adventure Tour Operator 2003 - 2009. |
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