Manu Wildlife Tour 5 Days with Hot Springs

Day 01: Cusco – Manu Cloud Forest – Pilcopata

We leave Cusco at 6:00 a.m. in a private minivan and cross the Andes. Our first stop is the pre-Inca burial towers of Ninamarca, followed by a short visit to Paucartambo, a picturesque Andean village known for its traditional dress, before we reach the entrance of Manu National Park, the highest point of the trip.

From there we descend into the cloud forest, full of orchids, heliconias and tree ferns. After lunch we look for Peru’s national bird, the Andean cock-of-the-rock, as well as quetzals, trogons, the Amazonian umbrellabird, woolly monkeys (the largest monkey in Peru), brown capuchins and, with luck, a spectacled bear. In the afternoon we arrive in Pilcopata, where we spend the night at Pilcopata Lodge.

Day 02: Pilcopata – Atalaya – Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake – Manu Rainforest Lodge

You wake up to the sound of rainforest birds. After breakfast we drive to the river port of Atalaya, stopping at a coca plantation and enjoying views over the lowland rainforest, and continue by boat on the clear waters of the Madre de Dios River to Manu Rainforest Lodge.

We explore the Machuhuasi oxbow lake on a balsa raft to look for the prehistoric-looking hoatzin, then walk around the lake while your guide explains the medicinal plants, reptiles and mammals of the forest. With luck we see capybaras, the largest rodent in the world, along with caimans, herons, oropendolas, toucans and monkeys until sunset. Night walk after dark.

Day 03: Parrot Clay Lick – Primary Forest – River Clay Therapy

We leave early to visit the parrot clay lick, where hundreds of parakeets and small macaws come to eat mineral-rich clay. After breakfast we spend about three hours exploring the primary forest among huge ceiba trees, watching for macaws, toucans, snakes and, occasionally, a jaguar resting on a log. After lunch you can try the clay therapy and swim in the river while we look for birds and red howler monkeys, then return to the lodge.

Day 04: Alto Madre de Dios River – Shintuya Hot Springs and Waterfalls – Shintuya Community

After breakfast we travel by boat on the Alto Madre de Dios River, watching for capybaras, red howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, kingfishers and king vultures. At the Shintuya hot springs we hike through the forest up to a waterfall with natural pools and finish with a soak in the hot springs. After lunch we visit the Shintuya community to see their daily life, then return to the lodge in the afternoon.

Day 05: Manu Rainforest Lodge – Atalaya – Cusco

After a guided morning walk to look for macaws and a good breakfast, we pack and take the boat to Atalaya, then continue by private van to Cusco. We drop you off near the main square at around 5:00 p.m.