We, the adventurous travelers thirsty to find new places that offer us experiences that mark our lives, are certainly in constant search of our new destination. One of the little visited and explored places in Peru is the Manu National Park, located in the jungle of Peru between the regions of Cusco and Madre de Dios. With its 1.5 million protected hectares, it is home to more than 850 varieties of birds, and some endemic species. If your passion is nature and you are escaping from life in the city, Manu is one of the destinations that you should not miss.
Details of the Manu National Park
Altitude
It extends from 150 masl to 4200. This difference in height allows you to appreciate different ecosystems while you descend.
Weather
The weather is generally quite hot, in the months of November to the months of March the rains are frequent, it is possible that some days it rains from morning to night. The rest of the year, the frequency of rains decreases, although the precipitations are less, it is difficult to predict the state of the weather. The temperature also decreases at night, reaching 20°C. The mornings and the rest of the day are generally very hot, reaching up to 35°C.
Access
The most popular way is by car, starting from the city of Cusco and then reaching the town of Pilcopata, later you will have to locate the port of Atalaya to enter the same reserved area. The only way to enter the reserved area is by boat, so you should consider hiring this service.
Buffer zone or cultural zone of Manu
The manu cultural zone is basically the gateway to the reserved zone made up of towns and communities dedicated to agricultural and forestry activities. At this point, although it is inhabited, social development in education, housing and health is very precarious. If you are traveling, it will be the final point to stock up on provisions before your expedition to Manu.
Manu Reserved Zone
Extensive forests crossed by the Manu and Madre de Dios rivers allow us at this time to continue appreciating the wildlife of many species that are only found in the Manu. We will also find lakes and lagoons where you can appreciate the giant otter, the jaguar, the capybara and many other animals that you will not be able to see in another part of the world. Currently you can visit the reserved zone of manu as long as you have authorization from the government entity SERNANP with contracts with an authorized tourism agency.
Core zone.
It is only allowed for people who come with the intention of scientific or anthropological study. Clearly, the permits are requested from the Peruvian government institution SERNANP days in advance of the date of your trip.
How to get to Manu?
To get to the Manu National Park, you will have to go through the city of Cusco. You will need to drive, so you will have to rent a car or hire a private transportation service. If you are going to rent, we recommend that you go carefully, because the road is not very easy, and the trip lasts approximately 5 to 6 hours descending from 3500 masl to 150 masl. On the other hand, our recommendation is that you hire a private transportation service or an authorized travel agency, so you will save the part of the car trip and the necessary paperwork for this trip.
We will drive to the southern part of Cusco, until we reach the town of Paucartambo, Paucartambo is a town very devoted to the Catholic religion, at a certain time of the year, one of the largest carnivals or Christian festivities is celebrated in devotion to the Virgin of Carmen . You can make a stop at this site and take advantage of visiting its picturesque streets. Next we will go up to the first control point Acjanaco, from this point we will descend until we reach the town of Pilcopata. We recommend spending the night in this town because the night will be near when you arrive in this town.
The day after your trip, you will have to go to the town of Atalaya, at this point you will find boats that will allow you to travel to the reserved area, you will have to quote prices and hire the transport service via boat. Assuming that you have permission to enter the Manu reserved zone, you will have a 6-hour trip downstream until you reach the control point or entrance to the reserved zone.
Remember that you must anticipate your stay, there are no hotels in the reserved area and we do not recommend camping if you do not have experience in the jungle, what there are are hostels and lodges but it is necessary that you reserve them days before your trip.
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