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Manu Wildlife Center, located east of the Manu River on the north bank of the Madre de Dios River, and reached by a 35-minute light plane flight from Cusco, offers the Amazon’s finest short, in-depth wildlife safari.

The lodge contains 15 double-occupancy fully screened private bungalows, separate complexes of hot showers and toilets, and a large, fully screened dining room/bar, with hammocks for relaxing.

Two fixed departure programs are offered, of 04 days/03 nights, or 05 days/04 nights and are as follows:

Early morning our representative will pick you up from your hotel to transfer to Cusco airport.

A thirty-five minute flight in a radar-equipped twin engine plane takes you to Boca Manu. Here you take a motorized canoe for the 90 minute journey down the Madre de Dios River to Manu Wildlife Center to arrive for lunch. The afternoon will be spent exploring some of the 30 miles of clean forest trails that surround the lodge. On these trails you have an excellent chance to encounter some of the 12 species of monkeys, which include the Monk Saki and Emperor Tamarin, which inhabit the surrounding forest.

After dinner we will leisurely hike for 60-75 minutes through the night forest to the Amazon’s largest known Tapir clay lick. We climb up a 17 foot by 17 foot observation platform perched 17 foot above the lick itself where we wait for the lumbering Tapirs to arrive, then using powerful flashlights we observe and photograph them in action. (L/D)

Rising before dawn, we take a 25 minute boat journey downstream to the only large parrot and macaw clay lick in the Manu area. From a floating catamaran blind we are afforded excellent views and photo opportunities as first hundreds of medium-sized and large parrots, and then the large Red-and-Green Macaws arrive to eat the clay. Please note that the clay lick is not as active in May, June and July.

Returning for lunch, the afternoon is spent visiting one of the two oxbow lakes found in the area. These lakes have populations of a variety of water birds, including the prehistoric-looking Hoatzin, and also house Giant Otters.

After dinner back at the Center there will be another opportunity to visit the Tapir clay lick. (B/L/D)

Rising at dawn we will explore the forest trails with the emphasis on visiting the fruiting trees which our researchers and native guides have been monitoring. Here we will hope to encounter more monkey species as well as numerous species of birds. Or, we will have an early visit to one or both of the lakes before exploring the forest trails.

After lunch at the Center there will be a further opportunity to explore more of the forest types which can be found in the vicinity of the lodge. Alternatively, some visitors may wish to spend time in special blinds to observe and perhaps to photograph the brilliantly coloured dancing birds called manakins.

After dinner, those particularly determined visitors can once again visit the tapir clay lick.

Rising at dawn you board the motorcanoe for the two hour return trip to the Manu landing strip, from which you fly to Cusco, where your jungle adventure ends. Arrival, reception and transfer to the your hotel. (B)

Rising early, we board the motorized canoe for a 25 minute journey to the mouth of the Blanco River. Here we transfer to dugout canoes where our native guides will paddle us up this beautiful small tributary of the River Madre de Dios. As we paddle up the river we will look for monkeys feeding in the liana-festooned trees which loom overhead, and will encounter numerous waterbirds including probable sightings of the cumbersome Horned Screamers. Those lucky explorers might also meet giant otters, or the smaller southern river otter, swimming upstream on a fishing expedition. (B/L/D)

After lunch at the Center there will be an opportunity to observe life in the forest canopy from one of our 35-metre tree platforms, or to independently explore one of the numerous forest trails.

After supper, those explorers still with enough energy will have a chance for a final visit to the Tapir clay lick.

Day Five

After a dawn breakfast you will board the motor canoe for the two hour return trip to the Manu landing strip, from which you fly to Cusco, where your jungle adventure ends. (B)

Please note that the program may vary slightly so as to maximize your wildlife sightings, depending on the reports of our researchers and native guides based at the lodge.

Manu

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