Manu National Park Tours from Cusco

Which Manu tour should you choose?

• 3 or 4 days: the cloud forest on the way down from the Andes, the lowland rainforest around Atalaya, the Machuhuasi oxbow lake by raft and a parrot clay lick. The 4-day tour gives you more time in the primary forest and three mornings for the clay lick. You stay at Top Manu Avatar Lodge.
• 5 days: choose between the tour with the Shintuya hot springs and waterfalls, or the tour with a night watch at a tapir clay lick and a visit to the Matsiguenka community of Shipitiari. Both stay at Top Manu Avatar Lodge (the tapir tour spends night 3 at Pankotsi Lodge, in the Shipitiari community).
• 6 days, culture: the Pusharo petroglyphs, rock carvings deep in the rainforest, reached by small boat up the Teparo River with the Matsiguenka community of Palotoa Teparo.
• 6, 7 or 8 days, wildlife: the Manu Reserved Zone, with two nights at Casa Matsiguenka between the Otorongo and Salvador oxbow lakes, where we look for giant otters, plus a macaw clay lick and a night watch at a tapir clay lick.

If birds are your main interest, see our birding tours on the Manu Road.

Cultural Zone or Reserved Zone?

The Cultural Zone along the Alto Madre de Dios River is where the native communities and most lodges are, and it is what you see on a 3 to 5-day tour. The Reserved Zone along the lower Manu River can only be visited with an operator authorized by the park, so you need 6 days or more to get there and back. Our guide Manu Cultural Zone vs Reserved Zone compares both in detail.

Getting to Manu from Cusco

Every tour starts with a full day on the road. According to SERNANP, the drive from Cusco through Paucartambo to the park entrance at Acjanaco is 143 km (89 miles), about 4 hours. From there the road drops through the cloud forest to the river port of Atalaya, at about 350 m (1,150 ft), and a boat takes you to the lodge. Read how to get from Cusco to the Amazon for the full route.

What our Manu tour prices include

Prices are per person in US dollars and include round-trip transportation from Cusco, a guide, the boat, lodging, meals from lunch on day 1 and the Manu National Park entrance fee. You reserve online with a deposit of $60 per person on tours up to 5 days or $100 per person on longer tours, paid by card (6% fee) or PayPal (8% fee), and pay the balance at our Cusco office before departure. See Manu and Tambopata entrance fees and tour costs.

Before you go

The US CDC recommends the yellow fever vaccine for travelers going below 2,300 m (7,550 ft) in the Cusco and Madre de Dios regions; get it at least 10 days before your trip. Our vaccine guide explains yellow fever and malaria, and our Manu National Park guide covers the park’s zones, history and wildlife.