Manu Reserved Zone Tour 8 Days: Jaguar Photography

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 – Hot Springs – Shipitiari Native Community – Tapir Clay Lick

You wake up to the sound of rainforest birds. After breakfast we drive to the river port of Atalaya, passing coca fields with views over the lowland rainforest, and travel downstream by boat on the Madre de Dios River, watching for capybaras, birds, monkeys and reptiles. We stop for a dip in a natural hot spring.

In the afternoon we arrive at the Shipitiari native community. After a break we go to the tapir clay lick. We wait quietly on a platform for tapirs, the largest land animal in South America, to come and eat clay. The wait can be anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours or more; when the first tapir arrives, your guide quietly lets you know so you can watch it 10–20 m (33–66 ft) below the platform. On the night walk back we may see ocelots and owls.

Day 03: Terra Firme Forest – Diamante Native Community – Boca Manu

We explore the terra firme forest of the lowlands, looking for macaws, toucans, trumpeters, snakes and monkeys such as red howlers and brown and white-fronted capuchins, and maybe a jaguar resting on a log. After lunch we continue by boat along the Madre de Dios River to visit native families of Diamante, who speak Yine, and learn about their customs and daily life. Night at Humming Bird Lodge in Boca Manu, with a night walk.

Day 04: Manu River – Limonal Ranger Station – Otorongo Oxbow Lake – Casa Matsiguenka

We travel up the Manu River with a brief stop at the Limonal ranger station, the entrance to the Reserved Zone. Along the riverbanks you will see turtles, white caimans and capybaras, and maybe a jaguar resting on a log.

In the afternoon we explore the Otorongo oxbow lake and its giant otter observation tower, walking for several hours around the lake with your guide. Night at Casa Matsiguenka Lodge, with a night walk.

Day 05: Salvador Oxbow Lake – Macaw Clay Lick – Forest Trails

At dawn we paddle silently around the Salvador oxbow lake on a catamaran, with another chance to watch giant otters fishing for piranhas. The lake is also home to hoatzins, raptors, agami herons, macaws, oropendolas and caciques. Because hunting is not allowed in the Reserved Zone, many animals here are less shy than elsewhere. After breakfast we visit the macaw clay lick to watch macaws and parakeets eating mineral-rich clay.

We spend the rest of the day on the forest trails looking for more monkeys, such as white-fronted capuchins and pygmy marmosets, along with macaws, snakes and giant ceiba trees. In the afternoon we return to the lodge, where you can meet the native people who live there.

Day 06: Brasco Oxbow Lake – Boca Manu

We wake to the call of red howler monkeys and start our return toward Boca Manu, another chance to see capybaras, tapirs and jaguars along the Manu River. We visit the Brasco oxbow lake to look for giant otters, monkeys and sloths, and spend the night at Humming Bird Lodge.

Day 07: Madre de Dios River – Hot Springs – Indiana Top Lodge

We travel up the Madre de Dios River with views of the Andes, stopping at the hot springs to relax and swim, with more chances to see wildlife along the way. After a traditional Amazonian lunch we continue for about two and a half hours by boat to Indiana Top Lodge.

Day 08: Indiana Top Lodge – Atalaya – Cusco

After breakfast we take a guided morning walk to look for macaws, then pack and take the boat to Atalaya. From there we continue by private van through the cloud forest to Cusco and drop you off at your hotel at around 5:00 p.m.