Manu Macaw Clay Lick Tour 6D/5N

After an early breakfast, we travel through Pillcopata to Atalaya Port. We navigate the Alto Madre de Dios River and visit Machuwasi Lake to look for birds such as herons, cormorants and hoatzins. We continue by boat to the hot springs and then to Dorado Lodge. Lunch is arranged during this journey; its location depends on the river-travel schedule. From the lodge, we walk along the trails to the mammal clay-lick observation platform. Sightings depend on wildlife activity. Overnight at Dorado Lodge.

In the morning if there is activity, we can visit a clay lick where many species of parakeets and parrots eat clay in the morning. Smaller macaws can also be found, such as the chestnut-fronted macaw and the rare blue-headed macaw. After this we took our boat for about 45 minutes along the “Madre de Dios” river. Then we enter the reserved area and continue our journey for about 4-5 hours over the Manu River until we reach Casa Matshiguenka Lodge. Along the way we can see a lot of biodiversity such as birds, capybaras, monkeys, alligators and tapirs. With luck we will also be able to see the largest cat in South America, the jaguar. We spent the night at Casa Matsiguenka located in the Manu National Park. Double rooms and shared bathroom.

This day we will visit by catamaran the famous lake "Cocha Salvador", home of the giant otters, this Cocha Salvador is the highlight in Manu Park. especially in the dry season, it is full of nesting and feeding birds such as herons, egrets, alligator caimans (South American relatives of alligators), terns, skimmers, bump-headed capuchin monkeys, and large-headed capuchin monkeys that generally feed of nearby fruits. to name a few. In the afternoon we have time to explore the area's trails and a visit to Cocha Otorongo Lake is planned, where a 10-meter observation tower in the rainforest canopy overlooking the lake is available for wildlife viewing. We spent our second night at Casa Machiguenga Lodge. Double rooms and shared bathroom.

We leave early to travel 6 hours along the Manu River along the river beaches, we can see more wildlife such as monkeys, alligators, birds, capybaras, etc. We make a brief stop in the town of Boca Manu, the main settlement in Manu. . Named for the confluence of the sediment-rich Manu River with the wider Madre de Dios River after the city of Boca Manu we arrived at the Maquisapayoc lodge. Once at the lodge we will take a walk to the mammal clay lick, where we will look for tapirs, deer monkeys and other animals that visit the salt lick. After returning to the lodge, we explored the forest on a night walk to see frogs, insects and snakes etc. Optional night on the platform in the salt flat. Night in double rooms with private bathroom.

Duration: Total time 15 hours, consisting mainly of boat trips and ground transportation; does not include stops for information or restroom breaks. After an early breakfast, we’ll board our boat to begin a roughly 4-hour cruise down the Madre de Dios River to the town of Colorado, where we’ll transfer to ground transportation for about an hour and a half to the port to board a boat to cross the Inambari River to the small town of Santa Rosa; from there, we’ll continue on to the city of Puerto Maldonado. Optional: Return to Lima/Cusco by plane or to Cusco.