Manu Reserve Zone 6d/5n

After an early breakfast with fresh Peruvian highland coffee, we drive to **Puerto Atalaya (500 m)**. Here we board our motorized riverboat with experienced local boatmen and begin navigating the fast-flowing waters of the **Alto Madre de Dios River**. Keep binoculars ready as we scan gravel bars and riverbanks for Torrent Ducks, Fasciated Tiger-Herons, Kingfishers, and sunbathing Side-necked Turtles (*Podocnemis unifilis*).

We make a stop at natural hot springs or scenic jungle viewpoints before reaching the confluence where the turbulent Madre de Dios joins the peaceful Manu River. In the late afternoon, we arrive at our lodge near **Boca Manu**, surrounded by lush transitional forest. After dusk, an optional night walk introduces us to the nocturnal biodiversity: tarantulas, bamboo tree frogs, stick insects, and night monkeys.

• **Meals**: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• **Overnight**: Boca Manu Eco-Lodge.

At dawn, we enter the pristine waters of the **Manu River**, stopping at the **Limonal Ranger Station** for official park registration. Past Limonal, human settlements cease and only pristine, untouched nature remains. For the next five hours of navigation, all eyes are focused on the sandbars and clay banks: this is world-renowned territory for spotting **Jaguars (*Panthera onca*)** warming up on sunny beaches.

Along the river shores, we frequently encounter families of Capybaras (*Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris*), White and Black Caimans, tapir tracks, and thousands of vibrant butterflies drinking mineral salts. In the afternoon, we arrive at **Casa Matsiguenka Lodge**, a community-owned lodge nested in virgin forest, managed directly by the indigenous Matsiguenka families of Tayakome and Yomibato.

• **Meals**: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• **Overnight**: Casa Matsiguenka Lodge inside the Manu Reserved Zone.

We wake up to the booming territorial calls of Red Howler Monkeys (*Alouatta seniculus*). An early morning excursion brings us to **Cocha Salvador**, one of the most biodiverse oxbow lakes in the Amazon. Boarding a silent, stable floating catamaran, we paddle gently across the lake in search of a resident family of **Giant River Otters (*Pteronura brasiliensis*)**, the world's largest freshwater mustelid, known locally as *Lobos de Río*.

We observe these curious creatures hunting fish and social communication up close, while prehistoric Hoatzins (*Opisthocomus hoazin*), Agami Herons, Horned Screamers, and Black Caimans up to 4 meters long populate the lush aquatic vegetation. In the afternoon, we hike through primary terra firme trails under giant Ceiba trees (*Ceiba pentandra*) to **Cocha Otorongo**, ascending a **30-meter observation tower** for sweeping vistas across the canopy where toucans, macaws, and spider monkeys forage.

• **Meals**: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• **Overnight**: Casa Matsiguenka Lodge.

We embark early on our boat to take full advantage of dawn activity along the Manu River. The early hours offer peak chances to encounter tapirs swimming across the river, Tamandua anteaters, herds of Peccaries, or a Jaguar resting near the water's edge. Vast flocks of Blue-and-yellow Macaws, Scarlet Macaws, and Military Macaws fly overhead calling loudly across the morning mist.

After exiting the Limonal checkpoint, we cruise down to the junction with the Madre de Dios River, arriving at our lodge near Boca Manu. In the late afternoon, we walk along primary forest trails to learn about Amazonian medicinal plants—such as Ayahuasca, Cat's Claw (*Uña de Gato*), and dragon's blood resin—guided by our indigenous expert. A nocturnal safari follows dinner to look for glowing click beetles, tree frogs, and night creatures.

• **Meals**: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
• **Overnight**: Boca Manu Eco-Lodge.

At daybreak, we board our boat for the final upriver voyage along the Alto Madre de Dios back to **Puerto Atalaya**. Enjoy the cool morning breeze and a last glimpse of snowy Andean peaks looming in the far distance above emerald rainforest ridges. At Atalaya, our private ground vehicle awaits our group.

We drive up through the breathtaking cloud forest of Kosñipata, stopping for lunch with panoramic mountain views and spotting colorful tanagers and hummingbirds along the roadside. Crossing back over the high pass of Acjanaco, we traverse the Andean altiplano and arrive back in Cusco by late afternoon (around 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM), dropping you directly at your hotel.

• **Meals**: Breakfast, Lunch
• **Drop-off**: Hotel in Cusco.