MANU RESERVED ZONE TOUR 5 DAYS | Casa Matsiguenka Lodge

Down to the river

Day 2 of the Manu Reserved Zone Tour 5 Days starts with breakfast at the lodge, followed by a drive of roughly 45 minutes to the port of Atalaya. The road runs through tropical farmland on the lower Amazonian foothills, past coca plantations, fruit trees, orchids and the rest of the vegetation that thrives at this altitude.

At Atalaya we board a motorized boat and set off down the Upper Madre de Dios. This is the point where the journey properly enters the deep Amazon, and the water turns out to be one of the best places from which to watch it: the boat moves quietly and the banks are constantly in view.

Herons, kingfishers, vultures and a long list of other river and forest birds are common sights as we travel. What appears on the banks is more a matter of conditions and luck — monkeys, turtles, caimans and capybaras all live along this stretch.

Entering the Reserved Zone

We press on to Boca Manu, at about 280 m (919 ft), and from there to the Limonal ranger checkpoint, where the group formally enters the protected Manu Reserved Zone.

The further in you go, the better the wildlife watching gets. Turtles line up on logs and sandbanks, white caimans lie along the shore, and capybaras, monkeys and an extraordinary range of birds appear as the boat passes. Jaguars do inhabit this ecosystem, though encounters are uncommon and can never be promised.

Cocha Otorongo and the observation tower

By late afternoon we reach the area of Cocha Otorongo, roughly 250 m (820 ft) above sea level, and settle into our jungle accommodation.

Once bags are stowed, a forest walk takes us to the lake and its observation tower, some 30 metres high. From up there the surrounding forest and wetlands open out, and it is a fine place to scan for birds, monkeys, turtles and giant river otters.

The night is spent at the lodge, in beds under mosquito nets, with bathroom and shower facilities for guests.

Day 2 highlights

• Morning transfer from Pilcopata to Atalaya Port
• Motorized boat journey along the Upper Madre de Dios and Manu rivers
• Wildlife watching from the water: birds, turtles, caimans and capybaras
• Entry into the Manu Reserved Zone at the Limonal checkpoint
• Cocha Otorongo and its 30-metre observation tower
• Overnight in a jungle lodge

Rainforest Exploration → Casa Matsiguenka Lodge

The whole of Day 3 on the Manu Reserved Zone Tour 5 Days goes to the richest wildlife country inside the Reserved Zone. There is no long travel today, which means more hours spent watching and fewer spent moving.

Cocha Salvador by catamaran

Breakfast is followed by the short trip to Cocha Salvador, about half an hour from the Cocha Otorongo area. This oxbow lake is among the great set pieces of the expedition, and one of the best places anywhere in Manu to see both water and forest species.

We cross it aboard a catamaran, drifting rather than motoring, which keeps the noise down and lets the animals carry on as though we were not there. The creature everyone comes hoping for is the giant river otter, the signature mammal of these Amazonian wetlands.

Birdlife on the lake is remarkable in its own right: purple gallinules, the elusive Agami heron and a long list of other tropical waterbirds and forest species.

Walking in primary rainforest

The day also includes walks through primary forest with your guide, who unpacks how the pieces fit together — plants, animals, insects, the rivers and the forest system that connects them. Along the trails there are chances to see several monkey species, tropical birds, insects, medicinal plants and trees of genuinely enormous size.

Manu holds an exceptional diversity of primates, and over the course of the expedition you may cross paths with a number of different species, depending on where they are moving and feeding that day.

Evening at the lodge

We head back to the lodge in the afternoon for dinner and a rest. For anyone curious about what the forest does after dark, an optional night walk can be arranged: frogs, insects, spiders and reptiles are all far more active once the light goes.

Day 3 highlights

• Cocha Salvador oxbow lake
• Quiet exploration of the lake by catamaran
• Chances of giant river otters, monkeys, tropical birds and aquatic wildlife
• Guided walk through primary rainforest
• Optional night walk to see nocturnal wildlife
• Overnight inside the Manu Reserved Zone

Before first light: the clay lick

Day 4 of the Manu Reserved Zone Tour 5 Days opens with what is, for many travelers, the moment they came for: the macaw clay lick near Salvadorcillo. The start is very early, because the birds come in with the first light and the show does not wait.

Macaws, parrots and parakeets gather at these exposed clay banks in the early morning to feed on the mineral-rich earth. When the conditions cooperate, the mix of colour, forest and sheer noise makes for one of the great wildlife spectacles of the Amazon.

Back along the Manu River

Once the clay lick has played out, we turn the boat downriver and begin the return along the Manu, watching the banks as we go. River travel keeps the wildlife coming: monkeys in the branches, caimans on the shore, turtles, capybaras and a steady procession of river birds.

Partway along we stop at Cocha Brasco, another oxbow lake, where giant river otters and other aquatic species may show themselves.

Boca Manu

After a full day on the water, we reach the Boca Manu area and settle into a jungle lodge with bathrooms and showers for the night.

Day 4 highlights

• Early-morning visit to the macaw, parrot and parakeet clay lick
• Boat journey along the Manu River with wildlife watching throughout
• A stop at Cocha Brasco, with chances of giant river otters
• Onward travel to Boca Manu
• Overnight in a jungle lodge

Last hours on the water

The final day of the Manu Reserved Zone Tour 5 Days begins with the motorized boat and the run back up the Upper Madre de Dios.

The deep forest is behind you now, but the wildlife watching is far from over. Keep the binoculars and the camera within reach: birds, monkeys and river animals still turn up along the banks, and some of the best sightings on these trips happen on the way out, when nobody is expecting them.

There is usually something bittersweet about this stretch — the rivers, the forest and the animals that have kept you company all week gradually give way to the world you came from.

Over the Andes to Cusco

At Atalaya we leave the boat and take to the road. The route climbs back through the cloud forest, giving you a second look at the vegetation, the mountain scenery and the succession of ecosystems that makes this corner of Peru so unusual.

From there the road carries on up into the Andes toward Cusco. Expect to arrive somewhere between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m., though weather, traffic, the state of the road, river conditions and other operational factors can shift that.

Arriving in the city closes the expedition: five days of rainforest, river navigation and wildlife in one of the most remarkable natural environments Peru has to offer.

Day 5 highlights

• Return by motorized boat along the Upper Madre de Dios River
• Final chances to watch Amazonian birds and wildlife
• Arrival at Atalaya and road transfer toward Cusco
• Scenic return through the cloud forest and Andean landscapes
• Arrival in Cusco at approximately 8:00–9:00 p.m.