- Paucartambo Colonial Town
- The Manu Biosphere Reserve
- The Cloud Forest
- The Rain Forest
- Parrot’s clay lick
You wake up
early to leave Cusco and begin a winding ascent into the Andes by car. The road
eventually winds down to the Paucartambo Colonial Town, where you will stop
briefly to stretch your legs. Leaving Paucartambo you begin your ascent through
eucalyptus groves, cultivated fields, and remnant patches of native vegetation.
Forty
minutes from Paucartambo you reach Acjanaco at 3,500 meter atop the Eastern
Cordillera of the Andes. At this point you have entered the Manu Biosphere
Reserve where you are above the clouds gazing below into the lush jungle of the
Amazon. As you ascent down from Acjanaco, the baron Paramo starts to change to
an elfin forest.
Here you
will stop for lunch to admire the view. Then, you descend further into the
cloud forest where the tree canopy covered by mist gives life to numerous
epiphytes, moss, luscious green ferns and the Kur-Kur (high land bamboo). This
area is a natural playground for a vast number of birds. You make your way to
an observation post where, with a little luck, you will be able to watch the
fascinating dance of Peru's National bird, the Cock-of-the-Rock and hopefully
spot the Woolly monkey.
You arrive
at our lodge, the Chontachaka Ecological Reserve, at 6 p.m. where you will
spend the night. After a delicious meal you can enjoy the beautiful
surroundings before turning in for the evening.
After
breakfast, visit to Reserve’s medicinal plants garden. We shall receive
information about these plants.
Then we shall walk around 20 minutes to arrive to the wonderful Small Waterfall. We will have time to take a bath there and feel a special connection with water.
Coming back
to lodge, lunch and time to rest.
At 3:30 pm
we shall start another walking, that one of about 40 minutes, until arrive to the
point to observe the Cock of the Rocks, Peru´s national bird.
Along the
walking we will have the occasion to see the results of the reforestation
project being carried out in the Reserve from ten years ago. We could even
plant a new tree.
After
watching the Cock of the Rocks, dinner and overnight in Chontachaka’s lodge.
Before
dawn, trip by road until Atalaya river port. From there, we shall sail by boat
river down to visit a wonderful parrot clay lick. Breakfast.
We go ahead
sailing river down. We shall make stops and walkings to visit different spots
of natural interest. Lunch on boat.
In the
afternoon, coming back to Atalaya village. We will be accomodated in a house of
a local family. Time off. Optionally, short walkings to wacht animals.
Dinner and
overnigth in local family’s house in Atalaya.
Breakfast. From Atalaya, trip by road until the town of Pillcopata. From there, access to Santa rosa de Huacaria native community. Time off to enjoy the environement and indigenous Matxiguenkas and Huatxipaire’s hospitality.
Trip by road until Chontachaka Ecological Reserve Lodge. Dinner and overnigth in Chontachaka.
After breakfast, we shall take our last walk through the jungle. Leaving behind the cloudy forest, we'll go for the last part of our trip which takes us back to Cusco, the Inca capital.
