There are a number of tour companies that operate trips to Manu, beginning and ending in Cusco, and lasting from three days to a week or more. Ask us for recommendations.
The standard itinerary is to drive from Cusco to the Sacred Valley and then climb up to Huancarani Pass at 3,990 m (13,090 ft) above sea level.
The road then descends to the beautiful, Colonial village of Paucartambo, before ascending again to Acjanaco Pass at 3,900 m (12,795 ft), with great views over Manu Rainforest Tours and the Southern Andes mountains.
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Cocks-of-the-rock beside Kosñipata River .
Cocks-of-the-rock beside Kosñipata River.
From here, it is a steady descent, following the course of the Alto Madre de Dios River, through puna (high altitude grassland), elfin forests, cloud forest … and finally lowland rainforest by the time you reach the town of Boca Manu at 380 m (1,246 ft) above sea level.
Various lodges dot this route. There are a cluster of them at around 1,600 m (5,200 ft), including Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge and nature reserve, home of the eponymous jungle bird, known for its bright black-and-red plumage and lively mating dance.
These magnificent birds can be viewed from strategically-placed blinds along the Kosñipata River.
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River hiking from Manu Learning Center .
River hiking from Manu Learning Center.
Continuing downhill, one comes across several indigenous villages, the site of an old Spanish mission and a small riverside inn called the Pantiacolla Lodge, which arranges hikes into parts of the park that cannot be reached by boat.
Pantiacolla Peak, a good three-hour walk from the lodge, offers one of the few viewpoints over this part of the rainforest.
Close to Pantiacolla, the road ends and one has to take river transport to get to Boca Manu, where three rivers converge: the Madre de Dios, the Alto Madre de Dios and the Manu.
Keen naturalists will want to go up the Manu River, to find pristine rainforest, with a good chance of seeing larger mammals and rarer bird species.
Permanent structures are not allowed in this part of the Park, but there are well-provisioned tented camps for overnight stays.
Downstream from Boca Manu are several other private reserves including the Tambo Blanquillo Lodge and the long-established Manu Wildlife Center (MWC).
Both lodges boast canopy towers, nature trails and oxbow lakes with floating platforms. MWC also boasts a tapir lick where guests can sleep overnight on mattresses inside a blind.
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Kolpa Blanquillo clay lick.
Kolpa Blanquillo clay lick.
Along this same stretch of river is the famous Kolpa Blanquillo clay lick, an ochre bank where scarlet macaws and other birdlife gather daily to lick minerals from the cliff face.
The exit point of Manu is Boca Colorado, an unlovely mining town, from where one can take a vehicle to the InterOceanic Highway, and back to Cusco.