Birdwatching and wildlife in Manu Cusco 11D/10N

Birdwatching and wildlife watching in Manu Cusco 11 days and 10 nights

TRIP ITINERARY:

DAY 01: BIRD WATCHING IN THE LUCRE AND HUACARPAY WETLANDS

We will pick you up very early from your hotel. Then we will begin the trip and just at dawn we will arrive at the Huacarpay lagoon. We will begin the tour keeping a lot of silence and we will see many birds on the swampy banks, aquatic birds, Andean wading birds, Barcina Teal (Anas flavirostris), Red-crested Teal (Anas cyanoptera), Puna Teal (Anas puna), Ruddy Duck (Oxyura ferruginea), and other beautiful birds associated with the wetlands. Little Grebe (Rollandia Rolland), Little Grebe (Podiceps occipitalis), Andean Coot (Fulica ardesiaca), Gallinule Rail (Pardirallus sanguinolentus), Yellow-headed Cowbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), Andean Blackbird (Lessonia oreas), Eurasian Crested Warbler (Tachuris rubrigastra) and the Junquero (Phleocryptes melanops), Puna Glossy Ibis (Plegadis ridgwayi). Other birds of prey will also be important to our search list, such as the Red-backed Buzzard (Geranoaetus polyosoma), Flaming Falcon (Falco femoralis) and the Black-backed Eagle (Geranoaetus melanoleucus). We will also be able to see some endemic birds such as the Rufous-fronted Canastero (Asthenes ottonis) and the beautiful endemic Noble Hummingbird (Oreonympha nobilis) that is always feeding in the tobacco tree (Nicotiana sp.), Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas), Lesser Long-tailed Hummingbird (Lesbia nuna). Among other birds that are very important to see, more than 100 types of birds have been seen in this area.

Included in the tour: Round trip transportation, professional guide specialized in birds, breakfast and lunch vox lunch, mineral water.

DAY 02: OBSERVATION OF THE ANDEAN CONDOR IN CHONTA CUSCO.

Departure from the city of Cusco at 5:00 am, then we will travel along the Cusco Limatambo route for approximately 2 hours and then along an unpaved road to the Huaychao farm. Throughout this trip we will make important stops to see and photograph some migratory birds and birds of the high Andean areas. The first stop will be in the wetlands and hamlets of Tawny Owl where you can see the Puna ibis, White Heron, Cattle Egret, Eared Dove, Andean Lapwing, etc. , Continuing the trip we will arrive at the Limatambo valley 2000 masl, where you can also see different varieties of birds, then we will arrive at the Finca De Huaychaou where we will enjoy our breakfast, then we will take a walk through the farm and a ravine full of trees in the area where we can see a great variety of hummingbirds and the largest in the world (patagonian gigas), among other birds such as red-crested cotinga, Andean sparrow, canasteros, flycatchers, golden-billed altador and some endemic birds such as the Apurimac finch, Apurimac spinetail, white-crested sunbeam, chestnut-breasted. Mountain Finch, Creamy Creasted Spinetail and Rusty fronti Canastero. among other birds. We will have a typical lunch prepared by our professional chef.

After lunch we will continue our trip by car to the town of Chonta and then we will begin our walk of approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes to the condor viewpoint at 3350 meters above sea level.

From this point we will have the opportunity to see the impressive Andean condor in its natural habitat, we will be located in a strategic place to see it up close and take the best photographs. Here you will have a very good opportunity to see and photograph the condors from very close and for an average of 1 hour or more flying in front of you and sometimes you can see them flying 20 meters from the viewpoint and you will be more than amazed. In this place you can also see different species of birds such as the black-breasted buzzard eagle, variable falcon, aplomado falcon, Andean woodpecker, red-rumped falcon,

Later we will walk back to the town of Chonta and then in our car to the city of Cusco. Arrival time approximately at 7:00 p.m.

DAY 03: CUSCO – AJANACO – CLOUD FOREST – CLOUD FOREST LODGE. (1500. M.)

We left the city of Cusco very early in the morning in our car heading to Ajanaco 3500. m-a-s-l. Starting point of the Manu National Park, we will descend through the high jungle and in the cloud forest we will do our first walks to appreciate and photograph different types of birds such as the gray-breasted mountain toucan (andigena hypoglauca), colorful tanagers, golden-headed quetzal (pharomachrus auriceps), mountain watchmaker (momotus aequatorialis), red-bellied barber (eubucco versicolor), andean potoo (nyctibius maculosus), masked trogon (trogon personatus), cock-of-the-rock (rupicola peruvianus) and many more, it is also possible to see the woolly monkey (lagothrix lagotricha), spectacled bear (tremarctos ornatus) etc. In the afternoon we will arrive at our cloud forest lodge that has a flower garden where we will have the opportunity to photograph different types of hummingbirds such as the Reddish hermit.

DAY 04: LECK OF THE COCK-OF-THE-ROCK – CLOUD FOREST – ARPIA LODGE

We will leave our lodge very early to visit the lek of the cock-of-the-rock (Peru’s national bird), and from a platform we will photograph these very colorful birds during their mating ritual. Sometimes you can see many cockerels jumping from branch to branch making a noise exclusively to attract females.
Then we will take a tour along the road photographing different types of birds and some monkeys that are very common in this place. Our priority will be to see as much wildlife as possible.
Our lodge is located in the heart of the cloud forest and has a botanical garden full of ornamental and medicinal plants that are always in bloom, attracting many animals such as butterflies, bees, hummingbirds, etc.

This morning after breakfast we will go for a walk to appreciate and photograph different types of tanagers that have very spectacular colors and with luck we can see many more birds such as: Amazonian umbrellabird (cephalopterus ornatus), gree jay (cyanocorax mystacalis), macpie tanager (cissopis leverianus), blue necked tanager (tangara cyanicollis), Paradise tanager (tangara chilensis), orange eared tanager (chlorochrysa calliparaea), hepatic tanager (piranga flava) and much more.
Later we will prepare to continue our trip to our next lodge. We will descend through the high jungle until we reach the flat part of the Pilcopata valley 800 m-a-s-l. and along this valley you can see different fruit crops and other products such as coffee, coca, rice, yuca, bananas, pineapples etc.
During our trip from the cloud forest to our Amazonia lodge we will make some stops to photograph different very important birds such as Great potoo (nictibius grandis), wattled guan (aburria aburri), violaceous jay (cyanocorax violaceus) and with luck we can see the military macaw (Ara militaris). Then we will travel by boat for an average of 30 minutes until we reach our lodge.

DAY 05: ARPIA LODGE – PARROTS AND PARAKEETS CLAY LICK – MACHUWASI LAKE

Very early we will board our boat and travel for an average of 20 minutes to the parrots and parakeets clay lick, a place where we will be able to appreciate different varieties of parrots and parakeets eating the clay from an adjacent wall of the Alto Madre de Dios River. After breakfast we will walk along one of the trails of our Arpia lodge and we will be able to photograph many birds and some monkeys such as the black machin (cebus apella), squirrel monkey (saimirí sciureus), black-capped squirrel and different types of plants such as cat’s claw, grade blood, orchids, mushrooms etc.
The Arpia lodge is located between the high and low jungle at an altitude of 500 m-a.s.l. where many ornithologists have seen more than 600 species of birds and more than 200 species of butterflies that come to the flower garden of our Arpia lodge every day. Later after our lunch we will visit the Machuwasi lake where we will sail for an average of 2 hours on a raft made of driftwood. In this place we will photograph many varieties of birds such as hoatzin (opisthocomus hoazín), horned screamer (anhima cornuta), limpkin (aramus guarauna), purple gallinule (porphyrio martinica), Azure gallinule (porphyrio flavirostris), amazon kingfisher (chloroceryle amazona), Russet backed oropendola (psarocolius angustifrns), yellow rumped cacique (cacicus cela) and different types of traps, tanagers and carrion birds.

DAY 06: ARPIA LODGE – HUMMINGBIRD LODGE.

After breakfast we will board our boat and travel along the Alto Madre de Dios River for an average of 7 to 8 hours until we reach our next lodge. During our trip along the river we will have many opportunities to see and photograph different types of animals such as the red howler monkey (Alouatta seniculus), ronsocos (Hidrochoerus hydrochaeris) and different types of birds such as herons, macaws, birds of prey, vultures, parrots, plovers, swallows, toucans, etc. The most seen and photographed of this trip will be birds such as the Capped heron (Pilherodius pileatus), Roseate spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Sunbittern (Eurypyga helias), Bat falcon (Falco rufigularis), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Chestnut fronted macaw (Ara severus), Blue headed parrot (Pionus menstruus), Chestnut eared aracari (Pteroglossus castanotis), C rimson crested woodpecker (Campephilus melanoleucos), Crested oriole (Psarocolius decumanus) etc.
In the afternoon we will arrive at our Hummingbird lodge where we will have another opportunity to visit the flower garden and photograph different types of hummingbirds such as the Black throated mango (Anthracothorax nigricollis), Fork tailed woodnymph (Thalurania furcata), Goulds jewelfront (Heliodoxa aurescens), Rufous crested coquette (Lophornis delattrei), Golden tailed sapphi.

DAY 07: HUMMINGBIRD LODGE – MANU RIVER – CASA MACHIGUENGA

Very early we will board our boat and travel along the Manu River until we reach our next lodge, Casa Machiguenga. Our first stop will be at the Limonal checkpoint where we will present our entrance ticket to the reserved area of ​​the Manu National Park (Exclusive tourist use area).
We will sail along the MANU River for 5 to 6 hours with some stops along the river where we will be able to appreciate and photograph a great diversity of wild flora and fauna in its natural habitat. Our priority will be to find the jaguar (Panthera onca) which is the king of the entire Amazon. In the last 2 years we have been very lucky to see the jaguar along the MANU River and other travelers have also seen it on many occasions. According to the jaguar census in 2014 in the reserved area of ​​the Manu National Park, biologists and park rangers say that the jaguar increased its population and that is why the jaguar can frequently be seen along the MANU River. You can also see different species of birds such as the Orinoco goose (Neochen jubata), muscovy duck (Cairina moschata), Pied lapwing (Hoploxypterus cayanus), Large billed tern (Phaetusa simplex), Black skimmer (Rynchops niger), Sand colored Nighthawk (Chordeiles rupestris), Ringed Kingfisher (Megaceryle torquata) among others etc.
In the afternoon we will arrive at our lodge at Casa Machiguenga which has bathrooms and showers available, after a restful rest we will do our first walk in a jungle that was never touched by man and we will try to see and photograph the spider monkeys and the red howler monkey, white machin monkey and ground birds such as the anteaters etc.

DAY 08: MACHIGUENGA HOUSE – LAKE SALVADOR

This day we will visit Lake Salvador very early, one of the most important lakes in the Manu National Park where we will be able to appreciate and photograph different types of animals such as the Giant River Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), Black Caiman (Melanosuchus niger), Water Turtles, Emperor Monkey (Saguinus imperator), Pichico Monkey (Saguinus fuscicollis), Lion Monkey (Cebuella pygmaea) and different types of birds such as the Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), Agami heron (Agamia agamí), Boat billed heron (Cochlearius cochlearius), Striated heron (Butorides striata), Gray necked Wood rail (Aramides cajanea), Wattled jacana (Jacana jacana), Scarlet macaw (Ara macaw), Greater Ani (Crotophaga ani) among others etc.

In the afternoon after our lunch we will explore the rainforest and have more opportunity to see more animals of the Amazon jungle such as monkeys, anteaters, groups of white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari), tapir (Tapirus terrestris) and much more.

• OPTIONAL ACTIVITY (Night walk) – Tonight we will take a walk in the pristine rainforest for approximately 2 hours to be able to appreciate different types of insects, spiders, tarantulas, grasshoppers, frogs, toads, snakes and nocturnal birds such as owls and nightjars etc.

DAY 09: MACHIGUENGA HOUSE – OTORONGO LAKE – MANU BIHOSFERA LODGE

We will have a very early breakfast and then we will board our boat to visit Otorongo Lake. We will travel on our boat for 30 minutes and then a 10-minute walk to a 40-meter-high tower from where we can see the entire lake. In this place we will have another opportunity to see and photograph a group of river otters or giant otters at the moment they are fishing and the black caiman chasing the river otters to eat the remains of the fish that the otters are leaving behind. Then we will continue our trip along the MANU River and another opportunity to see and photograph the jaguar and with luck we can see the harpy eagle perched on the trees on the banks of the MANU River and other animals that are usually on the beaches of the MANU River and Madre de Dios.
In the afternoon we will arrive at our Manu bihosfera lodge where we will spend the night in double rooms with bathrooms and showers available, we can also take advantage of recharging our camera batteries.

DAY 10: MANU BIHOSFERA LODGE – MACAW LICK

At 5:00 am we will board our boat to visit the largest macaw and parrot clay lick in the Manu National Park biosphere reserve. We will travel by boat for 15 minutes and then walk 10 minutes through the jungle until we reach the hideout from where we can see and photograph hundreds of parrots and macaws while they are eating the clay on the wall.

The hideout or observation platform is 8 meters high and 40 meters long, 50 meters away from the clay wall. It has a bathroom and more than 30 very comfortable chairs from where we can enjoy the most important spectacle of the blue-headed parrots, yellow-crowned parrots and different types of parakeets and parrotlets. Later in the morning many couples and families of macaws will arrive at this place and first they will perch on the trees until they form a very large group and then little by little they will go down to the wall and finally we will be able to see the clay wall painted in red, blue and green.

The parrots and macaws come to the clay lick every day to eat the clay from the wall which is very rich in minerals, the minerals are part of their daily diet that helps them counteract the toxins in their body that days before the parrots and macaws ate fruits and toxic seeds.

This day we will be in the hide all morning watching the parrots and macaws eating the clay from the wall, sometimes you can see other animals such as howler monkeys, capybaras, squirrels etc.
In the afternoon after enjoying our lunch we will go for a walk through the jungle in search of many more animals.

DAY 11: MANU BIHOSFERA LODGE – BOCA COLORADO – CUSCO OR PUERTO MALDONADO

This day we will enjoy our last breakfast in the Amazon of the Manu National Park, then we will board our boat and travel down the Madre de Dios River for 4 hours until we reach the port of Boca Colorado, during this boat trip it will be our last opportunity to see and photograph many birds and with luck we can see the jaguar walking on the beaches of the Madre de Dios River.

After our boat trip to Puerto Colorado we will travel by car for an average of 1 hour to Puerto Carlos and again by boat for 10 minutes along the Inanbari River and finally we will take our car that will bring us back to the city of Cusco, this trip to the city of Cusco will be for an average of 7 hours along the interoceanic highway that was paved in 2005 that connects Peru with Brazil.
Arrival time in the city of Cusco between 19:00 and 20:00 hours:

Another possibility is to continue our trip from Puerto Carlos to Puerto Maldonado and then fly to Lima on one of the airlines such as LAN PERU, STAR PERU, AVIANCA ETC.

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Servicios Incluidos

BIRD WATCHING PACKAGE DOES NOT INCLUDE: