- A brief stop at the pre-Inca tombs of Ninamarca.
- Hike in the colonial village of Paucartambo and visit to the site museum.
- Stop at Acjanacco, entrance and viewpoint from the puna to the Manu National Park.
- Exploration in the cloud forest, bird watching especially the cock of the rock, observation of endemic plants and small mammals .
- Hike and night photography at Orquídeas de San Pedro Lodge.
- Stop at plantations of coca leaves and other tropical fruits.
- Rafting, animal watching on river banks.
- Swimming in tropical Amazonian river.
- – Motorized boat ride.
- Catamaran ride on Machuwasi lake, bird watching in lowland jungle.
- Night hikes and photography in the lowland jungle.
- Hike to the ceiba tree.
- Visit to Shintuya hot springs.
- Parrot and parakeet clay lick watching.
- Visit to the hummingbird garden and other animals at the Pico de Hoz viewpoint.
ITINERARY SUMMARY:
- Day 1: Cusco – San Pedro cloud forest (1,400 m.a.s.l. – High Jungle)
- Day 2: San Pedro cloud forest – Erika Lodge (500 m.a.s.l. – Low jungle)
- Day 3: Erika Lodge
- Dar 4: Erika Lodge – Shintuya hot springs – Erika Lodge
- Day 5: Erika Lodge – Cusco
Day 1: Cusco (3,300 m.a.s.l.) – Andes (3,650 m.a.s.l.) – Cloud Forest (1,400 m.a.s.l.)
Departure from Cusco city very early in the morning in one of our vehicles. We will cross interesting inter-Andean valleys and picturesque rural communities. Our adventure begins with a visit to the Chullpas de Ninamarca, pre-Inca burial towers of the Lupaca culture, an Aymara cultural group that developed on the shores of Lake Titicaca, then we will visit Paucartambo, a picturesque colonial town and its interesting museum. Our next stop is at the Acjanacco pass, the first checkpoint and park ranger station. When we cross this natural border, we enter the “Amazon Basin”, from there begins a gradual descent into the cloud forest and different ecosystems, this area is very rich in endemic species such as the Spectacled Bear and Cock of the Rock, orchids, bromeliads, ferns, lichens, etc.. We will take nature walks and then continue to our lodge Orquídeas de San Pedro where we will spend our first night comfortably installed.
Day 2: Cloud Forest – Erika Lodge (600 m.a.s.l.)
Early in the morning we will look for the national bird of Peru, the Rupicola Peruvianus / Cock of the Rock or Tunqui, which performs a unique courtship ritual. After breakfast we continue our descent through these dense and lush forests until we reach the village of Pilcopata*, then to the port of Atalaya, a place located on the banks of the Alto Madre de Dios River, 600 meters above sea level, from where we will start the descent by motor boat to observe the enormous diversity of existing bird species, such as herons, vultures, cormorants, etc. until we reach our Private Reserve “Erika”.
In the afternoon we will take a very interesting walk, we will visit a Ceiba tree, one of the largest and oldest trees that exist on the planet. We will also have the opportunity for a night walk to see insects and amphibians typical of that time and area.
*1 Free optional -Canoeing: From Pilcopata we will do 1 hour and a half of canoeing (classes I and II) on the Koñeq and/or Alto Madre de Dios rivers. We will enjoy the scenery and swim in the refreshing waters.
Day 3: Erika Lodge
Early in the morning we board our boat and head to Collpa, a clay wall next to the Alto Madre de Dios River, where a variety of parrots such as the Blue-headed Parrot, the White-eyed Parakeet, possibly the Maracana Macaw and others come every morning to replace their diet with minerals and salts. After this activity we return to Erika Lodge for breakfast.
Then we will visit the Machuwasi Lake where we will paddle quietly in a catamaran to see a huge diversity of bird species such as hoatzin a prehistoric bird, horned camungos, red headed cardinals, crowned heron, vultures, cormorants, and others; walking we can observe monkeys, capybaras, snakes and other species. Possibility of doing another night walk in search of toads, small reptiles and nocturnal mammals such as monkeys, tapirs or perhaps capybaras.
Day 4: Erika Lodge – Shintuya Hot Springs – Erika Lodge
After breakfast we take our boat and navigate the Alto Madre de Dios River for 3 hours for an interesting and exciting trip to the Shintuya Hot Springs surrounded by a beautiful Amazonian forest, being there we will walk along a trail for about 3 hours (round trip) to reach some waterfalls, on the trail we will see many species of flora and fauna typical of lowland rainforest, then we will relax in the hot springs and then return to our Erika Lodge, where we will spend the last night sheltered by this magical Amazon jungle.
Day 5: Erika Lodge – Cusco
After a delicious breakfast in the morning, we pack up and take our boat back to the port of Atalaya, where our vehicle will be waiting to take us back to Cusco. On the way, we will have one last adventure, a visit to the hummingbird garden Mirador Pico de Hoz (750 m.a.s.l.), a self-sustainable environmental conservation center to observe and photograph a great variety of hummingbirds and other birds such as toucans, king vultures, monkeys and hopefully a sloth bear. We have lunch en route and arrive in the afternoon to the city of Cusco. END OF OUR SERVICES.
INCLUDE:
- Ground transportation.
- River transportation.
- Specialized guide and complete equipment for canoeing.
- 01 Night in our lodge Orquídeas de San Pedro.
- 03 Nights in our lodge Erika.
- All meals (vegetarian, vegan options or if you have any allergy or restriction).
- Mineral water during the tour.
- Specialized bilingual guide.
- First aid kit.
- Luggage guardian service.
NOT INCLUDED:
- First breakfast.
- Water for the first day.
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, Souvenirs.
- Handicrafts,
- Tips.
RECOMMENDED:
- Towel for the entire trip.
- Personal hygiene items and medicines for 5 days.
- Comfortable walking shoes and sandals.
- Headlamp or torch.
- Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
- Insect repellent (recommended 35% DEET).
- Waterproof clothing, long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, and swimwear.
- Warm clothing for colder weather.
- Binoculars and camera.
- Large backpack and small daypack.
