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Tours to the Manu Reserve
Zone |
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Operator:
Pantiacolla Tours |
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Manu Reserve Zone 5 days / 4
nights |
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Price:
US$915 per person
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Fixed Departure Dates 2008 |
Tour Includes |
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The
Reserved Zone is closed for camping by the Ministry of Agriculture
between the 15th January and 31st March every year.
APRIL
18-25
MAY 02-09-16-23-30
JUNE 06-13-20-27
JULY 02*-04-11-16*-18-25-30*
AUGUST 01-06*-08-15-22-29
SEPTEMBER 05-12-19-26
OCTOBER : 03-10-17-24-31
NOVEMBER : 07-14-21-28
DECEMBER : 05-12-19-26 |
Includes:
Naturalist guide in English and Spanish
Transportation Cusco/Atalaya by private bus (5 & 7 day tour) and back
Atalaya/Cusco (9 day tour)
Transportation by private boat: Atalaya/Lake Salvador/Boca Manu (5 day
tour) – Macaw Lick/Boca Manu (7 day tour) – Pantiacolla Lodge/Atalaya (9
day tour)
Flight Boca Manu/Cusco (5 & 7 day program)
Overnights in lodges and camping huts
Meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
Guide book for rainforest of Manu – Talking About Manu
Paper work for entrance
Not included:
Entrance fee reserved zone ($50 per person)
Sleeping bag (can be rented in Cusco at $2 per day)
Soft drinks and beers
$12 airport tax (5 & 7 day tours) |
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Tour Itinerary |
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DAY 1:
Cusco-Cloud Forest
Leaving Cusco early in the morning, we begin an 8-hour journey over the
Andes by bus, stopping for a coffee at the beautiful colonial village of
Paucartambo. Continuing, we climb to the highpoint of the Manu Biosphere
at about 3,530 m before descending to the cloud forest. In these
mysterious surroundings we take a hike to the lek of the incredible
cock-of-the-rock, to see the ‘performance’ of the males right under our
eyes. We spend our first night in the rustic lodge
Posada San Pedro (appr.
1,600 m).
DAY 2: Cloud Forest-Atalaya-Manu River
At daybreak we continue by bus to tropical lowland rainforest. Here at
the small village Atalaya at 650 m, we change into a motorized canoe to
navigate some 5 hours down the turbulent Alto Madre de Dios River to
Boca Manu. As night falls we stay in a basic lodge, or camp next to that
lodge, depending on availability.
DAY 3 & 4: Lake Salvador and Lake Otorongo
On the morning of the third day we turn up the Manu River for a 6 hour
ride into the heart of Manu’s Reserved Zone. From this vantage point we
will have great views of riverside birds, sunbathing caiman, and the
enormous aquatic guinea pig, the capybara. We reach our camping huts
deep inside Manu in the afternoon. This will be our base for the next
two days. During this time, we will hike through virgin forest and
explore one of the most beautiful lakes of the Manu basin, Lake
Salvador, by catamaran. There is a chance to see a huge variety of
colourful birds, numerous species of monkey and with luck, a family of
giant otters. There is another hike in this habitat-rich forest, that
will end in Lake Otorongo and a 20 metre-high observation platform
overlooking the lake. At night we can explore the forest by torchlight
or go moonlight caiman-spotting on the lake.
DAY 5: Lake Salvador-Boca Manu
After a final walk through the forest surrounding Lake Salvador (flight
schedule permitting), we return back down the Manu River. At Boca Manu,
you return mid-day to Cusco by light aircraft , if you are participating
in the 5-day trip
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What to bring: |
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Binoculars
(imperative)
Flashlight with spare bulbs and batteries
Sleeping bag + sheets
Day pack
Long pants and long-sleeved shirts (thick and baggy fabric against
mosquitoes)
T-shirts
Shorts/Bathing suit
Towel
Sweater or light jacket
1 pair each of hiking boots, light shoes, and sandals
Long cotton socks
Rain gear
Rubber boots (only in the rainy season), provided by Pantiacolla
Sunhat, sunglasses, sunblock
Insect repellent (with at least 25% 'deet') and afterbite
Toilet-paper
Plastic bags (to keep everything dry)
Water bottle (with water for the bus ride into Manu)
Copy of a valid passport
Copy of yellow fever and tetanus vaccinations
Money for soft drinks or beers, and handicrafts at the Boca Manu landing
strip
Batteries for video/digital cameras can be recharged on the second night
of the trip, bring your own recharger.
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Useful Information: |
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Group Size
To ensure that you get the best out of your rainforest adventure, we
keep the groups small. Trips are operated with a minimum group size of 6
and a maximum of 10 per guide. In case we would have more inscriptions
than 10, an extra guide will join the group, making it possible to split
up the group in two small ones when walking in the forest. From 15
inscriptions on up, there will be two independent groups in two seperate
boats, each with their own guides, boat crews, and cooks.
Flights
Two types of aircraft are used for the flights between Cusco and the
airstrip at Boca Manu. One, a Beechcraft King Air B-90 seats ten people
and the other a Twin Otter seats eighteen. The flight lasts about 50
minutes.
After 2003´s challenging flight situation, here an extra word about the
Manu flights: they can be delayed due to bad weather (there is no radar
on the Boca Manu landings strip) or other external circumstances. The
two return flight options, the first by Boca Manu and the second by
Puerto Maldonado, are used by Pantiacolla according to what best fits
your commodity and safety.
HEALTH ADVICE: There is an extremely low malaria risk in the Manu area
and the occasional cases of malaria in the Alto Madre de Dios zone have
proved to be completely curable. Use insect repellent and effective
clothing to avoid being bitten.
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