To access the National Park, make a spectacular all-day descent by road from Cusco (3300m) through remote Andean villages to Manú Cloudforest Lodge, at 1800m.

Following a night here descend further, arriving at Atalaya, in tropical rainforest, and continue by canoe for 5 hours along the Madre de Diós and Manú rivers. Reach Manú Lodge (12 rooms, shared bathroom facilities). It is the only fully-equipped lodge within the biosphere itself (there is electricity in the evening), and is located on an oxbow lake.

Excursions to the oxbow lake to see giant otters, monkeys, caiman and a great variety of birds, including blue and yellow macaws. There are guided walks around part of the 20km of marked trails.

Manú Lodge is also a research centre and resident scientists frequently offer evening talks. Visit the miradors, which offer a bird’s eye view of the canopy line.

The return journey begins with a boat trip to Laberinto (7hrs) a frontier-style gold mining town. Continue by unpaved road to Puerto Maldonado, where you overnight before flying to Cusco or Lima.

Our comment

"Few visitors get this far into the Peruvian Amazon, an environment which remains undisturbed by modern development and mass tourism" Diana Henderson, Head of Product