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Highlights
Tambopata River macaw clay lick
Machu Picchu Cloudforest
Amazon rainforest at Manu for superb wildlife
Paracas National Park
Outline Itinerary
Day
1. Depart UK. Arrive Lima.
2. To Paracas.
3. Paracas and Ballestas Islands.
4. Return to Lima.
5. To Puerto Maldonado and boat to a rainforest lodge.
6. Continue to Tambopata Research Center.
7. Nature activities.
8. Nature activities.
9. Return to a rainforest lodge.
10. To Puerto Maldonado and fly to Cusco.
11. Train to Machu Picchu and guided sightseeing.
12. Morning nature walk and second visit to Machu Picchu. Return to Cusco.
13. To the cloudforest. Cock of the Rock Lodge.
14. Explore the cloudforest.
15. To the Madre de Dios River.
16. To Manu Wildlife Center.
17. Nature activities.
18. Nature activities.
19. Fly to Cusco.
20. Fly to Lima and depart Peru.
21. Arrive UK.
Cost
Dependent on departure dates and exact itinerary you decide upon
Departure Dates
To your requirements
This excellent itinerary will show you some of the best wildlife areas of Peru. It starts with a short excursion down the Pacific coast to Paracas National Park, home to a multitude of sea birds including penguins and a large colony of sea lions. Return to Lima and fly into Puerto Maldonado. Here you will join others for the boat trip up the Tambopata River to a lodge for afternoon nature activities. The next morning after an early nature walk you continue your journey into ever more pristine rainforest. Journey's end is Tambopata Research Center.
There are a number of different wildlife watching opportunities here but the highlight is a morning trip to the macaw clay lick, one of the largest in the Amazon region. Besides scarlet macaws we saw around 12 other species of macaws, parrots and parakeets at the lick, all in good numbers which makes the experience truly memorable. After 3 nights return down river to overnight at a lodge.
There is a little time in the lovely city of Cusco before visiting Machu Picchu, a must for almost everyone visiting Peru. Here you will also find plenty of natural interest in the cloudforests beneath the mountain. You final journey on this wildlife holiday leaves Cusco and crosses high Andean passes to descend to cloudforest on the way to Manu. You can spend the day exploring a private reserve in the cloudforest before descending to a lodge on the edge of the Madre de Dios River. The following day a 5 or 6h river journey brings you into the pristine wilderness of Manu Wildlife Center.
For the more adventurous there is also the possibility to camp within the national park of the same name.
Manu offers a wealth of biodiversity and the center is well designed and a pleasant place to stay. The guides here are among some of the best we have met anywhere in the world. There is another small clay lick downstream, ox-box lakes with a family of giant otters and one of the highlights is the mammal clay lick where tapirs can be seen. Night walks are possible as are excursions on the river seeking anteaters and jaguars. Forest walks can be enjoyed along some of the 35km of trails and there is a canopy tower in a huge tree. Primate species are prolific with 12 species including Emperor Tamarins and it is not unusual to see at least 6 species in 3 nights here.
Finally it is time to leave the forests as you travel back upstream to Boca Manu for your flight out to Cusco and Lima.
