Manu National Park Tour to the Macaw Clay Lick 6d/5n

Optional:

This tour can also exit from Manu National Park by Puerto Maldonado; the journey takes about four hours. There is no extra charge.

ON THIS TOUR YOU GET VISIT THE FOLLOWING PLACES:

NINAMARCA PRE- INCA BURIAL TOWERS (cullpas):

Ninamarca is a pre-inca burial cemetery located along the road of Manu National Park at 3700 masl. As a silent reminder the tombs, called "Chullpas", mark the pre-Inca civilization of the Lupaca people that inhabited the Andes a long time ago.

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PAUCARTAMBO

This village is located in a valley at 2,906 masl.  Paucartambo overwhelms you by its beauty and simplicity. This colonial style town is home to recognized folk traditions, such as its famous festival to the “Virgen del Carmen”, the sunrise in “Tres Cruces” (three crosses), and the ancient traditional culture of the cultivation of the Peruvian potatoes.

Boundaries:
North: Madre de Dios Region
East: Quispicanchi Province
South: Quispicanchi Province
West: Calca Province

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CLOUD FOREST:

Manu covers many types of ecosystems that increase the biological diversity which is enhanced by its different ecological levels. The most southern point of the park, called Acjanaco is 3550masl., its landscape is described as PAJONAL ALTO ANDINO or high Andean grassland. The vegetation in this zone is short and not very abundant; the climate is frequently cold and wet.

Descending by these PARAJES we arrive at the elfin forest with its stunted trees, cold and humid air and a diversity of flora and fauna typical to the zone. Further down, between 3000 – 1550masl it becomes the cloud forest, an ecosystem which receives a lot of rain. Here we find a great number of endemic species such as the Spectacled Bear and the Cock of the Rock bird (Rupicola peruviana)– the Peruvian National bird.

There also you can see species of birds like:
•    Crimson –Mantled Woodpecker
•    Sickle-winged Guan
•    Black-streaked Puffbird
•    Brown-backed chat-tyrant
•    Golden-headed quetzal
•    Higland motmot 
•    Many-spotted Humingbird.
•    Masked trogon
•    Speckle - faced Parrot
•    Violet-fronted brilliant
•    White-rumped hawk
•    Aplomado Falcon
•    Blue - banded Toucanet
•    Brad - winged Hawk
•    Tanagers, barbets, and flower creepers.

In addition to the birds you also get see mammals like:
•    Woolly monkeys
•    South American Coati
•    Brown capuchin monkey
•    Taira
•    Andean fox
•    Brown agouti

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ALTO MADRE DE DIOS RIVER:

Madre de Dios River starts in the highlands of Cusco; the beginning of the river is called Pilcopata River, near to Atalaya (the place where we start our trip by boat).  Pilcopata River joins Piñipi River and it is here that the river changes its name to Alto Madre de Dios River.
The Madre de Dios River is the namesake to the Peruvian region (Madre de Dios Department). It runs through this region then becomes the Beni River in Bolivia and later turns northward into Brazil, where it is called the Madeira River. The Madeira is a tributary to the Amazon River.

BONANZA ECOLOGICAL RESERVE:

Bonanza Ecological Reserve encompasses approximately 1200 hectares of pristine jungle; the area is composed of a bamboo forest and primary forest.  In the bamboo area you can see various species of anteater birds and also many groups of squirrel monkeys. The primary forest is composed of large trees (Ceibas, fig trees and iron trees). In the primary forest there is a mammal clay lick where we often see several wild pigs (white lipped peccary).  In addition to wild pigs, you can also see deer and tapirs. At the lodge we provide bungalows either single or double rooms, a dining room, a kitchen, bathrooms and showers.

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BLANQUILLO PRIVATE RESERVE

Tambo Blanquillo Lodge is located two and a half hours down river from Boca Manu. At the Lodge we have platforms with a comfortable dining room. The reserve has three oxbow lakes (blanco, Blanquillo and Camungo oxbow lakes) with ideal conditions to observe giant otters from a wooden catamaran. Also there is a 45 meter metal tower perfect location where bird watchers can spot many birds.
Near the lodge there is one of the most beautiful places in the world called “collpa.” A collpa is a clay lick where some species of mammals and birds go every day to neutralize the toxins in there system.
In Blanquillo tourist can enjoy an amazing macaw clay lick.  Red and green macaws are daily visitors of the clay lick along with many parrots and medium size macaws. 

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MACAW CLAY LICK:

One distinctive habitat nearby Tambo Blanquillo is the shebonal forest. This type of forest is high in clay content, creating clay licks, locally known as collpa which are specially used by macaws and other rainforest species as a healthy diet supplement that helps them remove toxins from their digestive tracks. Macaws usually obtain these noxious chemical substances from unripe fruits they ingest.

Our lodge is just 10 minutes away from the Macaw Clay Lick. A blind of 10 meters of altitude has been built facing it, so you can take close-up pictures without disturbing the bird’s activity. It consists of 40 comfortable seats, each with a personal counter where your binoculars and cameras can be placed in order to give you better stability to take superb pictures of the macaws on the clay lick. Breakfast will be served at the blind and a toilette facility is available.

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Tour Itinerary

DAY 1:- Cusco – Cloud Forest - Bamboo Lodge

Departure from Cusco city very early in the morning in one of our trucks specially prepared for this road. We will pass through interesting Inter-Andean valleys and picturesque farmer communities. In the middle of the day we are going to visit the pre-Inca buried towers of Ninamarca, known as “chullpas”. After that we will arrive to Paucartambo city, which is a typical colonial town. It had a lot of importance and it still conserves it’s flavor. Continuing our trip we drive up until the Abra of Accjanaco which is found at 3850 meters over the sea. From this point we start to go down passing through the cloud forest, which is an area rich in endemic species as the spectacular “Andean Bear” (Tremarctos Ornatus) and “The Cook of the Rock” (The Peruvian National Bird), “Orquis”, “Bromelias” and “Ferns” etc.
Then in San Pedro we will visit a lek of “Cook of the Rocks”, in which these birds every morning and afternoon made during a very interesting dance called “Displays”. After that we continue our tour until reaching Bamboo Lodge, where we will stop and spend our first night.

DAY 2:- Bamboo Lodge – Atalaya – Bonanza Ecological reserve.

After eating our breakfast we continue the tour by bus going through the high forest arriving to Atalaya which is found next to Madre de Dios river ( 700 meters over the sea). From this point we start to go down river in a motorized boat (55 hp). At the riverside we will have the opportunity to see a lot of bird species such as “Herons”, “Vultures”, “Cormorants” etc. After some hours we will arrive to Aguas Calientes (a hot spring), where we are going to have a comfortable bath. Passing three in the afternoon we will arrive to our lodge, where we accommodate and get new water resources to be able to take an one hour walk through the forest. With luck in this walk we will have a possibility to see Alot of wildlife.  After this impressive experience we go back to the lodge where our delicious dinner is going to wait. 

DAY 3:- Bonanza Ecological Reserve - Blanquillo Lodge

After enjoying a delicious breakfast we continue the tour down river until arriving to the lodge, Here you can file up your bottles with water after this, we go back to the boat, but just to sail for a few minutes. Rapidly arriving to the port we continue by foot through the forest more or less for half an hour until reaching The Oxbow Lake called “Cocha Blanco”. Here is a hidden place where we are going to wait for the “Giant Otters” to arrive and after this we go sailing on a Catamaran. Same night we will have the opportunity to spot “Caymans” and there will be a possibility of catching some of them. After this adventure we take a deserved rest in the lodge. Option to visit a Native Communitie.

DAY 4:- Blanquillo Lodge – Macaw Clay Lick - Camungo Oxbow lake.

Activity at the Macaw clay lick begins about 5:30 am as medium sized parrots arrive with the dawn, pair by noisy pair, and land in the treetops above the lick. Hundreds of screeching birds clamber about in the branches in preparation for their descent to the riverbank. Eventually, cascades of green, blue, and red parrots circle down to the clay wall. About 7:00 or 7:30 am large macaws start to arrive. After about 40 to 100 have gathered and deemed the lick safe, they begin to descend. This colourful and noisy scene continues for 20 to 40 minutes while the birds eat their fill of clay or until danger arrives in the form of a hawk, eagle, or ocelot. There are normally between 80 to 100 macaws and 600 or more other parrots. This is truly one of the world's great wildlife spectacles. In the afternoon we will Walk around Camungo Oxbow Lake, there is a 45 meter metal tower, so we can do some bird watching from the top of this tower.

Late in the afternoon we will go back to the Lodge. we have an optional night walk this day.

Day 5:- Blanquillo Lodge - Boca Colorado - Puerto Maldonado.

Today we will have another chance to visit the Macaw clay Lick, after if we will continue out trip by boat to Boca Colorado Port, after drive 3 hours in a small car we will arrive to Puerto Maldonado Town where we will spent our last Night in the jungle.

Day 6: Puerto Maldonado - Cusco

After Breakfast we will drive you to Puerto Maldonado Air Port from where you will say good bye to your Jungle Trip..!!!