7-Day Manu National Park & Reserved Zone Expedition: Cusco to Puerto Maldonado

Hotels normally offer free storage if yours doesn’t we will be very happy to store your luggage for you.

All our tours to the Reserved Zone start at 5 am and our tours to the Cultural Zone might start at 6am.

We normally reach Cusco between 4pm to 8pm.

The weather is typically hot and humid. There are normally eight months of rain and four months of dry weather. During the day the temperature can reach 38 degrees Celsius but it will feel hotter because of the humidity. The humidity is around 90%.

All lodges that Manu Explorers provides are wooden lodges and the windows are covered with metal mosquitoes nets. Lodges include basic amenities like: Shared and Private bathrooms with showers and toilets, double based rooms, beds with bedding and mosquito nets. Some lodges will have hot water but most are just cold water.

• Tour guide in English and Spanish with spotting scope
• Transportation (bus and boat)
• Professional cook.
• Three meals a day included vegetarian option.
• Mineral water
• All accommodations and lodges.
• Tents for 2 people.
• Snack food (fresh fruits, sweets/caramels, chocolates, cookies, juices)
• Rain Poncho
• Rubber boots
• Entrance fee to the Oxbow Lakes
• Entrance fee to Manu National Park
• Entrance fee to all the private Natural Reserves
• First aid kit

• Repellent with a minimum of 30 % deet
• Binoculars (if you want your own pair, 25 soles per day if you wish to rent them from us)
• Camera with extra batteries
• Flashlight with extra batteries
• Sun Screen
• Pocket money
• Daypack
• Water bottle/canteen or camel pack
• Sandals
• T-shirts
• Socks
• Light pants
• Shorts
• Swimsuit
• Sun hat / hat
• Toilet paper
• Dark clothes (for the walking days)
• converter /adaptor for the electricity (Plugs are typically the 2 pronged flat type found in the US)

European shoe sizes are used in Peru, to know what shoe size you are, please use the international shoe converter below.

Yes, there are mosquitoes and sand flies. The mosquitoes are most active in the mornings and at dusk. We recommend that you bring a very good mosquito repellent with you to help avoid these mosquitoes while you are walking in the jungle. All the lodges provide mosquito nets for your beds and also the tents which are used have a mosquito net as well.

There are really no specific dangers in the jungle. In general, the animals are not dangerous. The most dangerous species in the jungle are the snakes, the most common and dangerous ones are the Fer-de- lance snakes. However, these snakes are rarely seen. Precautions are taken which include wearing rubber boots while going on jungle walks to avoid any possible dangers.

Yes, the weather conditions in the Rainforest are unpredictable. The months of April to October are the driest months of the year, but some times during these months and the remainder of the year, we do have some rain and the roads may become inaccessible due to landslips/landslides. For that reason we recommend travel insurance to cover these unpredictable weather conditions, as claims for compensation cannot be considered. The insurance should also cover cancellation of tours, cancellation of flights, accident, loss of personal luggage, hospitalization, etc.

The groups are normally between 2 to 9 people. Three people is the minimum group size, smaller groups can depart in private service.

Yes, hiking shoes are good for the first day as well as for the last day. We rovide rubber boots for the trekkings in the jungle.

Yes, but only for the tours that include camping.

Yes, all tour prices include mineral water throughout the entire trip with the exception of the first day. The expeditions include mineral water as well but when you are deep in the jungle the river water is normally boiled which makes it suitable to drink. On the expeditions, we highly recommend that our passengers bring water purifying pills.

Manu National Park has the highest concentration of wildlife in the world, therefore the probability of seeing animals and wildlife is very high. There are over 150 species of mammals, 99 species of reptiles, 140 species of amphibians, 1000 species of birds, including the beautiful and rare Macaw, 200 species of fish, 1000 species of butterflies, 130 species of dragonflies, and an unknown amount of insect species. However, even though this is a wide variety of wildlife, the area we will be visiting is not a zoo and therefore it is never certain what animals and wildlife you will see during your tour, is depends on luck.

The food we provide during these tours will be mostly foods native to the jungle. It will include fish, chicken, beef, rice, and vegetables. Fresh native jungle fruit such as pineapple, bananas, plantains, and passion fruit will be provided. Drinks during the tour will include natural juices like pineapple, star fruit, papaya, and passion fruit, mineral water, café, tea, and hot chocolate. We also make accommodations for vegetarians.

Yes, we do have a very comprehensive first aid kit with us, but we also recommend that you carry a small first aid kit of your own, which includes all the basic items of a first-aid kit.

No, there has not been a confirmed case of malaria in the region of Manu National Park since the 1980. However the area is still considered a malaria region and therefore we highly recommend that you take anti-malaria medication during your time in the jungle. Please check the CDC web site for any vaccinations that they recommend at: wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/peru.aspx.

During the year the best time to see jaguars is from May-June to August along Manu River in the Reserved Zone, we had tourist that have seen 5 Jaguars in one morning along Manu River, between May to August from 5 of our tour groups 3 of them have the chance to see a Jaguar.

To download our field guides please visit the following link:

https://www.manuexplorers.com/en/information/downloads.html

Without a doubt the best area to see animals is the Reserved Zone of Manu Park, the main reason why we do see a lot more animals in the Reserved Zone than in the Cultural Zone is because the area is very well protected; to the area only authorize travel agencies, tour guides as well as tourist can access and they are not allowed to hunt, fishing, logging or do any other extractive activity because it is penalized by the authorities of Manu Park as well as by the Peruvian state, while in the Cultural Zone you can do all the extractive activities mentioned above and because that most of the animals are gone.

We do provide rain ponchos and rubber boots; our tour guides do always travel with a pair of Vortex, Nikon and Swarovski binoculars, and beside the binoculars they also carry with them spotting scopes. They also carry a Peruvian Bird book as well as mammal, orchid and amphibian plates. To download our field guide plates please click HERE

Manu Explorers uses professional tour guides who have lived by the jungle of the Madre de Dios river all of their lives. Our guides are professionally trained and have extensive knowledge of the Manu area and the flora and fauna that abounds in the jungle. Most our tour guides have general knowledge; if you wish to have in tour a tour guide that is specialized of bird watching or biologist we will be very happy to arrange it for you with no extra charge.

The weather conditions in the Highlands same as in Rainforest are unpredictable. The months of April to October are the driest months of the year, but some times during these months and the remainder of the year, we do have some rain and the roads may become inaccessible due to landslips/landslides. For that reason we recommend travel insurance to cover these unpredictable weather conditions, as claims for compensation cannot be considered. The insurance should also cover cancellation of tours, cancellation of flights, accident, loss of personal luggage, hospitalization, etc. We do not accept responsibility for cancellation, loss, tropical medical problems, damage or injury to property or persons.

For cancellations made after the tour is booked / reserved no refund will be given. If during the tour the client decides to separate themselves from the tour and the rest of the group it will be the responsibility of the client to pay for any expenses that are associated with their early return to Cusco. In case of tour cancellations please ask at our office for a tour cancellation certificate, this certificate will be provided within 24 hours of the request date.

Yes, Manu Explorers Peru is a tour operator based in Cusco – Peru. Our official company name is Manu Explorers Peru EIRL; our tax number is: 20490116100.

If you have a question that is not answered here, please send us an email at manuexplorers@gmail.com and we will get you an answer.

Yes, we will be very happy to customize a birding tour after or before a regular tour.

Yes, you will have great photography opportunities, please bring the following gear:

1. Camera with spare batteries.
2. Macro camera lenses. 10 - 65 mm
3. Long distance camera lenses 200mm, 400mm or 600mm.
4. Wide Angle Lenses
5. Camera lens extension 1.4x or 2x.

Yes, you will be going out for night walks in all jungle tours.

Phone signal as well as Wi-Fi is limited in our jungle tours. There will be signal in the first day as well as in the second day in the morning after that NO signal; there will be Wi-Fi at Casa Matsiguenka Lodge and Yanayacu Lodge.

Yes, there will be electricity in most of the lodges but in some lodges electricity is limited. Please bring a power bank.