The Manu Biosphere Reserve has the highest diversity of life on Earth and is one of the most important conservation units in the world. This tour provides a superb cross-section of all the habitats. We also visit the world-famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu surrounded by some of the most amazing scenery on Earth.

Day 1: Lima
You will be met at the airport and transferred to a comfortable hotel for the night.

Day 3: Upper Manu road
Today we will leave early, first driving through scenic intermontane valleys. We will make selected stops for two smart endemics: Creamy-crested Spinetail and Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch. After a picnic lunch at the last high-elevation pass, we will start our descent of the eastern slope of the Andes. We will jump out of the bus at the firsts sign of a mixed-species flock, and may see such gems as White-collared Jay, Barred Fruiteater, White-browed Conebill, Golden-collared Tanager, or Gray-breasted Mountain-Toucan. After a long drive we will arrive at the comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge, where we spend three nights.

Days 4-5: Cock-of-the-rock Lodge
Just a few minutes walk from our lodge is a spectacular Cock-of-the-Rock lek furnished with comfortable blinds to observe the amazing males during their mating rituals. Along the trail system we can explore the mossy cloudforest, searching for the likes of Moustached Wren, Slaty Gnateater, and Chestnut-breasted Wren. Birding up and down the road we will quickly build up a list of mid-elevation birds, and possibilities include Solitary Eagle, Golden-headed Quetzal, Black-streaked Puffbird, Blue-banded Toucanet, Amazonian Umbrellabird, Yungas Manakin, and a dazzling array of tanagers.

Day 6: Lower Manu road
After a final morning in the birdy cloudforests we will descend further down the Manu road to the comfortable Amazonia Lodge, located at an elevation of 1750 ft (500 m) on the upper Madre de Dios, and our base for the next three nights.

Days 7-8: Amazonia Lodge
We have two full days at this family-run hacienda, which already has a bird list of well over 500 species. It is situated where the last low foothills of the Andes begin to flatten out into the vast Amazonian lowlands. The floodplain near the lodge is covered in second growth only a few decades old, while on the steep hillsides tall primary forest is found. While birding the varied habitats at the lodge we will see a very rich assortment of birds. Some species we will especially look for include Blue-headed Macaw, Rufous-crested Coquette, Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Chestnut-capped Puffbird, Fine-barred Piculet, Bamboo Antshrike, Black-backed Tody–Flycatcher, and Golden-bellied Warbler.

Day 9: River trip
After another couple of early morning hours at Amazonia Lodge we will board our motorized dug-out canoe that will take us down the Madre de Dios to Manu Wildlife Center.

Days 10-13: Manu Wildlife Center
We have four full days based at this jungle lodge, situated just upriver from the Blanquillo Macaw Lick. One morning we will visit the lick and observe the spectacle of hundreds of parrots and macaws at close quarters from our floating blinds. Red-and-green Macaw is a highlight and the beautiful Orange-cheeked Parrrot is a regular visitor here. The rest of our time will be spent birding the extensive trail systems which have been designed to visit different forest types. Large stands of bamboo hold many local and sought-after species, and the extensive varzea, terra firme and transitional floodplain forest hold a mind-boggling variety of bird-life. A canopy observation tower gives us a chance to see the canopy birds at close range. Some of the more interesting species we will be searching for in the bamboo include Manu Antbird, White-cheeked Tody-Flycatcher, and Peruvian Recurvebill. We also look for the near-endemic Rufous-fronted Antthrush, Razor-billed Curassow, Pale-winged Trumpeter, Pavonine Quetzal, Purus Jacamar, Striolated Puffbird, and Gray-cheeked Nunlet, to name but a few. There will be an optional visit to the large mammal lick here, which can attract Tapirs, Peccaries and maybe even a Jaguar.

Day 14: Travel to Urubamba
Early this morning we will take our dug-out to Boca Manu for our charter plane back to Cusco. After a lunch in the city, we will drive north into the Sacred Valley to the town of Urubamba for the night.

Day 15: Abra Málaga
We will need an early start as we drive over a very high pass at 14,000 ft (4,300 m). Near the pass are groves of polylepis woodland with several globally threatened species such as Royal Cinclodes and White-browed Tit-Spinetail. Unfortunately most of the polylepis has been removed for firewood and this habitat is quickly disappearing, along with the birds that depend on it. The American Bird Conservancy is funding a project to regrow polylepis in this area. Due to the difficuly in birding this area, we will likely spend our time in the roadside elfin forest on the far side of the pass. Night in Urubamba.

Day 16: Machu Picchu
After the long day yesterday we will enjoy a bit of a lie-in! We will catch a mid-morning train to Aguas Calientes at the base of Machu Picchu. The rest of the day we will have free to explore the beautiful and fascinating ancient Inca ruins. We will have a local guide to give us a walking tour of the ruins, or you may choose to explore on your own. Night in Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel.

Day 18: Lima and Pucusana
We fly back to Lima, where we have the afternoon free to bird the seashore and wetlands south of the city before catching evening flights home.

TOUR INFO:

CLIMATE: Hot and humid in the lowlands to very cold at Abra Malaga. This is a dry season tour, but there is the possibilty of a "Friaje", a strong cold front moving up from the south that can bring periods of unusually cool weather and rain.

DIFFICULTY: Moderate. There are some long journeys and early starts, but the walking is usually fairly easy. The walk up to the Polylepis is optional - those not wishing to do the hike can stay with the bus.

ACCOMMODATION: The jungle lodges are comfortable but simple; some do not have full-time electricity, but provide a generator for a few hours a day to charge batteries. Amazonia Lodge has shared bathrooms. The hotels in Cusco, Urubamba, and Machu Picchu are superb. The hotel we use in Lima depends on flight schedules. Sometimes we use an airport hotel that is very convenient though a bit noisy, while other times we use a superb hotel in a better part of the city.