“Tambo Blanquillo Lodge” is located two and a half hours downriver from Boca Manu. At the lodge, there will be 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, a 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 their system. In Blanquillo, tourists can enjoy an amazing Macaw Clay Lick. Red and green macaws are daily visitors of the clay lick, along with many parrots and medium-sized macaws.
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 tracts. Macaws usually obtain these noxious chemical substances from unripe fruits they ingest.
Our lodge is just 30 minutes away from the Macaw Clay Lick. A blind of 10 meters in altitude has been built facing it, so you can take close-up pictures without disturbing the birds' activity. It consists of 40 comfortable seats, each with a personal counter where your binoculars and cameras can be placed 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 toilet facility is available.
We will pick you up around 05:00 a.m. from your hotel in Cusco in our private transport. The first part of our excursion will take us through the majestic Andean mountains and then we will briefly pass the town of Huancarani, continuing on our trip we will visit the funeral towers of Ninamarca and the cemetery of the Lupacas, part of the beautiful pre-Inca culture.
Then we will travel to Paucartambo, a small traditional town, known for its folklore. there we will have first breakfast, after an hour of travel we will arrive to Acjanaco, entrance of the Manu National Park and we will enter one of the most protected natural areas in all of South America. We will continue on our transport to a road and through the thick fog from which this section of the forest takes its name, (cloud forest).
Eventually we will arrive at the place of the exotic Peruvian national bird, the “cock of the Rock”, You will be surprised with the show, complete with an impressive variety of sounds that can only be found in this part of the jungle.In this place we can also observe a variety of birds, monkeys and plants such as orchids and bromeliads. Continuing with our trip we will arrive at our Rain forest lodge where we will spend our first night . Lunch dinner.
At 06:00 a.m., we will depart for Atalaya Port; on the way, we will make a few stops to visit the small local’s farmers who are known to be producers of many varieties of jungle fruits including the famous coca plant.We will also visit a hummingbird attraction center to see more than 12 species,Then we will arrive at the port of Atalaya, we will begin the boating part of our journey in a river excursion on the Madre de Dios River, tributary of famous Amazon River.
During our day, we will have the chance to witness many types of colourful birds such (like) parrots, oropendolas, vultures and other species. We will make a stop at the natural hot springs, and hopefully get to see some jungle animals such as monkeys or the famous capybaras (jungle rodents that are as much as 2.5 ft. long).
Then, we will continue by boat to Boca Manu, where you will have a chance to buy snacks, insect repellent, and beverages, etc. Then, we will continue by boat along the “Madre de Dios River” until “Tambo Blanquillo”. Here, we will sleep close to the river in tents (there will also be the option to spend the night in a lodge according the weather conditions) Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
Very early in the morning, we will go by boat to “Macaw Clay Licks”, a special place where flocks of Parakeets, Parrots, and Macaws come every day to eat the nutritious lick, located at the wall of the river. We will stay here at a camouflaged hideout house for the birds, it is bird lover paradise, where you will get to see and hear many of them, however this activity is very much weather dependent.
(Hiding house) There we will spend around 5 hours waiting to see the macaws in their daily activity returning to the lodge to take our delicious lunch, we will have some of our last activities, we will visit the camungo oxbow lake we will have the opportunity to follow a tower of observation from there we can the Amazon plain and The lake, and feel the adrenaline overhead, then return to the lodge there waiting for a delicious dinner, then to spend our last night in the Peruvian Amazon. Later on at night we will go to try and spot some caimans in the river and there is also optional some night walk. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
This day we will wake up from our camp after a good breakfast we will visit one of the beautiful lagoons (white cocha), we will sail on a catamaran we will explore the lagoon, there we will be able to observe a great diversity of fauna such as monkeys, alligators, the famous river wolf and Birds, after exploring this lagoon we will take the motorized boat that brings us back up the river, and through the search ground a place where we can install our tents to spend the night accompanied by a beautiful bonfire. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner.
This day after a good breakfast we will get ready to then take the motorized boat, which will take us to the Palotoa Amazon lodge there we will arrive at lunch time approximately after we settle in our respective rooms we will have a rest time, later we will start walking in A type of forest to try to see more wildlife. The guide can explain the great biodiversity of this place, for later we will be back to our hostel where we spent our last night in a comfortable lodge
The sixth day will be our final day, we depart early in the morning travelling up stream to the “Port of Atalaya” where our private bus will be waiting for us and take us back to the magical City of Cusco arriving at approximately 6:00 p.m. Breakfast and Lunch
During the tour, travelers will experience a variety of landscapes, including the Andean mountains, cloud forests, rainforests, rivers, and oxbow lakes, each offering unique flora and fauna.
Throughout the journey, travelers can observe a diverse range of wildlife, including macaws, parrots, monkeys, capybaras, caimans, and the Peruvian national bird, the "Cock of the Rock."
The itinerary includes hiking, birdwatching, boat excursions, wildlife spotting, visits to local communities, and camping in the Amazon rainforest.
Accommodations include lodges located in the rainforest and camping areas near rivers and lakes, offering an immersive experience in nature.
The entire tour lasts six days, starting in Cusco and traveling through various locations in the Amazon before returning to Cusco on the final day.
This tour was simply incredible. Watching the macaws at dawn at the clay lick is a spectacle like no other. The jungle surrounds you with its magic, and every moment is an opportunity to discover something new—monkeys, caimans, exotic birds… The organization was excellent, the guides were very knowledgeable, and the lodge was comfortable and welcoming. If you love nature, this trip is a must.
Ce circuit était tout simplement incroyable. Observer les aras à l’aube sur la falaise d’argile est un spectacle unique. La jungle vous entoure de sa magie, et chaque instant est une occasion de découvrir quelque chose de nouveau : singes, caïmans, oiseaux exotiques… L’organisation était excellente, les guides très compétents, et le lodge confortable et accueillant. Si vous aimez la nature, ce voyage est incontournable.