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5 day Manu Road Birding and Photography

 INTRODUCTION:

Five Days on Manu Road

Cock of the Rock. Rupicola peruviana

A 5 day trip covering the best sites on the Manu Road. Tanagers, Hummingbirds, Trogons, Toucans, Hoatzin, Sungrebe, Sunbittern, Antbirds, Woodcreepers are the highlights. Also a lot of Butterflies and Tropical plants. This short trip is designed to give the best of everything for birders that are on a tight schedule.

Note: The updated itinerary does not include Amazonia Lodge, which seemingly has not recovered to its former glory prior to COVID. 
There are new resources for Hummingbirds on the main road, and the lodging at Villa Carmen is much better and with available Wifi. 
Please contact us for a customized itinerary if you want to include Amazonia Lodge. 



 DEPARTURES:
 


If the departure dates don't fit you, please suggest another date.
 MAP:
 GALLERY OF BIRDS ON THE TOUR:


 THE TOUR:

Day 1: Cusco to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge

A brief stop at Huacarpay Lake, specifically to look for the endemic Bearded Mountaineer. We continue over the highlands, and look for Andean Goose, Andean Lapwing, Mountain Caracara and Andean Flicker The Manu Road drops into the Amazon cutting through amazing habitats of cloud forest, ranging in altitude from 3,600m to 600m. In the afternoon we visit a Cock-of-the-Rock lek (Entrance fee $10) and spend the night at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge

Day 2: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to the Villa Carmen

The morning at the feeders at the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge until lunch.

The veranda at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge has a number of hummingbird feeders and plants that attract hummingbirds, also fruit tables for tanagers. Some of these are Violet-fronted Brilliant, Many-spotted Hummingbirds, Speckled Hummingbird, Fawn-breasted Brilliant, Wire- crested Thorntail, Wedge-billed Hummingbird and with some luck, Buff-tailed Sicklebill and Peruvian Piedtail. 
Also it is not unusual to see Brown Capuchin Monkey, Woolly Monkey, Tayra and Brown Agouti at or near Cock of the Rock Lodge 

In the afternoon we travel to Villa Carmen, where there is good bamboo. Species like Yellow-billed Nunbird, Pheasant Cuckoo, Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Peruvian Recurvebill, Bamboo Antshrike, Dot-winged Antwren and Ruddy-tailed Flycatcher, Ornate Antwren, Manu Antbird, Flammulated Bamboo-Tyrant, Large-headed Flatbill and White-cheeked Tody-Tyrant can be seen here. Night Villa Carmen

Day 3: Villa Carmen - Cocha Machu Wasi

Apart from the birds mentioned above, VIlla Carmen now has an Amazonian Antpitta coming to a feeding station, as well as a feeding station for Black-capped Tinamou, and other tinamous.  There is also a small pond good for photographing Hoatzin and Sunbittern
Mammals include Red Howler Monkey, Saddle-backed Tamarins and Squirrel Monkeys and Night Monkey.

We shall make an excursion to the small oxbow-lake of Machu Wasi to get closer to some waterbirds such as Horned Screamer, Pale-eyed Blackbird, Black-capped Donacobious and with some luck Sungrebe and Rufous-sided Crake.
Capibaras are often seen in the lake.
In 2020 there was a Harpy Eagle nest down the road, but in 2021 we have not heard of any reports. 
Should it appear again, we shall likely make small changes in the itinerary to accomodate for a visit (and a small fee to the community and Harpy guardians)

En route to Cocha Machu Wasi there are two excellent feeding stations for hummingbirds (entrance fee paid on the spot - around US$ 10).

An enormous variety of hummingbirds can be seen such as Gould’s Jewelfront, Koepcke’s Hermit, Rufous-crested Coquette, Wire-crested and Black-breasted Thorntail, White-tipped Sicklebill, Fork-tailed Woodnymph, Grey-breasted Sabrewing and many tanagers such as Magpie Tanager and Masked Crimson-Tanager.

Day 4: Villa Carmen to Wayqecha 

After the morning's birding on the trails of Villa Carmen, we continue via Cock-of-the- Rock Lodge to the Wayqecha Cloud Forest Biological Station (2,900m) in the temperate cloud forest zone. We are closer to Cusco from here, and it will ensure that we have plenty time to reach Cusco, the following day, in case anyone has a late afternoon or evening flight. ..

The journey between Cock-the-Rock-Lodge and Wayqecha has often rewarded us with sightings of Andean Potoo.
At Wayqecha we’ll look for Swallow-tailed Nightjar at dusk.

Day 5: Wayqecha to Cusco

Wayqecha is managed by the conservation NGO ACCA. The cabins are comfortable and spacious. Departure from Wayqecha will be around 9.00 to allow for a few stops en-route. We’ll be at Cusco airport for a flight around 5:00 or 6:00 pm.The area near Wayqecha is very good for Red-and-White Antpitta and Rufous-capped Thornbill. There are also often good Tanager flocks which sometimes pass at close range for good photo opportunities. The flocks include Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Masked Flowerpiercer, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Streaked Tuftedcheek, Pearled Treerunner and many more.

There are hummingbird feeders that attract Gould's Inca. Nearby we shall look also for Scaled Metaltail

Lower down, and going into the Sacred Valley, we look for the endemic Chestnut-breasted Mountain-Finch and Bearded Mountaineer.



 TRIP SUMMARY:
DAY 1 Cusco to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge
DAY 2 Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge to Villa Carmen
DAY 3 Villa Carmen and Machu Wasi
DAY 4 Villa Carmen to Wayqecha
DAY 5 Wayqecha to Cusco
 
 PRICE :


Option: 5 day Manu Road Birding and Photography Days: 5
Price: US$ 2075 (Minimum 5 people).
 
Less than 5 people: (see pricing)
 
Single supplement: 250 US$
 

Lodge nights with three meals per day, transport and guiding.
The main MST class option for which price is displayed, includes, private showers, 2 units of drinks/per per day, merchendize from Kolibri Expeditions and VIP service like free pick-up at airport, printed checklists etc.

The Kolibri Pro option with shared facilities is $370 less - no private showers and simpler rooms and no perks, like drinks, merch, airport pick-up or printed checklist.
In the Pro option there are private rooms at Cock of the Rock Lodge, but not at Wayquecha and Villa Carmen, where there are dorms which may or may not house students doing research. It is not always, possible to provide room here, so please be aware that there may be a surcharge of $80/person if you want to upgrade just that night or you are forced to because of availability, without right of perks. 

 


 CLIENT'S COMMENTS:
 
 


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Telephone: +51-1- 652 76 89. From the US: 011-51-1- 652 76 89. Cell: 988 555 938 (Gunnar) or 999 007 886 (Elia Gallo) - Email: kolibriexp@gmail.com