Manu Cloud Forest Lodge

The Manu Cloud Forest Lodge site is idyllically located between cloud forest-covered slopes and adjacent to a narrow 400-foot-high waterfall. Rushing streams next to the site are two of the small water courses that descend from the mountains to the Kosñipata River.

This small 16-20 bed lodge can be reached in 6 to 7 hours from Cusco, or by flying 20-30 min. from Cusco to a small airstrip, and then by ground transport in 2 hours.

Some of the attractions of the lodge include one "lek" or dancing ground of Andean Cock-of-the Rock, which are nearly crow-sized, bright red birds in the Cotinga family. Troops of acrobatic Woolly Monkeys are also frequently sighted. A recent ornithological census, shows a list that exceeds 700 species of birds in the transect from the grasslands to the lowlands of the Upper Madre de Dios River port of Atalaya.

Manu Cloud Forest Lodge has been instrumental in protecting the cloud forests along the spectacular road that winds down from the grasslands to the elfin and cloud forests, buffering the Manu Park's southeastern core area against illegal hunting and logging. Currently we manage a 1,400-hectare private reserve which helps to protect the habitat of important "flagship" species as the Spectacled Bear, the Black and Chestnut Eagle, Cock-of-the Rock, Quetzals, and as many as 500 species of birds.

During the ground trip to the Manu Cloud Forest Lodge, we can provide visitors with a sturdy mountain bike for an effortless descent of the orchid-covered mountains on the eastern slopes of the Andes. The full descent takes 4 hours, although you can decide the length of the journey, and get back on the transport at any moment. Biking allows participants to "feel" the transition from the dry puna grasslands across the clouds to the lush and humid rainforests below. This side trip offers an opportunity to stop at any moment to observe the magnificent landscapes, or to take photographs of richly colored trees, plants and flowers.

The Manu Cloud Forest Lodge sits in the middle of the transect from the Manu Park grasslands and the mid-elevation rainforests. Two trails that start in the grasslands at 11,000 ft. are available for visitors who may want to explore and experience this spectacular and protected transect. The first trail can be done in 4 hours and the second in 6 to 7 hours. The new lodge has also been used as a base to launch short, but exciting river-rafting trips along the several tributaries that form the Madre de Dios River. We have successfully explored the Kosñipata, the Keros and the Tono Rivers.

Lodge rates are in U.S. Dollars.