Manu Cultural 4D/3N

The “Manu Traditional Medicine Center” is located in the native community Matsiguenka o Machiguenga of Shipetiari, which is adjacent to Manu Park untouchable area. This trip has the particularity to visit the Manu Biosphere reserve and the Amarakaeri communal reserve, places where we will share and interact with the native communities settle in the area, we will be able to observe the wonderful wildlife and we will have an approach to the principle of the Amazonian native medicine.

Activities:

1. Fluvial navigation and trekking: boat rids on Alto Madre de Dios river (“Eori in Harakmbut”) in this rides we can observe wildlife common on the river. We will combine this boat rides with hikes.
2. Trekking in the forest: we will enjoy the landscape and the biodiversity of the primary forest, exploring clear water streams and rivers, spotting birds, monkeys, insects, mammals and big trees.
3. Ancestral skills demonstration: we will fish with the natives; hear ancestral tales, mites, etc.
4. We will visit the “Manu Traditional Medicine Center” where the shaman or seripigari will chat about the use of medicinal plants. Optional: we can participate in an ayahuaca session.

Day 1 / Cusco – Cloud forest

We depart early in the morning from Cusco. On the way we will observe beautiful Andean valleys; Quechua Andean communities and we´ll visit a pre-Inca site call “Chulpas de Ninamarka” burial towers that belong to the Lupaca culture. Then we continue to the colonial town of Paucartambo, actual folkloric capital of Peru. We continue our journey uphill to Acjanaco pass, this point marks the entrance to Manu national park, in this place at 3500 meters above sea level if the conditions are good, we may observe the western slopes of the Andes and the flat Amazon basin, and then we start descending our way down to the rain forest, enjoying the beauty of the cloud forest, it flora and fauna. It´s in this forest that we find the most remote waters that generates the Alto Madre de Dios River, known by the Incas as Amaru Mayo (snake river in quechua), tributary of the Amazon river.

Day 2 / Cloud forest – “Manu Traditional Medicine Center¨

We wake up with the sun, to observe the ritual and mating dance of the Cock of the rocks (Rupicola peruviana) from a hidden platform, beside the possibility to observe other species of birds in this early morning activity. After breakfast we continue with our transport downhill to the fluvial port of Atalaya, here we will take our motor boat and we continue our journey now on the river Alto Madre de Dios, an opportunity to observe the great diversity of birds. We make a stop at the thermal baths of the native community of Shintuya ethnic group Harakmbut, after a pleasant bath we continue to the native community of Shipetiari, where the matsiguenkas will share with us their daily activities. We can buy here souvenirs made with elements from the forest. Then we continue our journey on the river to “Manu Traditional Medicine Center”, here the shaman or seripigari will share with us some of his knowledge. After lunch, we´ll explore the trails on “Manu Traditional Medicine Center” with the company of the seripigari, who will explain about the principle of traditional Matsiguenka medicine and the attributes of the medicinal plants. Back on “Manu Traditional Medicine Center” we have dinner and relax. After dinner, the shaman we tell histories of the Matsiguenkas. Optional: those wishing to do an Ayahuasca session will have an informative chat with the shaman. Those not doing Ayahuasca may go fishing with the locals using traditional techniques.

Day 3 / “Manu Traditional Medicine Center¨- Shintuya (lodge Marinke)

If the wheather conditions are good, early in the morning we´ll visit a mammals clay lick, where we may observe trops of peccaries (Tayassu pecari), red houler monkeys (Allouatta seniculus) and some species of bird. Many mammals and birds complement their vegetarian diets by licking minerals from a clay lick. after breakfast we take our boat upstream, we stop at the Shipatiari native community for a last visit to the Matsiuenka people, after lunch we continue our journay upstream to the native comunity of Sintuya where we overnigt at the “MARINKE” comunal lodge. At night we will have the chance to observe traditional dances ane hear tales from the elderlies of the Harakmbut ethnic group of Shintuya. Optional: 6 hour hike throug a pristine primary forest from Manu Traditional Medicine Center to the native community of Shipetiari, then we continue by boat to Shintuya.

Day 4 / Shintuya (Marinke lodge) – Cusco

This is our last boat ride from Shintuya to Atalaya port, we still have the opportunity to observe wildlife on the river. On the way we will stop to visit an oxbow lake, here our guide will explain about this particular ecosystem and it´s diversity, and then we continue upstream to the fluvial port of Atalaya, where our transport is waiting to take us to Cusco.

INCLUDED: Private ground transportation, private boat transportation, bilingual specialized guide, 01 night in a lodge at the cloud forest, 01 night in the “Manu Traditional Medicine Center”, 01 night in “MARINKE” communal lodge in the native community of Shintuya, entrance to Cock of the rocks observation platform, visit to an oxbow lake, first aid kit, radio communication in the lodges. Meals: 3 breakfast, 4 lunches and 3 dinners. Team: Professional driver, boatman and certified bilingual guide and all necessary equipment for this type of tours.

NOT INCLUDED: Tips, extra activities and expenses.