Four days by road over the Andes and by boat on the Alto Madre de Dios, with nights in jungle lodges.
The short answer
Manu from Cusco is a 4-day trip by road and boat: the vehicle crosses the Andes and drops through the cloud forest on day 1, and from Atalaya you continue by motorboat to lodges on the Alto Madre de Dios. For a small group, take Machu Picchu Amazon Peru; for a private trip, Expediciones Vilca; for a zip line and the parrot clay lick, Amazon Peru Travellers.
Each trip returns to Cusco on day 4. Ask a travel doctor about yellow fever and malaria before you book.
The trips follow the same road and river. They differ in group size, in the lodges and in extras such as the clay lick, the night walk or the zip line.
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| Photo | Tour | Nights | Group | Highlights on the listing | Pickup | Free cancellation | Reviews ↕ | Price ↕ | Book |
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Manu eco tour in 4 days Expediciones Vilca | Lodges in Pilcopata and on the river, private bathrooms | Listed as a private tour | Machuhuasi lagoon by raft, parrot clay lick, biologist guides | Hotel in Cusco or the operator's office | Up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.8 (299) | $449 per person | Book now |
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Manu jungle tour in 4 days Machu Picchu Amazon Peru | Bambu Lodge, Soga de Oro Lodge, an eco lodge | Up to 9 | Ninamarca burial towers, Machuwasi lake, night walk | Hotel in Cusco | Up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.9 (163) | $480 per person | Book now |
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Manu National Park in 4 days Amazon Peru Travellers | Hostel in Pilcopata, then Harpy Lodge | Up to 12 | Parrot clay lick, zip line with a 25 m abseil, Machuwasi lagoon | Hotel, office or Plaza de Armas, 5:30 to 6 am | Up to 24 hours before | ★ 4.8 (132) | $389 per person | Book now |
Prices and ratings are loaded from GetYourGuide and Viator once a day; on treks the price shown is the cheapest option, which may leave out the sleeping bag, the hiking poles or the return train class you want.
Pick the day you want to go, or the first and last day you are in Cusco. We read the booking calendar of each tour and show the ones that still take bookings. For Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail, book early: entry tickets, trains and trail permits are limited.
In the next 7 days, all 3 tours on this page still have places.
Days: 4 days
Days: 4 days
Days: 4 days
Open a card for the itinerary, the pickup, what is included and what is not, as the operator gives them.
Listed as a private tour with biologist guides, lodges with private bathrooms, Machuhuasi lagoon and a parrot clay lick; drop-off at your hotel on day 4.
Day 1 drives about 4 hours from Cusco to the edge of Manu National Park and down through the cloud forest, looking for cock-of-the-rock, quetzals and monkeys, with the night at a lodge in Pilcopata. Day 2 continues to Atalaya and by boat on the Madre de Dios river to a lodge, with a raft trip on the Machuhuasi lagoon for birds, caimans and capybaras. Day 3 visits a parrot clay lick and walks among large trees. Day 4 returns to Cusco through the cloud forest, ending at your hotel.
The lodges have private bathrooms, mosquito nets and solar charging. Meals run from lunch on day 1 to lunch on day 4; breakfast on day 1 is not included. Entrance fees are included except the hummingbird viewpoint. The itinerary data marks the tour as private. Luggage is limited to 10 kg per person in a soft bag.
Pickup from hotels in central Cusco between 5:30 and 6:00 am, confirmed the day before; distant hotels get a meeting point. The office is at Calle Garcilaso 260, half a block from Plaza Regocijo.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Groups of up to 9, Bambu and Soga de Oro lodges, a night walk; lunch and dinner on the last day not included.
Day 1 drives via Paucartambo and the Ninamarca burial towers into the cloud forest for a first walk, with the night at Bambu Lodge. Day 2 takes the bus to Atalaya and a motorboat of about 40 minutes on the Madre de Dios river to Soga de Oro Lodge, with a jungle walk in the afternoon. Day 3 has a morning walk, a crossing to Lake Machuwasi for capybaras and caimans, and a night walk. Day 4 is the drive back to Cusco after breakfast.
Rooms in all three lodges have their own bathroom. Breakfast on day 1 and lunch and dinner on day 4 are not included; on the other days you get three buffet meals, normal or vegetarian, plus snacks. Entrance to Lake Machuwasi is included. Shared groups are capped at 9.
Pickup from your hotel in the historic center of Cusco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
Groups of up to 12, pickup from 5:30 am, hostel in Pilcopata then Harpy Lodge, zip line with abseil; moderate fitness needed.
Day 1 leaves Cusco early, stops at pre-Inca tombs and the museum in Paucartambo and descends through the cloud forest to a hostel in Pilcopata. Day 2 visits a coca plantation and a wildlife rescue center, then goes by boat from Atalaya to the Amazon Harpy Lodge, with rafts on Lake Machuwasi in the afternoon. Day 3 starts at a parrot clay lick, followed by a forest walk of 2 to 3 hours, a canopy zip line with a 25-meter rappel, and a night walk. Day 4 returns by boat and car, arriving in Cusco between about 5:30 and 6:30 pm.
The inclusions list only breakfast, lunch and dinner; transport, guide, the lodges and the zip line appear only in the itinerary. The title of day 4 names hot springs, which the day description does not mention. Ages 10 to 70 can book.
Pickup between 5:30 and 6:00 am from your hotel, the operator's office or the Plaza de Armas in Cusco.
Taken from the tour listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 12 November 2026. What a tour includes, above all the Machu Picchu entry and the train class, can depend on the option, so read the option text before you book.
None of these trips flies. Each leaves Cusco by minivan or bus early on day 1 and cross the mountains eastward. Machu Picchu Amazon Peru and Amazon Peru Travellers drive via the colonial town of Paucartambo and stop at pre-Inca burial towers on the way. Then the road drops through the cloud forest, where the guides look for the Andean cock-of-the-rock, Peru's national bird, along with monkeys and orchids. Expediciones Vilca puts the start of the park about 4 hours from Cusco. Amazon Peru Travellers gives the heights on its plan: about 3,300 m in Cusco, 1,700 m in the cloud forest and 600 m in Pilcopata, where the first night is.
On day 2 the trips continue to the river port of Atalaya and go on by motorboat on the Alto Madre de Dios. The way back on day 4 is the same road in reverse; Amazon Peru Travellers expects you back in Cusco between 5:30 and 6:30 pm. Expect long hours in the vehicle on the first and last day.
Expediciones Vilca lists lodges with private bathrooms, towels, mosquito nets and solar power for charging batteries. Machu Picchu Amazon Peru names Bambu Lodge, Soga de Oro Lodge and an eco lodge with en-suite rooms. Amazon Peru Travellers starts in a hostel in Pilcopata and then stays at Harpy Lodge; one paragraph of its plan calls the lodge Amazon Manu Lodge.
Meals are mostly included, with gaps at the start and end: the first breakfast on two trips, and lunch and dinner on the last day with Machu Picchu Amazon Peru. Alcoholic drinks are always extra. The inclusion list of Amazon Peru Travellers names only the meals, although its plan describes the vehicle, the boat and the zip line, so check the booking page for what you pay for. Expediciones Vilca is marked as a private tour, and its booking option carries a short description about fishing that does not match the plan.
The lodges on these trips lie far below the city. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the yellow fever vaccine for travellers aged 9 months and older going to areas below 2,300 m in several regions, including Cusco and Madre de Dios, but not for travel limited to Cusco, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu. They also list malaria for areas below 2,500 m east of the Andes. Which vaccines and tablets you need depends on your health and your full route, so see a travel doctor several weeks before you go. Machu Picchu Amazon Peru and Amazon Peru Travellers do not recommend their trips for pregnant travellers or people with poor cardiovascular health.
Rain is part of the forest at any time of year, and the roads east are harder in the rainy season around Cusco. For a shorter taste of warmer valleys on the way to Machu Picchu, the Inca Jungle trek goes down to lower ground by bike.
By road over the Andes, via Paucartambo and the cloud forest, then by motorboat from the river port of Atalaya. None of the trips compared here includes a flight.
The US CDC recommends it for travellers aged 9 months and older going to areas below 2,300 m in the Cusco and Madre de Dios regions, which includes the lodges on these trips. Ask a travel doctor about it and about malaria tablets.
The listings describe rooms with private or en-suite bathrooms and mosquito nets; Expediciones Vilca adds solar power for charging. Amazon Peru Travellers spends the first night in a hostel in Pilcopata.
The booking options accept children: from age 1 with Machu Picchu Amazon Peru, from 5 with Expediciones Vilca and from 10 with Amazon Peru Travellers. Long drives and the vaccination advice still apply.
Each listing allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure. Check the terms on the booking page again before you pay.
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