To Manu and Puerto Maldonado from Cuzco

From Cuzco you climb up to the Huancarani pass before

(3½ hours), before dropping down to this picturesque mountain village in the Mapacho Valley at the border between the departments of Cuzco and Madre de Dios. The road then ascends to the Ajcanacu pass (cold at night), after which it goes down to the cloudforest and then the rainforest. On the way you pass

,

and the

(owned by Tapir Tours, visited in their Manu programmes). After 12 hours you reach

at 650 m.

After Pilcopata, the route is hair-raising and breathtaking. Even in the dry season this part of the road is appalling and trucks often get stuck en route to Atalaya, the first village on the Alto Madre de Dios river and about an hour away from Pilcopata. Atalaya consists of a few houses, and basic accommodation can be found here. Meals are available at the very friendly family home of Rosa and Klaus, where you can also camp. The village is also the jumping-off point for river trips further into the Manu. The route continues to

, where a Manu Park office is situated. There are basic hostels and restaurants.

The road now bypasses Shintuya, a commercial and social centre, as wood from the jungle is transported from here to Cuzco. There are a few basic restaurants and you can camp (beware of thieves). The priest will let you stay in the dormitory rooms at the mission. Supplies are expensive. There are two Shintuyas: one is the port and mission and the other is the indigenous village. The next town is

, the starting point for river transport, but it won't be long before the port moves down river as the road is pushed through to Nuevo Edén, 11 km away, and on to Diamante. The road is one day planned to reach Boca Colorado.

It is not possible to arrange trips to the Reserved Zone of the National Park from Itahuania, owing to park regulations; all arrangements must be made in Cuzco.

Boca Manu is the connecting point between the rivers Alto Madre de Dios, Manu and Madre de Dios. It has a few houses, an airstrip and some food supplies. It is also the entrance to the Manu Reserve and to go further you must be part of an organized group. The park ranger station is located in

, 20 minutes by boat from Boca Manu. You need to show your permit here; camping is allowed if you have a permit. There are no regular flights from Cuzco to Boca Manu. These are arranged the day before, if there are enough passengers. Check at Cuzco airport or with the tour operators in Cuzco.

Upstream on the Río Manu you pass the

on the Cocha Juárez, three to four hours by boat. You can continue to Cocha Otorongo, 2½ hours, and Cocha Salvador, 30 minutes, the biggest lake with plenty of wildlife where the

is located and several companies have safari camp concessions. From here it is two hours to

, the entrance to the National Park Reserved Zone. This is only for biologists and others with a special permit.

From Itahuania infrequent cargo boats sail (when fully laden, about six to eight a week) to the gold-mining centre of Boca Colorado on the Río Madre de Dios, via Boca Manu, passing several ecotourism lodges including

and

. Basic accommodation can be found here but is not recommended for lone women travellers. From Boca Colorado a road now runs to Puerto Maldonado, 4½ hours by

and a ferry crossing . Some lodges in the Manu area now use this route: flight to Puerto Maldonado, a vehicle to Boca Colorado and then a boat upstream to the lodge.

Between Boca Manu and Colorado is

, a private reserve (10,000 ha). Bring a good tent with you and all food if you want to camp, or alternatively accommodation is available at the

(full board or accommodation only). Wildlife is abundant, especially macaws and parrots at the macaw lick near Manu Wildlife Centre . There are occasional boats to Blanquillo from Shintuya, six to eight hours.