Best of Manu Looking for the best Manu tour from Cusco?
Most people know Cusco as the gateway to Macchu Picchu, but it is a great place to grab an Amazon tour.
We took a Manu National Park tour from Cusco, and can not recommend it more highly. It was one of our favorite family travel experiences.
Heading to the Amazon rainforest, but not sure what tour to choose. We get it.
When we went to the Amazon, we just picked a tour and crossed our fingers. It turned out to be great, but not without some stress.
Our list of the best Manu jungle tours will help you pick the right tour for you knowing that they are all excellent choices.
So let’s get started.
Best 5 Manu Jungle Tours from Cusco
All of the Manu jungle expeditions that we are recommending are a minimum of 4 days.
You can book a 3-day Manu tour to Manu National Park, but we don’t recommend it.
The trip takes a day at a half to reach Manu National Park by bus and boat. Four days and 3 nights is the minimum time you want to spend given the effort it takes to reach Manu National Park.
All Manu 4-day tours include a similar basic itinerary and they all include 3 meals per day.
If you opt for a longer Manu day tour, the tour will spend several days in the National Park.
The best way to find a longer tour is to first find a company you like from our list and then book a longer tour directly through them.
The Structure of ALL 4-Day Jungle Tour from Cusco
Day One of the Manu Jungle Tour

The four-day Manu jungle tour is busy. You are already moving a lot. On the first day, you travel by van from Cusco to the edge of Manu. While the drive is long, the guides break it up with several stops.
With all of the tours, the typical first stop is Paucartumbo, a traditional town. Guests and guides alike walk around the town to stretch their legs and take in the culture.
After a short walk around the town, the tour continues to Tres Cruces, which is the entrance to the cultural zone of the Manu rainforest.
Along the drive, the tour stops to watch the courtship displays of the Cock of the Rock, the Peruvian national bird. There are also monkeys to sight. The guides have a high-powered telescope so you can see the animals up close.
On the first evening, you will stay in a lodge that is on the edge of Manu National Forest. All tours offer private rooms with private bathrooms.
Day Two of the Manu Jungle Tour
On the second day of the tour, you head to Manu National Park
Tours begin to vary slightly on the activities offered during day two, but what is consistent in every tour is the beginning.
No matter what tour you choose. Tours will take you by van to the port of Atayala. Some of the tours make a stop at a coca plantation so you can learn about the customs and laws around this controversial plant.
At the port, you will take a motorboat ride up the Madre de Dios River to your tour’s eco-lodge in the National Park.
Now here is where the difference comes in. Half of the tours, break up the motorboat ride with a stop at a hot springs en route on the way to their lodge. During the stop, you can swim in the hot springs. Lunch is provided on the boat and you arrive at the lodge in the afternoon.
The other half of the tours go directly from the port of Atayala to the tour’s lodge in Manu National Forest. After lunch, these tours take you to the Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake where you wildlife watch from a traditional balsa raft.
Day Three of the Manu Rainforest Tour

Tours begin to really differ once you arrive at the ecolodge within the National Park. The majority of the tours have you spend the next 2 nights at the same ecolodge. Our #1 recommended tour has you sleeping under the stars and over a clay lick at their camouflage house.
The other major difference between the tours is whether or not they include another boat ride to the clay lick to see parrots. Three of the tours spend day three at the clay licks and two do not. If going to the parrot clay lick is an important feature for you, we have listed those that take this additional boat ride.
All of the tours include nocturnal walks. Since optional nocturnal walking tours were consistent among all tours, we did not list them.
Day Four of the Manu Jungle Tour
On day four, all tours start the long journey back. You will start early in the morning, boat back to Atayala, and then travel by private vehicle to Cusco. Tours return to Cusco in the evening.
Best 5 Manu National Park Tours from Cusco
1.The Best in Manu Park-4 Day Tour

5 out of 5 ⭐
- Hot Spring Stop
- Unique Stay: The Camoflague House
- Coca Plantation
- Bird Observation Tower, Not Clay Lick
The Best in Manu Park tour is our #1 recommendation. It is the exact tour we took and we can not recommend it more highly.
Why The Camoflague House Makes This Tour the Best
What makes this tour unique is that on your second night, you will hike into Manu National Park and sleep at their Camoflauge House. The Camoflauge House is over a mammal clay lick, where you will see tapirs, monkeys, and deers.
What is a Camofluage House? Basically, the house is a wooden loft built on poles above the clay lick. The house is open without windows. Don’t worry you’ll have a mosquito net.
Once you settle in for the night, each member of the group takes turns keeping watch for one hour. When it is your turn, you shine the flashlight every 10 minutes searching for animals. If you see something, you silently tap the person beside you and they tap the person next to them in a silent ritual.
Okay, let us be real here. When we first heard we would be sleeping in the middle of the Amazon on a platform-high, treehouse-like structure, above a place where wild animals gather, where our 12-year-old had to be absolutely silent for 12 hours, we were nervous.
Okay, we were more than nervous. We were afraid. Could our kid do this? Could we? Where would we pee?
Let us just say that something magical happens when you safely spend the night under the stars and above a mammal salt lick viewing wildlife with a small group of travelers–all of whom were strangers to you not more than 24 hours before.
In a world that is so busy and so noisy, it was truly amazing being in silence in one of the most biodiverse places in the world.
And the stars. The night was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and we still talk about it after dozens upon dozens of experiences traveling.
Another Bonus: Family-Run Business
The other thing we really love about this tour is that it is family-run and fully locally owned.
The owner of the tour company, Ryse turned his family home into a eco-friendly retreat. Before it was an eco-retreat, Ryse and his family grew up in this place and have lived on the reserve since the 1980s. Ryse had so many stories of his childhood in the jungle.
When you experience the jungle with Ryse, you know he had been climbing those trees since he was a child. Ryse is also an expert at knowing what plants can heal you when you get an ant bite (which we did), how to spot a pair of macaws, and find the biggest spider.
The company only uses guides who have grown up as Ryse did in Manu (heck, you might even get Ryse as a guide) and it was as authentic an experience as I can imagine.
There are some trade-offs if you pick our #1 tour. Trips to the parrot salt licks leave early in the morning for good viewing. Because you are spending the night at the Camouflage house and hiking back to their lodge in the morning, there is no opportunity to go to the parrot salt licks.
On the third day, when you’ve returned from the Camouflage house, the tour does have an amazing observational tower to watch both green and scarlet Macaws soar overhead. However, if you are heart is set on the parrot clay licks, this is not the tour for you.
The tour also includes a stop at a coca plantation. And yes, cocaine is made out of coca leaves. It was fascinating to learn about not only the cultural customs but also the legality of coca in Peru. Several of the other tours include a similar stop, which we have included in the list.
We recommend this tour, especially to families that are traveling with teens. One of our tried and true teen travel tips is to incorporate adventure into our travel. The Best of Manu has adventure in spades.
2. Manu National Park Tour

5 out of 5 ⭐
- Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake Stop
- Coca Plantation
- Ninamarca Archaeological Site
- Parrot Clay Lick
The next three tours are nearly identical to one another. They all have the same basic itinerary and they are all 5-star rated.
We picked the Manu National Park Tour because it had an added stop at the Coca plantation, which we found very interesting. If that is not of interest to you and the price is a bigger factor, the next tour down is slightly cheaper.
Why the Parrot Clay Licks Makes This Tour The Best
The real reason to choose any one of the three tours is for the parrot clay licks. All three tours start day 3 with an additional boat 20-30 minute boat ride to the parrot clay licks.
Clay licks or collpas are areas of clay deposits where birds and animals gather to consume the clay by eating it.
In Manu, the Macaw Clay Lick is accessible by boat from the same river that brought you the day before to your lodge. Tours will head out early to the Macaw clay licks as the birds tend to be most active early in the morning.
In addition to Macaws, toucans, tanagers, and woodpeckers also come to the clay lick. You may also see mammals like the tapir.
Another Bonus: Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake And Funeral Towers
On Day 2, The Manu National Park Tour, and the next two tours, all stop at Machuhuasi Lake instead of the hot springs. At the lake, you will travel by balsa rafts to explore the lake and look for wildlife.
If traveling around the lake on traditional balsa rafts seems like the unique experience over the Camouflage House in our #1 tour, then this stop is another reason to choose the Manu National Park Tour.
Additionally on Day 1, This tour (and the next two tours because remember the itinerary of all three is fairly identical) also makes an additional stop at Ninamarca Archaeological Site.
Ninamarca Archaeological Site in Peru showcases Chullpa towers built around 1200 AD by the Colla people. These cylindrical stone structures served as mausoleums, offering insights into ancient funeral rituals and societal hierarchy. Nestled in the Andean highlands, the site provides panoramic views, making it a captivating destination for history enthusiasts.
3. Manu 4 Days to National Park Ecological Tour

5 out of 5 ⭐
- Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake Stop
- Ninamarca Archaeological Site
- Parrot Clay Lick
The only difference between our #3 Manu 4 Days to National Park Ecological Tour,and our #2 tour is the stop at the coca plantation and the price.
For a bit more money, you can stop at the coca plantation Other than that, both tours are equally rated and have about the same number of ratings.
4. Manu Jungle Tour

5 out of 5 ⭐
- Machuhuasi Oxbow Lake StopNinamarca Archaeological Site
- Parrot Clay Like
Our #4 tour is the exact same tour as the two tour above. The only difference is the price and the reviews. The Manu Jungle Tour is the most expensive of the parrot clay lick tours.
However, it does have twice as many reviews as the other two tours and has maintained its 5 out of 5 stars. If you choose this tour, you can have a lot of confidence it will go well.
5. Manu Adventure

5 out of 5 ⭐
- Hot Springs Stop
- Hike On Day 3
We are including this tour because it is 5-star rated. However, be aware that this tour does not have a unique feature like a night at the Camouflage house, nor does the tour include the boat ride to the parrot clay licks.
What this tour does offer is a full-day hike on Day 3 in Manu National Park. If your priority is to explore more of this incredible place on foot, then this is the tour for you.
The Manu Adventure is also the most expensive tour on the list.
Where Is Manu National Park, Peru?
Manu National Park is located in the regions of Madre de Dios and Cusco in Peru. We started our Manu jungle tour in Cusco as this tour was part of a much larger 3 week itinerary in Peru.
The tour company picked us up from our hostel at 6 a.m. in a small van. The drive from Cusco to Manu National Park takes about 8 hours.
But please rest assured that after the first few hours, the trip becomes very scenic. We got out of the van several times to spot sloths, toucans and monkeys.
What Are the Areas of Manu National Park?
The Manu biosphere reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The park is divided into four sections. However, only two of the sections, the Manu reserved zone and the cultural zone, are open to tourists.
When selecting a tour, you will be choosing between a cultural zone tour and a reserved zone tour. The cultural zone tours are shorter because you do not go as far into the jungle. All of the tours on this list are cultural tours.
We selected a cultural tour because of both time and cost. If we could travel to Manu Park again we would opt for a longer, reserved tour
What do Manu Jungle Tours Include:
- 3 meals a day, plus snacks. All tours offer vegetarian, pescatarian, and vegan options
- A full-time guide
- All modes of travel, including the van and boat to and from the reserve
- All of your sleeping accommodations
- Bottled Water
- All necessary equipment, including rubber boots for walking in the jungle.
- Paid entrance to all destinations on the tou
What You Should Bring on a Manu Jungle Tour
- Dark clothing with long sleeves and long pants. The dark color is camouflage to see the animals and the length is for all the lovely bugs.
- Bug Spray. We know people have environmental concerns, but the tours will recommend a minimum of 25% DEET and that is what we did. Because while Manu is free of malaria, bugs in the Amazon are no joke.
- A day pack to carry water and snacks and a water bottle
- Sunscreen
- All your camera supplies
- Portable charger for any electronic devices. However, you will not have Wifi or service in the reserve. Prepare yourself.
- Sandals with straps to enjoy the nearby river. We definitely recommend Chacos. We live in them.
- Cash for tip money. If the tour does well (and they absolutely did in our case), you should plan to tip 30-40 soles per person, per day, which is roughly $7-10 dollars a day. A tip of this size would include the guide and the staff.
Recommended Age and Fitness Level for a Manu Jungle Tour
At 12, our son was the perfect age for this trip. He could have done it maybe a year later and could certainly do it now, but 12 was a great sweet spot because he was so into the experience and didn’t miss a 4-day hiatus with the world (or technology) one bit.
I would categorize our family as normally fit. We ride bikes, we walk, we swim, we ski but we are far from overly athletic. We had no trouble keeping up with the walking on this tour.
But there is some walking and climbing of stairs to both the Camouflage House and observation deck, so please be aware.
FAQ: Manu Tours From Cusco
Is Machu Picchu Near the Amazon Rainforest?
No, Machu Picchu is not near the Amazon Rainforest. It is located in the Andes Mountains of Peru, specifically in the Cusco Region. While the Amazon Rainforest is also in Peru, it is situated in the eastern part of the country, far from the Machu Picchu site in the western part.
How Far is Manu National Park from Cusco?
Cusco is approximately 150 kilometers (about 93 miles) from Manu National Park in Peru. The journey typically takes around 6 hours by road, depending on the route taken, plus a half hour by boat Manu National Park is renowned for its incredible biodiversity, pristine rainforests, and serves as a prime destination for nature enthusiasts and wildlife lovers.
Can You Use Cusco as a Base For Both Macchu Picchu and the Rainforest?
Yes, Cusco is an ideal base for exploring both places. As the gateway to Machu Picchu, it offers easy access to the ancient Inca site and Inca trail and the place to pick up a Macchu Picchu tour. Additionally, Cusco’s proximity to the Amazon Rainforest allows travelers to arrange tours or excursions to various parts of the rainforest, making for a great Peruvian itinerary.
What Is A Good Age To Take Kids To Peru?
We think a full trip to Peru requires a minimum age of 12. Twelve is the right age because it is the minimum age to hike Huyana Pichu, the small mountain next to Machu Picchu that has all the great views of the sites. Twelve is also a great age to explore the Amazon.
How Many Days Should I Spend in the Amazon Rainforest?
The minimum amount of time to spend in the Amazon is 4 days. While you will see tours from Cusco to the Manu National Park for just 3 days, the travel time it takes to get into the park makes 4 the minimum amount of time.
Are There Flights from Cusco To Manu National Park?
There are no commercial flights from Cusco to Manu National Park. Manu National Park is a remote and protected area in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest, and there are no airports within the park itself. To access Manu National Park from Cusco, travelers typically take ground transportation, which involves a combination of road travel and boat rides along the Madre de Dios River.
Is Cusco in the Sacred Valley?
Cusco is not located in the Sacred Valley; rather, it is a nearby city in southeastern Peru. Known as the historic capital of the Inca Empire, Cusco offers a blend of ancient and colonial architecture, rich culture, and serves as the gateway to explore the captivating wonders of the Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu.

Matthew relaxing before our hike to the Camouflage house

Conclusion: Manu Tours From Cusco
If you’re looking for the best Manu tour from Cusco, we got you covered.
While Cusco is famous as Machu Picchu’s gateway, it also offers incredible Amazon tour opportunities. Our unforgettable Manu National Park tour from Cusco was a highlight for our family.
Worried about choosing the right tour? Our list of top Manu jungle tours ensures a stress-free and exceptional experience, no matter your preference.