Pongo de Mainique ( 4 days and
3 nights )
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Based on double occupancy and as a party
of 2 at least, lodge rooms with sharing facilities
Area Map
The Pongo de Mainique is a 50-yard-wide,
two-mile-long canyon, through which flows the mighty Urubamba River on its
451-mile path, north from Cusco and the Sacred Valley to a convergence with the
Apurimac River. The Pongo, a natural splendor unrivaled in scenic beauty, boasts
a unique biodiversity, immensely photogenic tropical forests, and a fair share
of mystic history. Heavy mists sweep into the Pongo canyon from the Amazonian
lowlands supporting a cloud-forest flora and fauna at a lower than normal
elevation. Herein awaits a variety of wildlife species for the infrequent
visitor: Spectacled Bears, Military Macaws, Woolly Monkeys, Black Spider
Monkeys, Brown Capuchin Monkeys, and Golden-headed Quetzals. Over 30 waterfalls
cascade down the black rock walls of the Pongo Canyon.
FIXED DEPARTURE DATES from
Cusco:
April 16,
May 14,
June 11, 25
August 6, 20
September 10, 24
October 01, 15
November 5
Day 1: Transfer in the morning from your Cusco hotel to the airport for a
50-minute flight in a twin-engine turbo-prop plane to the landing strip of
the community of Timpia. We will then take a ten-minute walk to the river
followed by a 10 minute boat
ride to the Center. To reach the lodge from the river requires walking
(fast or slow) up a 165-foot-high (50-meter-high), well-constructed
staircase with a normal inclination designed for normal visitors. Lunch at
the lodge and an afternoon outing to either a small river or to forest
trails. Dinner and night at the Machiguenga Center.
Day 2: Morning visit to one of the two macaw
clay licks that are accessible during this three-night itinerary (the
third clay lick requires an overnight stay, and therefore requires a longer
stay). Lunch at the lodge. We will then take an afternoon trip in small motorized Indian canoes
up the Sihuaniro River or to visit the natural hot springs up the Timpia
River (both these rivers are small tributaries of the Urubamba River).
Dinner and a possible lecture at the Center.
Day 3: After breakfast, an all-day outing to
the Pongo, which is approximately 60-75 minutes upstream from the Center.
We will be able to explore the waterfalls and the forests of the Pongo area.
There will be time to explore and play in the waterfalls (bring a bathing suit or an extra change of
clothing). We will then have a picnic lunch in or near the Pongo. The details of what you can
do in the Pongo depend on the conditions of the river and the weather. If
the water is at a normal level, then the boat can enter part of the Pongo.
If the water is too high, then the Pongo will be enjoyed from a viewpoint
downstream and from viewpoints above it (see text above). In practice,
even in December-March, the chance of the Pongo being too high to go
partway into it is only about 10%, and if you are lucky enough to see the
Pongo in full flood, you will feel extremely privileged to see such a
beautiful site.
NOTE FOR MACAW LOVERS: If enough people wish to see more
macaws and spend only the afternoon at the Pongo, it may be possible to
arrange a morning visit to the second clay lick, or a second visit to the
first clay lick and then lunch at the lodge and visit the Pongo in
the afternoon only.
Dinner and story-telling by Machiguenga will
follow. Story-tellers.
Day 4: After breakfast and a possible visit
to the closer of the two accessible clay licks (depends on weather
conditions and the season of the year), we will take a short trip 15 minutes from the
lodge up to the Timpia community center followed by a 10-minute walk up to the landing
strip. Lastly, we will take a 50-minute flight back to Cusco. Transfer from the Cusco airport
to your Cusco hotel. End of services.
INCLUDES: All hotel and lodge
accommodations based on double occupancy. All scheduled land, lake
and river
transportation. All transfers. All scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide
services. All entrance fees. Meals as specified in the itinerary. B=Breakfast;L=Lunch;D=Dinner.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE
International or domestic airfares, airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage
charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic
and non-alcoholic
beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio
calls or messages, reconfirmation of international flights and items of personal nature.
