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highly knowledgeable, but if you are lucky enough to go with the owner, British ornithologist and long-time Cuzco resident, Barry Walker, you will really be in excellent hands, particularly if birding is your main interest. The most popular trip leaves Cuzco every Sunday (except January, February and March, when it’s the first Sunday of the month only) and lasts nine days, including overland transportation to Manu with two nights of camping at the company’s Cocha Salvador Tented Camp, three nights at the Manu Wildlife Center, three nights at other lodges and a flight back to Cuzco. This costs US$1895. The overland section can include a mountain-biking descent if arranged in advance. Shorter, longer and customized trips are offered.

Manu Nature Tours (Map; 084-25-2721; www.manuperu.com; Pardo 1046, Cuzco) operates the respected Manu Lodge, the only fully appointed lodge within the reserve and open year-round. The lodge has 12 double rooms (score one of the two above the main dining area for prime views) plus a bar-cum–dining room next to a lake that’s home to a breeding family of giant otters. A 20km network of trails and guided visits to lakes and observation towers are also provided. A five-day tour, flying in or out, is US$1628 per person, double occupancy, with fixed departures every Thursday. Three-day tours are from US$1109/1618 for one/two people. The trip has a bilingual naturalist guide and all meals are provided. For an extra fee, mountain biking or river running (white-water rafting) can be incorporated into the road descent. Longer tours are also available. This company also has departures to its Manu Cloud Forest Lodge (Click here).

Pantiacolla Tours (Map; 084-23-8323; www.pantiacolla.com; Saphi 554, Cuzco) owns three lodges in the Manu region and is frequently recommended by a variety of travelers for its knowledgeable and responsibly executed tours, helped by the fact that its staff members were raised in the area. It offers a variety of tours, including the opportunity to study Spanish at its jungle lodge. It also helps fund conservation of Manu, so ecologically, there’s no better bet. Trips start at US$1135 per person for five days, flying out, or US$1035 per person for nine days, all overland, and include a mixture of camping and lodge accommodations. Pantiacolla Tours also works with local indigenous groups in its Yine Project, which is outlined on its website.

Amazon Trails Peru (084-43-7499, 084-23-6770; www.amazontrailsperu.com; Tandapata 660, Cuzco) comes reader-recommended and has a growing reputation for providing the best service amongst the cheaper tour operators. It’s a husband-and-wife run outfit: tours provide a great deal of quirky insider information on places en route. Less obvious itineraries, such as one of the supposed sites of the legendary Inca city El Dorado, can be accommodated, and if you’re heading on to Puerto Maldonado, onward boat/bus transport can be arranged to save backtracking to Cuzco. High-power binoculars are also provided, increasing chances of decent wildlife sightings. Six-day tours to the zona reservada start from US$1195, including flight out.

InkaNatura (www.inkanatura.com) Cuzco (Map; 084-25-5255; Ricardo Palma J1 Urb Santa Mónica & Plateros 361) Lima (01-440-2022; Manuel Bañón 461, San Isidro) USA (Tropical Nature Travel; 1-877-888-1770, 1-352-376-3377; POB 5276, Gainesville FL 32627-5276) is a highly respected international agency and co-owner of the Manu Wildlife Center. The operators can combine a visit here with trips to other parts of the southern Peruvian rainforest, including Pampas del Heath near Puerto Maldonado, where they also have a lodge.

Another highly recommended budget option is Bonanza Tours (084-50-7871; www.bonanza-toursperu.com; Suecia 343, Cuzco), a family-operated company run by Ryse Choquepuma and his brothers, who grew up in Manu and know it better than most. Tours are arranged to the family home, which has been converted into a well-appointed lodge – with a hummingbird garden! The land here virtually backs onto the park proper and there