Exactly a year ago I was preparing a trip to Peru, which took place in April 2009. The memory that I have of it is so fantastic that I still feel the need to speak about it. Not only Peru is one of the most attractive countries that I know, but I was lucky to be helped in my project by Amazon Trails Peru, which proved to be an extremely good agency and that I would recommend without any reserve. Their service was extremely nice, effective and reliable, and they gave me all the assistance that I wanted for the preparation and the realisation of the trip, which I did with my wife and my two children (aged 11 and 12). Thanks to them our trip went perfectly well. We visited the Inca trail and many other places in the Andes, as well as the Manu reserve, which was a wonderful adventure.

Before the start of the trip, I thought 8 days would be a bit long but actually it was too short!! We loved every minute of it. I will remember all my life seeing the family of 7 giant otters playing in the lake and the beautiful wild dear licking the clay. Transport, food and lodging were all very good. It was nice to go places where there was hardly anybody else than our group (often just our group). Our guides Wilfredo and Darwin were excellent. They pointed out to us so many things we would not have seen otherwise. And they are passionate about their stuff, you can tell. Because my eyesight is so bad, Darwin was giving me his binoculars all the time. They are also very knowledgeable and they love their staff. The boatmen, the cook, everybody was very nice. We had the BEST time.

Dear Amazon Trails,

we had the most wonderful and memorable trip with your team. Everything was so well organised and the commitment and care by your staff was outstanding. We would appreciate you passing on our very special thanks to these people who were such a happy and friendly team. Daniel – Bus driver. Daniel got us into and out of the Park with very careful and safe driving. Some of the roads and weather conditions were extremely difficult but we always felt very confident in his driving ability. Alberto – We were certainly not expecting the quality and quantity of food that Alberto prepared! His meals were exceptional and a highlight of our trip. He catered beautifully to our vegetarian requirements and included many local dishes. Everything was freshly made and often served in difficult circumstances, i e: on a boat or riverbank. Daniel – Boat Captain. Some extraordinary navigation even in rain, dense fog and darkness. Also an excellent wildlife spotter! Carlos – Always friendly and cheerful and concerned with our safety getting on and off our boat. Javier – We spent many hours on walks with Javier and found him to be extremely knowledgeable about the wildlife. He identified our particular interests early and tailored the experiences for us. For the whole week he was particularly focussed upon our safety and our well being. He also was very kind in sharing a lot of his cultural knowledge of the Andean people. This was the adventure of a lifetime for us and your team went far beyond our expectations. Finally, thank you to Soledad and Ulla who were always very prompt and efficient with dealing with our email enquiries. We highly recommend your travel agency for its outstanding service and dedication.

Thank you all so much!!

Paul and Lynda Williams

We booked Manu National Park Tour for December 2022. ATP was recommended by friends. From the start we had a very good impression of company, customer care and organisation. Our crew was great: careful and responsible driver and boat crew, Luis as fine cook performed magic with the plates he offered us, and our excellent guide Carlos. Infrastructure/equipment adequate and appropriate. We were VERY LUCKY ! Although beginning of rain season we had fine weather and no other tourists on the spot. Great group companions. We were amazed by the fauna and flora, and Carlos shared his excellent knowledge and was able to show us lots of animals and plants. Highlights were the macaws, humming birds, several different monkes and birds, capybaras, turtles, caimans and a short encounter with tapir. Absolutely fabulous were the visit to the macaw lick, cocha salvador with the giant river otters and two encounters with jaguars. Amazing, how our crew spotted the animals and lead us to the right places. During our trip political riots increased so that our crew had to change plans on the short term. We returned upstream to Atalaya by boat, our driver picked us up and drove us back to Cusco using mountain paths and passing blockades. All our crew stayed calm and planned and executed our return prudently and carefully. Thanks to Mario, Jorge, Agripino, Luis and Carlos for this unique experience. And to Ulla for the fine organisation and the customer care. We higly recommend ATP and this tour.

Nous avions réservé un tour de 4 jours. Nous avions eu la chance d’être les deux seuls participants. L’équipe est accueillante, chaleureuse et compétente. Super séjour avec notre guide Nicolas Quinte. Nous avons appris beaucoup de choses avec lui. Nous avons été impressionnés par sa connaissance de la flore et de la faune. Il arrive à repérer des animaux juste à leur son. Grâce à lui nous avons pu voir des animaux que nous n’aurions pas trouvé seuls. C’est certain nous reviendrons mais avec un tour plus long afin de pouvoir accéder à la réserve de Manu et nous choisirons de le faire avec Nicolas. Nous recommandons Amazon Trails Peru à 100 %.

We had a wonderful experience in Peru especially the Manu trip organised by Ulrike. The difference between this group and ohter tour companies that organize Manu trip is that we acutally got to stay with the Matsiguenka people who are an Amazon tribe. We got to learn and see their various customs and traditions and in fact even use a real bow and arrow which they use for hunting.Our guide Samuel was extremely knowledgeable and the best guide we have ever had (we travel quite a lot around the world). The food provided by Sylvia (cook)was superb and the people in general were very nice. I would highly recommend going to Manu with Amazon Trails Peru.

This trip exceeded our expectations. Its always a lottery booking via the internet with so many similar trips to choose from, but it couldnt have been better. Carlos was an excellent guide but the whole team contributed keeping their eyes out for wildlife. The days started early but there was always time to watch the wildlife when we came across it. With special attention to the things we wanted to see. Louise, the cook was brilliant as were the two who guided the boat. We had a number of questions before hand and emails were answered swiftly and clearly. We met a few other parties on route and you could see a difference in how importantly they took our safety. One highlight memory has to be seeing a sloth in the toilet and having great views as it moved away but this is just one from a week packed with special memories. Brilliant trip and book it with confidence.

Esattamente un anno fa il nostro viaggio di nozze ci ha portati in Perú dove abbiamo vissuto un’avventura bellissima insieme a Lorenzo, Modesto e Jorge affrontando lo splendido Lares Trek. Abbiamo superato passi altissimi (anche sotto qualche nevicata), attraversato villaggi dispersi, ammirato laghi tranquilli che ci hanno regalato uno spettacolo veramente unico e visto ghiacciai massicci; insomma, questo trekking ci ha regalato il contatto con una parte del Perú e con gli abitanti delle Ande che sono ancora in contatto con la natura incontaminata e con le tradizioni più antiche. Certamente tutto questo è stato reso possibile soprattutto attraverso Lorenzo, la nostra guida, che porta grande rispetto per le tradizioni e la sua terra riuscendo a trasmettere ciò attraverso i suoi racconti ed il contatto con popolazione Qechua. Il tragitto è stato particolarmente confortevole per merito di Modesto, il portatore, e Jorge, il cuoco.

Per chi ha esperienza in montagna questa è una gita veramente raccomandabile.

Un grazie particolare ad Ulla ed Amazon Trails!

Irene & Thomas

Abraham and his team are top notch and honest. By my miscalculation I overpaid the bill by $950. Abraham immediately contacted me and had a refund waiting for me in Cusco. My wife and I booked the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu and Manu. All of our guides were terrific and provided transportation. 7 Days in Manu was wonderful. Our time there was the beginning of the rainy season but we only had 1 day of hard rain. The temperature was mid 70’s with high humidity which beats 100 in summer. We were the only ones booked on this tour. We had our own guide – Juan Jose who is a birder but also knows the plants and animals. Also had our own chef – Zero – great food and our own boat driver – Dionisio a Machiguanga Indian. They all took care of us as if we were royalty and catered to our needs. I can’t say enough about them – friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, competent. The lodges where on the primitive side but toilet and cold water shower in room. Electricity 6-9pm. Abraham warns this is not like home but you get used to it. On two days there was another couple on their own tour. Their guide kept asking ours to point out animals. If you are booking the Andies to the Amazon you can’t go wrong with this company. Highly recommended.

We have done the Machu Picchu hike via Choquequirao with Abraham as our guide in Jan 2005. This was definetely one of the highlights of our 3 month trip through Southern South America. Abraham was a great guide with an amazing knowledge.

Wir haben Ende Juni als Familie eine 3 woechige Perureise samt Manutour mit ATP gemacht. Sehr gute Vorbereitung. Alles griff super ineinander. Sehr kompetente Reiseleiter. Keine Wartezeiten. Deutsche Pünktlichkeit.

My travel companion and I had a wonderful time in Manu with Amazon Trails Peru. They were very patient and arranged a custom trip for us to suit our photographic needs. ATP allowed us to have a flexible itinerary. After spending time at Macaw Clay Lick, I wanted to spend another day there which they arranged. Our guide was an incredible naturalist who could hear and identify bird and monkey calls a long distance away. He went to great trouble to help me get great photos which can be seen at www.wanderlustimages.com Everyone connected with ATP including boatman, cook, driver, and office personnel were helpful, professional and provided great service. I look forward to our next trip.

….Howie Garber, Amy Oxman

6 days in Manu

I can’t recommend ATP highly enough! As a woman travelling alone I was a bit freaked out at the thought of spending 6 days in the jungle, just me and the crew. I’m so glad I decided to crack on and do it! What an amazing experience. The office team were responsive and flexible and answered all my questions thoroughly so I felt confident and excited to set off. The field team were amazing! Carlos was an exceptional guide with a remarkable knowledge of the biodiversity of Manu, a wicked sense of humour and a bottomless (almost) well of patience for my incessant questions. Eric could drive a van up anything without breaking a sweat and I felt entirely safe even as we drove down cliffs and through waterfalls! Luis is a culinary magician! You blink and a tasty three course meal has appeared on a table beside you despite being on a raft in the middle of a lake! Mario must have sold his soul to Neptune! I don’t know how he navigated that river at the height of rainy season but I felt safe and blissfully relaxed the whole time! And finally Jaren, leaping in and out of boats, hauling, carrying, serving food from pre-dawn to dusk, what a treasure! The experience was more special than I can say, the beauty of the area, the flora and fauna, I learned so much and laughed so much, I never wanted to leave. If you can, you absolutely must! It’s better to be crazy than boring!

Wir haben den viertägigen Lares Trek im Juni im Voraus gebucht, nachdem wir von der deutschen Inhaberin der Agentur, Ulla, sehr gut beraten worden sind.

Nach zwei Tagen notwendiger Höhengewöhnung in Cusco, wurde am Abend vor der Tour mit unserem zuständigen Guide, Javier, ein Briefing durchgeführt, sodass wir in die nächsten vier Tage entsprechend eingewiesen wurden.

Pickup war am ersten Tag morgens um 4 Uhr an unserem Hotel durch Javier und unseren Koch Benicio. Von dort ging es mit dem Minivan Richtung Lares-Tal. Auf der Fahrt wurde an einem einheimischen Markt angehalten, wo wir die Möglichkeit zum Frühstücken hatten und Benicio noch einige Lebensmittel für die nächsten Tage kaufte. Die Wanderung begann dann an den Heißen Quellen von Lares, wo wir noch die Möglichkeit zum Baden hatten. (Normalerweise endet die Tour dort, nur sind wir die Tour in umgekehrte Richtung gegangen.)

Zusammen mit zwei einheimischen Horsemen und deren 6 Pferden, Javier und Benicio begann die Wanderung. Die Pferde trugen alle notwendigen Gegenstände wie Schlaf-, Koch-, Essenszelte, Kochmaterial sowie ein großes Duffelbag unserer persönlichen Utensilien. Javier erzählte uns von Beginn an mit gutem English viel über die einheimisch Fauna und Flora, Kultur, Menschen und Landschaft. Er glänzte mit enormen, interessantem Fachwissen und war auch auf persönlicher Ebene immer sehr offen und interessiert. Es herrscht stets eine lockere Atmosphäre.

Der erste Tag verlief 4-5 Stunden durch interessante Landschaft an Bergflüssen, Alpakaherden und einheimischen Mini-Ortschaften vorbei. Mittag,- und Abendessen durch Benicio war sehr abwechslungsreich, lecker und reichhaltig. Die Horsemen bereiteten stets warmes Sauberes Wasser zum Waschen vor. Und auch frisches Trinkwasser für den nächsten Tag wurde von ihnen immer genügend abgekocht und desinfiziert. Geschlafen wurde in der ersten Nacht in einem extra für uns hergerichtetem Zelt unweit einer kleinen indigenen Gemeinde.

Am nächsten Morgen standen früh um 5 Uhr auf und nach sehr gutem Frühstück begann der längste Wandertag. Zum Sonnenaufgang ging es an einigen Bergseen, Alpakaherden und einem Wasserfall zum ersten Andenpass auf 4500 Meter. Dieser wurde überquert, sodass dann durçh ein weiteres Tal vorbei an weiteren wunderschönen Seen und Wasserfällen zum Mittagessen eingetroffen wurde. Da meine Frau Probleme mit der Höhe bekommen hat , hat Javier sinnvollerweise sie den zweiten Andenpass über 4700 nach dem Mittagessen mit der Pferd überqueren lassen. Während der zweiten Passüberquerung kamen wir an riesigen Gletschern vorbei und durchschritten teils Schneefelder, die aber stets sicher mithilfe Guide und Horse bewerkstelligt wurden. Abends nach langer Wanderung wurden wir wieder hervorragend verköstigt.

Am nächsten Morgen ging es das Tal weiter runter vorbei an wiederum “neuer” interessanter Vegetation. Endpunkt war das heilige Tal am dritten Tag, wo wir nach dem Mittagessen nach Ollantaytambo gefahren wurden, um den Zug nach Machu Picchu zu nehmen. Durch unseren Guide Javier wurden wir für die weitere Vorgehensweise eingewiesen. Wir hatten noch Zeit uns in Ollantaytambo umzuschauen, bis wir den Zug nach Aguas Caliente nahmen.

Dort wurden wir von einem weiteren Guide Jaime in Empfang genommen, der uns am nächsten Tag am Machu Picchu herum führte und viele dienliche Infos ab. Zu Machu Picchu brauch ich nicht viel zu sagen; die Inka ruine ist ein absolutes Muss und es ist unglaublich interessant mit einem Guide bei Sonnenaufgang dieses Spektakel zu erleben. Nachmittags wurden wir nach Zugfahrt nach Ollantaytambo wieder nach Cusco gefahren.

Die Tour war perfekt organisiert und man hat die Möglichkeit durch sehr gute Englisch sprechende Führer die Kultur und Geschichte Perus kennen zu lernen. Landschaftlich ist der LaresTrek sowie Machu Picchu absolut sehenswert und höchst abwechslungsreich. Weiter fanden wir es sehr reizvoll uns sehr nahe an der indigenen Bevölkerung fernab von Tourismusströmen aufzuhalten. Großen Dank geht damit nochmal an die Organisation um Ulla Maenings Amazon Trails, unseren Guide Javier sowie dem Koch Benicio und den zwei Horsemen. Gerne wieder!!!

Liebe Grüße Katrin und René

We – me and my friend – have turned a week ago from a birding tour to Peru organized by ATP (and personally Ulrike Maennig). We were driving a rented 4WD car (rented not at ATP; if somebody is interested – budget.com) by all the southern part of Peru during 30 days. The route – we had chosen it in consultation with ATP. One of three ATP birding guides – Edgardo, Abraham, Saturnino – kept our company during each of 30 days.

All the guides have shown a perfect knowledge of birds, mammals, plants, and also helped us few times at unforeseen consequence – for example, when I didn’t see a signal of traffic-controller in Puno city, or when, two times deep in wild mountains, we couldn ‘t find anyone speaking Spanish or English (but Quechua only). Our guides understood and spoke Quechua. Abraham and Saturnino were showing us birds in a telescope (which – a backbreaking work – they were carrying with tripod), Edgardo – in a good binocular. Edgardo helped us much filming on our video camera; Saturnino teached us the digiscoping – a way to make photos of birds on a digital camera through a telescope). And Abraham – I named him Eagle Eye = Ojo de Aguila because he found birds always and everywhere, even where we both – not beginners at birds – just looked ))

Got to Atalaya, we left there our car (ATP arranged that somebody of the local people was always keeping an eye on it) and put out for 7 days to Alta-Madre-de-Dios, then Madre-de-Dios on a personal boat – for us two only – rented at ATP. During this week we stayed in Blanquillo, Manu Wildlife Center, Maquisapayoj (all lodging reserved also by ATP).

In Blanquillo we saw the Macaw Lick – an amazing place where lots and lots of macaws and parakeets are gathering every morning. Two times we visited the Cocha Comungo lake (lots of birds) and the Cocha Blanco lake (lots of birds, many of them – different species from ones on Comungo). Also we visited a 42-meter viewing tower constructed near Cocha Comungo for viewing selva overstory.

In Manu Wildlife Center we walked to the Tapir Lick, where tapirs come every night and where people hold a light for them with a searchlight operated from the battery. Also we visited a 40-meter viewing tower. There are two viewing towers in the area, and we visited both.

In Maquisapayoj we had not enough time to see all objects offered in this reserve. But then we found there a colibri nest just close to our bungalow. The birdie was entering the nest and sitting on the eggs in our presence. Apropos, we found an entry in russian in the Maquisapayoj guestbook. It was a real surprise in so wild, far and incredible selva. The opinion was as enthusiastic as ours. Shorter, people, it all has been great!!

I recommend: who is going to go to Peru to watch birds – run to ATP! Their price is not nothing, sure, but who asks nothing for such service? Quality of the service of ATP has been checked. A lot of thanks to Ulrike Maennig, guides Abraham, Edgardo, Saturnino!

This trip has definitely been the highlight of our travels in Peru and we would highly recommend it. Our guide Javier and his team have made our time in the jungle unforgettable. Javier is a great guide with a lot of knowledge about the forest and the animals and if there is an animal you can trust he and his team will spot it. A combination of great accommodation, great food, great people and (last but not least;)) the beautiful nature make this trip amazing! Thanks guys!!!

The Manu Biosphere Reserve Adventure was fantastic. We had the pleasure of spending 8 days in Manu with Amazon Trails Peru. Our trip to Manu was absolutely perfect!! Our guide, Carlos was phenomenal! Carlos. Among other things, he sighted two very camouflaged jaguars – we watched them for almost an hour .we are seasoned travelers, having been to rainforests in Central America, Brazil, Australia and Mexico so we were hoping to learn more in-depth information about rainforest ecology than one might get on a first trip and the guide came though magnificently. Carlos’s commitment to both the environment and to the local indigenous groups closely parallels our own. We were excited to spend time with the Diamante and Matsiguenka people. Our stay at Casa Matsiguenka and maquisapayoc lodge was a real highlight of the trip for us. Visiting the boat “factory” in Boca Manu and watching the people use driftwood to create a viable; environmentally-friendly industry was fascinating.

6-day trip to Manu with Amazon Trails Peru was one of the most fantastic experiences in my life. I am truly grateful to Saturnino, our guide, who never stopped showing us birds and animals in every single minute. Moreover, his short explanation of each plant, insect or animal we saw somehow made us understand the dynamics and wonder of rainforest ecosystem. I was just amazed that he knows every thing about the forest world! I enjoyed so much being a part of the wonderful nature. I cannot miss to mention about Ciro, the cook, who entertained us with such a tasty dish at every meal, regardless of at the lodge, on the boat, or in a remote hut.

Thanks for giving me such an enjoyable time!

I ‘ll write a comment about our Manu experience, as I know it is quite an expensive trip and people like recommendations from recent customers. My husband and I hummed and hawwed because the trip was quite expensive, regardless of which company you go with. After comparing different companies offices and reading customers reviews we decided to go with ATP because the guides received EXCELLENT ratings time and time again. They also were the only company to supply a telescope for viewing the wildlife as well as rubber boots (absolutely essential for when we went). They run different itineraries that also offer a tapir lick for nocturnal viewing, something no other company offered. Our guide was fantastic, I dont really know how he spotted the wildlife he did. For example, one other group was with us at the Macaw lick and they were only looking at macaws. Our guide found 2 toucans, a monkey, a squirrel and a woodpecker in that time, absolutely unreal! And he knows all the names of EVERYTHING, latin names, biological genus, species, family….quite amazing really. They really work hard the whole trip to give you the best experience. They also rent out SPECTACULAR binoculars, not the crap ones other companies try to rent out.
Cynthia

Manu Reserve 7 days            Absolutely wonderful operator. Ulrike was wonderful in answering all of our numerous emails and questions before we travelled, patiently giving us every detail we needed and helping us embed this tour into our entire trip. We can’t thank her enough as her clear responses were so helpful.  Everything was as planned from the pre-trip briefing and the pick-up.   We’ll remember the tour itself for the rest of our lives. Manu is simply amazing and hard to explain – you really get deep into the jungle and can completely lose yourself in the wilderness. The team looked after us brilliantly – explaining each day clearly and providing us with plenty of wonderful food.  Finally, our guide Carlos – exceptional. He looked after us, was great company and his knowledge of Manu, the wildlife and the ecosystems was just brilliant. The tour wasn’t just about spotting animals but also learning as much about them as we could possibly ask.  We would recommend this tour and Amazon Trails Peru to anyone looking for a real life-experience.

In July/August 2017 we did the 8-day Manu trip and absolutely recommend it. Everything was perfectly organized and went very smoothly, both the communication with Amazont Trails before the tour and especially the tour itself. Our tireless and enthusiastic guide Carlos did a great job in bringing across his profound knowledge about Manu’s flora and fauna, and all that in excellent English. We feel that we have seen and learned a lot during this trip. Our personal favourites probably were the cloud forest, the giant otters and the macaw lick. It also was a phantastic experience to see the jungle come to life every dfay in the early hours of the morning. Alberto, our cook, was capable of coming up with yet another tasty meal every evening. Once he even prepared a birthday cake (baked in a pot) for one of the 4 participants! Our indefatigable driver Daniel (who also was part of the team in our second tour with Amazon Trails, the Lares trek) was incredibly reliable and helpful, just as the rest of the team.