Union Trail Manu National Park Trek 3 Days

Duration
Difficulty
Total Distance
Min Elev.
Max Elev.
Max Elev. Chg
Type
To Do

3 Days 2 Nights
3 of 5
10.41km/6.47mi.
1698m/5572ft
3640m/11,942ft
1942m/6370ft
Tent/Hammock Camping
Viewpoint Jungle Hiking

Day 1    Cusco - Paucartambo - Tres Cruces
At 5 am we leave Cusco arriving in the folkloric town of Paucartambo for breakfast. After another 1 hr by car up to the Acjanaco Pass and another 1.5 hrs on dirt roads we'll arrive at the famous Tres Cruces Mirador at 3,640m/11,942ft where we'll set up tents for camping high above the Amazon Rainforest overlooking the Manu Road and Manu National Park. If we're lucky we'll have clear views as far out to the Pantiacolla Mountains to the north or snow-capped peaks of Ausangate, Callangate and Ocongate to the south. Night camping with likely stargazing.

Meals LD

Day 2    Union Trail - Platform Research Area
Early morning at 5 am we'll wake up to watch the magnificent sunrise from our tent doors. If we're lucky the view will be clear (best during June - Aug) and we if are really fortunate we may see the "Tres Cruces" prism if conditions are just right to show the optical illusion of 3 suns! After breakfast we'll hike down into the cloud forest on the Union Trail carrying water, hammocks and any other necessary gear. The hike follows the ridge and waterway which soon turns into overgrowth and ancient tunnels carved out by water and held up by old roots, rock and matted mosses. We'll stop for lunch at an abandoned platform built by the Andes Biodiversity and Ecosystems Research Group (ABERT). Today we may run into researchers along the trail or "Cocaleros" which are coca growers carrying sacks of coca up the trail in order to get around a police control point. Have no fear. They are nice people only trying to sell their crop. The real danger is the trail itself which requires careful walking in places, watching your head in the tunnels and taking your time near the cliff's edges. In the afternoon we'll arrive at our campsite and set up hammocks for hammock camping. Our campsite is called "First Light" at 2,281m/7,485ft.

Meals BLD

Day 3    Union Trail - Cusco
This morning after breakfast we will continue down the Union Trail for another 4 hrs. Along the way we will again find research materials such as tree tags, girth measuring devices, temperature and humidity sensors and plots of tree ferns marked off with plastic tape. Today we still have the opportunity to encounter more ABERT researchers or pass more groups of coca smugglers. We also can possibly find animals such as Guans, Owls, and other cloud forest species. This is a high elevation and unique climate zone which is largely unexplored in comparison to Manu National Park's open and protected areas at much lower elevations. Cherish any opportunity to find something specific to this environment. In the early afternoon we'll arrive at the Manu Road where our private car/van will be waiting to take us back to Cusco arriving 7-8 pm.

Meals BLD