The maximum size of the groups is 10 people per guide. If we have between 11 and 13 people we send two guides, but the group travels as one in the same bus and boat. During hikes or other excursions, the group will be divided into two small groups, each with their own guide.

For most of the nights you will be at Pantiacolla’s  own "green" lodges or camping huts. These give you the comfort of a private single, double or triple room, while at the same time your environmental impact will be as low as possible by sharing showers and toilets and a limited use of electricity. So, though you will feel the heat, humidity and biting insects, every night you will encounter clean and functional showers and toilets and a very comfortable bed! The following is a short description of each of the lodges we use:

First night and fourth night of the 5-day tour: Pantiacolla’s Posada San Pedro is a small eco-lodge with double and triple rooms with comfortable beds and mosquito netting. There are shared hot water showers and toilets and a dining area.

Second & third night of the 5 & 9-day tour: at Pantiacolla Lodge, a beautiful eco-lodge with double rooms with beds and mosquito nets and shared showers and toilets. It has an extensive tail system, taking you through 8 different habitats. The lodge has a bird list of 600 species!

At the beginning of the trip you will receive a set of sheets to be used on all overnights. It has been designed for easy use and by taking one personal set for the whole tour, you will reduce the contaminating use of detergents to a minimum. Blankets and pillows are present in the rooms of the lodges and camping huts.

Concerning the back-up facilities, all our overnight places have a radio communication set at the site. All our personnel have been trained in first-aid, and a first-aid kit is available during the tour. At the following places are first aid posts or hospitals:

Our food is not typical Peruvian food, nor typical tourist food. It is food that lasts in the heat and humidity of the tropical rainforest. For breakfasts there are omelettes, scrambled eggs, pancakes etc. The lunches in general consist of cold salads, since it is usually hot at that time of the day. The dinners feature soups (great Peruvian soups!), a main course with meat for the first part of the tour and beans or lentils at the end part (since meat cannot be kept cool forever without electricity) and desserts of fresh fruits or puddings etc. You can also ask for a special diet, such as vegetarian, saltless or anything else that you need or prefer.

No, your complete bedding will be provided for all overnights.

No, you do not have to bring your own mosquito nets; wherever they are needed, we will provide them.

The first night you spend in the cloud forest, at 1600 m., where temperatures are about 10 degrees Celsius (50F). In Manu’s lowland forest, the temperature at night is normally around 24 degrees Celsius (75F) and during the day about 30 degrees Celsius (86F). However, cold winds from Patagonia may reach Manu and the temperature may lower to about 10 degrees Celsius (50F). These “friajes” are more common during the southern hemisphere’s wintertime (between April and the end of August).

There is not a lot of walking in the sense of going far. All walking is done slowly. This is because most of what you find in a rainforest is vegetation and to be able to pick out the animals you have to take your time to look around, and listen as well.

For the 7-day tour, there are the following hikes: The first day of the tour has an afternoon walk of about two hours. The second day is mostly spent looking for birds and animals on the Alto Madre de Dios River, with less walking than the other days. The third and fourth days feature a short walk to Lake Salvador, and various different walks in the Reserved Zone and on trails around the accommodation. The 5^th & 6^th day you hike maybe one or two hours in the Blanquillo area. The seventh day there is no walking at all.

Though it only is a small risk, it is possible you get infected with malaria in Manu, and we recommend you take a prophylaxis when going on one of our tours.

The yellow fever situation is about the same. Moreover, yellow fever is almost always lethal therefore it is required that one receives the yellow fever vaccination at least ten days before entering Manu.

For inscription of a fixed departure tour we need the following:

• Full name
• Nationality and passport number
• Age
• Profession (this is what the park authorities ask for)
• Dietary and medical restrictions
• Arrival date and hotel in Cusco, if these are known to you
• Next travel date after Manu trip
• Your insurance details (name of the company, your registration number, contact   telephone number)
• Down payment of $200 per person on the Pantiacolla bank account or by Visa card
• Confirmation that outstanding payment can be done in cash, traveller's cheques or bank transfer
  

Downpayment by bank transfer

Unfortunately, receiving bank transfers has become very expensive and therefore we have to charge you $25. - extra for a bank transfer. This is the amount of money we have to pay more for receiving the money by bank compared to receiving money through visa card payment.

Downpayment in the Peruvian bank
        Data of the bank in Perú:
        Banco Continental/Private account
        Avenida El Sol 366 Cusco/Peru
        Data of account:
        Marianne van Vlaardingen de Moscoso
        Calle Nueva Alta 432-C
        Cusco, Perú
        # 0011-0200-36-0200114407 (in dollars)
        Swiftcode (routing number): BCONPEPL

If possible, please fax me the bank receipt (+ 51 84 252696), this because the banks here do not provide one with detailed information about the deposits.

 
Downpayment by credit card
You can send us your Visa card or American Express card number (it is not possible with Master card or any of the other types of credit cards) by fax (+ 51 84 252696) or by phone. We will also need the name of the owner of the card and expiration date of your card. We will charge the $200 per person to your account.

Final payment for a fixed departure tour
The rest of the payment is only required the day before departure (at the pre-departure briefing). Below you can read about our cancellation policy. Important: Due to new government regulations we can now only receive the down payment by credit card, while the rest can be paid only in cash soles or dollars or on Pantiacolla's bank account either in Holland or Perú. We apologize if this presents any inconvenience and we are happy to discuss the possibilities to find the most convenient alternative for you.

For inscription of a private tour we need the following:

• Full name
• Nationality and passportnumber
• Profession (this is what the park authorities ask for)
• Dietary and medical restrictions
• rrival date and hotel in Cusco, if these are known to you
• Your insurence details (name of the company, your registration number, contact telephone number)
• Down payment of 10% of the total cost of the tour on the Pantiacolla bank account in Peru or Visa card information (details see above)
  

Final payment for a private tour
The final payment is required two weeks before departure. Important: Due to new government regulations we can now only receive the down payment by credit card, while the rest can be paid oinly in cash soles or dollars, traveller’s cheques dollars, or on Pantiacolla’s bank account either in Holland or Perú. We apologize if this presents any inconvenience and we are happy to discuss the possibilities to find the most convenient alternative for you. 

- Cancellation policy

Pantiacolla's cancellation policy for fixed departure tours:

• The down payment will not be returned after confirmation of inscription
• If you cancel the day of departure or during the tour after final payment, no money can be returned

 Pantiacolla's cancellation policy for private tours:

• The down payment will not be returned after confirmation of inscription
• If you cancel more than three days before the tour leaves Cusco but after having finalized payment, 50% of the total payment can be returned
• If you cancel less than three days before the tour leaves Cusco or after the tour has left Cusco, no money can be returned