Kosñipata Valley

The Kosñipata valley is the descent: from the Andean rim near Tres Cruces at over 3,500 metres the Manu road drops through cloud forest to around 500 metres at Atalaya on the river, and it passes through every elevation band on the way. That gradient is why the birding here is exceptional even by Peruvian standards - the valley and the Manu road corridor together hold species lists in the high hundreds, with different assemblages every few hundred metres of descent, and the Andean cock-of-the-rock lek at San Pedro is the single best-known stop, where males display at dawn in the same trees year after year. Lodges along the road - Cock of the Rock, Wayqecha, Villa Carmen among them - are set at different elevations for that reason. The road is narrow, unpaved in stretches, subject to landslides in the wet season, and shared with trucks; the drive is slow and the drops are unguarded.

The landscape

• The cock-of-the-rock lek - males displaying at dawn at San Pedro.
• The elevation gradient - a new bird assemblage every few hundred metres down.
• The cloud forest - epiphytes, tree ferns and constant moisture on the descent.
• The road - narrow and unpaved in stretches, dropping from 3,500 to 500 metres.

When to go

May to September, the dry season - the road is prone to landslides in the wet months. Dawn for the cock-of-the-rock lek, which is the fixed point of any birding itinerary here.

Things to know

The road is narrow, unpaved in places, with unguarded drops and truck traffic, and landslides close it. Lodges are the accommodation and book ahead. Entering the Manu reserved zone proper requires a permit and a licensed operator.

Nearby

Tres Cruces is on the rim above; Manu National Park lies below and east.