Manu National Park Amazon Rainforest
Join Summit Workshops on an unforgettable, small, group trip deep into the heart of the Peruvian Amazon.
A Photographic Journey Into the Amazon
May 1-12, 2026 | Manu, Peru
Tuition: $9,300 | Deposit: $2,500
Deposit due upon registration, full tuition due 120 days before the workshop. Workshops limited to 7 participants.
The Madre de Dios and Manu Regions of Peru are considered to be two of the most biodiverse environments on earth. They provide crucial habitat for over 1,000 species of birds, 14 species of primates, 150 species of mammals, and incorporate vast territory ranging from alpine plateaus, river basins, to tropical rainforest. The area is also home to several indigenous and ‘uncontacted’ tribes and is considered to be one of the most remote corners of the Amazon Rainforest.
In this workshop, you’ll be immersed in the landscape, history, and culture of the Amazon. We will begin our journey by exploring the Inca civilization in Cusco at the ancient city of Pisac. We will then drive over the top of the Andes and into the cloud forests of Cosñipata Valley. This is one of the most biodiverse valleys in the entire world and is a dream for macro photography, exotic birds, and the elusive Woolly Monkey.
From the mountains, we will drive into the Amazon Basin where we will follow the Madre de Dios and Manu River in motorized canoes. We will stay at riverside eco-lodges where we will spend our days watching hundreds of macaws, scouting for giant river otters, watching capybaras swim, and conducting night hikes in search of boas, anacondas, dart frogs, and tarantulas. This trip is like no other and offers an engaging blend of wildlife, culture, and conservation.
Spouse and companion discounts are available for this workshop! These discounts are for non-photographers who want to share in this amazing experience with you. Please contact us for more information.
What to Know
During this workshop, we will travel through some of the most breathtaking and pristine areas of the Amazon Basin.
The photography opportunities are never ending, expect to fill your memory cards every day!
Our itinerary is remote and will entail full-day air conditioned van rides on windy mountain roads, and 8-10 hours in a motorized canoe. The views are absolutely stunning and always changing, so the time easily passes.
Temperatures will range from 40-95 degrees and we will spend two nights over 10,000 feet in elevation.
All of the eco-lodges are first class and luxurious, but internet will be intermittent or not available for most of the trip. But not to worry, the incredible amount of wildlife you can watch and photograph from the front steps of your hotel rooms will make up for the lack of technology.
While we will not hike more than a few miles each day, be prepared to carry telephoto lenses on rough terrain and in hot temperatures.
Lima is a wonderful city to explore, consider arriving an extra day early to walk around the city and sample its world class cuisine. Summit can easily arrange an extra night at our arrival hotel to accommodate an early arrival.
At Summit Peru You'll
Macro Photography
Capture lush cloud forests and vibrant ecosystems where tiny worlds come alive, from colorful frogs and intricate insects to delicate orchids and moss-covered textures.
Master Nature and Landscape Photography
Learn creative techniques for photographing both wildlife and stunning Peruvian landscapes, while gaining insights into the habits and habitats of Peru's diverse wildlife.
Personalized Portfolio Reviews
Enjoy ample one-on-one time with expert instructors for in-depth portfolio reviews, ensuring you grow as a photographer throughout the workshop.
Meet Your Instructors
Ian Segebarth
Matt Stirn
Workshop Information & Itinerary
Trip Highlights
- Small Group Experience (6 Students, 2 Faculty)
- Visit Ancient Incan City of Sacsayhuaman
- Stay at a Private Eco Lodges
- Macro photography in Cosñipata cloud forests
- Conduct Night Hikes in Search of Nocturnal Animals
- Photograph from a canopy bridge in the cloud forest
- Photograph the Cock of the Rock
- Travel By Boat Into Remote Manu National Park
- Observe hundreds of macaws at a riverside clay lick
- Photograph from a platform at the top of a 300 foot tall tree
- Search For Jaguars, Giant Otters, Monkeys, Macaws, Parrots, and More
Costs Included In Tuition
- Hotels, Meals, Non-Alcoholic Drinks, Transfers, Entrance / Guide Fees, Domestic Flights, Local Guide Tips
- ***Due to the remote nature of this trip, most hotel rooms will be double occupancy if the trip completely fills (7 students, 2 faculty)
Not Included
- International Flights
Workshop Itinerary
Arrival day in Lima, Peru. Stay overnight in Lima, get a group dinner, and go over goals and itinerary of the trip. We strongly suggest you arrive a day earlier (April 30) to avoid travel delays.
After an early breakfast we will return to the Lima airport to catch our flight to Cusco. Located at 11,000 feet, the mountainous city was once the capital of the Inca Empire. We will spend the day exploring the UNESCO World Heritage City of Old Cusco and the Incan site of Sacsayhuaman located just outside the city. In the late afternoon we will drive into the Sacred Valley to our hotel, a villa in the town of Calca.
Early this morning we will drive to Ollantaytambo and board the Vistadome train to Aguas Calientes. From here we will take a bus up to the sanctuary of Machu Picchu and have a guided tour of this iconic archaeological site. After a few hours in the site we will return to Aguas Calientes for lunch before boarding the train to return to Ollantaytambo and eventually our villa in Calca.
Bidding farewell to the Sacred Valley, we will begin our journey towards the Amazon Basin. Over the course of four to five hours we will drive over the top of the Andes Mountains and into the cloud forest of the Cosnipata Valley. Shortly after entering Manu National Park we will stop for lunch at the Wayqecha Biological Station and spend a few hours exploring their trails and canopy bridge while keeping an eye out for over seventy species of tanagers, dozens of hummingbirds, and several primates. After a spectacular introduction to the rainforest we will continue down the valley to the Manu Paradise Lodge which will be our home for the next few nights.
Cosnipata is widely considered to be one of the most biodiverse locations on the planet. Our base at Manu Paradise is located on a steep forested hillside overlooking the Cosnipata River which flows into the Amazon Basin. Wildlife is everywhere, including the garden of our hotel which attracts several dozen species of hummingbirds, parakeets, quetzals, trogans, toucans, capuchin monkeys, woolly monkeys, and more. During our first full day in the valley we will explore along the road in search of birds, amphibians and reptiles, and mammals. On one 100m stretch we will find more butterfly species than the entirety of North America. After happy hour and dinner we’ll have an opportunity to venture along the road at night in search of nocturnal species.
After a very early wakeup we will drive a short distance up the valley to a lek for Andean Cock of the Rock. We will be here during mating season and will have the opportunity to witness up to 20-30 males performing their courtship display (much like the birds of paradise…expect an amazing and somewhat ridiculous show). We’ll have a rest in the afternoon at the lodge before exploring more of the forest and going on another night hike after dinner.
Following breakfast we will depart from Manu Paradise to head down the valley and into the Amazon Basin. After a two hour drive through the rainforest to the native community of Shipitari we will board a motorized canoe (very comfortable with reclining airplane seats) to head down the Madre de Dios River. The riverboat journey is simply magical as we will pass through some of the Amazon’s most pristine rainforest and the highest concentration of isolated tribes in the world (who can occasionally be spotted along the shore). After a full day of travel we will arrive to our jungle outpost of Tambo Blanquillo featuring individual suites and a thatch lodge along the banks of the river.
This morning we will wake up before the sun and travel a short distance by boat to a nearby claylick. Situated in a large and luxurious blind, we’ll sip coffee and have breakfast as the sun rises and the show prepares to begin. Each morning thousands of parrots and macaws visit the lick to get much needed nutrients from the clay soil. We’ll watch as the incredible number of birds situate themselves in the canopy and then descend once they have, hopefully, determined no jaguars or ocelots are waiting nearby. After lunch back at the lodge we will walk to a nearby oxbow lake that is home to a healthy population of giant river otters, hoatzins, caimen, and kingfishers. If we’re extremely lucky we might spot a resident anaconda or jaguar. For those who are interested, we may have an opportunity to fish for piranhas which we can fry up for dinner. After dinner we’ll venture out into the dense rainforest in search of an incredible array of nocturnal animals.
After a leisurely breakfast at Tambo Blanquillo we will explore the surrounding forest with opportunities to raft on another oxbow lake looking for otters, visiting a canopy tower perched 300 feet in the canopy of a ceiba tree, and venturing out into the rainforest for one final night hike.
In the morning we will begin our journey back up the Madre de Dios River to meet our cars at the tribal town of Shipitiari. From here we’ll wind our way back up the Cosnipata Valley to reach the Manu Paradise Lodge in time for dinner.
We will have a full day to spend around Manu Paradise and Cosnipata Valley. Depending on people’s interests we could return to the Cock of the Rock lek, search for quetzals, or walk the road looking for monkeys.
After an early breakfast we will drive to Cusco to catch an afternoon flight back to Lima and late night flights to the US.