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This immense 1.5 million ha park is Peru’s biggest National Park, and is the only one in the world that protects a whole river’s hydrographic basin: the Manu River. In 1987 the Manu National Park was declared as World Heritage by UNESCO.
The Park is home to 160 mammal species, more than 800 bird species (10% of the world’s total), 210 species of fish, and 140 amphibious. Ten percent of the vegetable species of the world grows in Manu. Up to 220 tree species can be found in only one hectare of the Park’s jungle, and more than 40 ant species in just one tree, just to give an example of the Reserve’s Biodiversity. It should be noted that only 50% of the more than 3,500 plant species registered have been studied.
As only in few places on Earth, the necessary conditions for the existence of great flora diversity have been naturally created in the diverse ecosystems of the Manu National Park. Sixty meters tall trees compete between them in the search for space and light for living in the lower jungle’s vast surface.
One of the Park’s most representative animals is the giant otter or “river wolf”. It is biggest mammal of its specie; it is 2 meters long and weights more than 30 kilograms (65 pounds). The world’s biggest wild otter’s colony lives in Manu National Park.
The jaguar also stands out as the greatest carnivorous predator of the jungle. This feline can be three meters long and weights 150 kilograms (335 pounds). Manu’s jungle is the habitat of the harpy eagle, the greatest monkey and sloth predator. Another distinctive bird is the macaw – seven of the 16 species that exist in the world live here – frequently seen in the “collpas”, clay seams that are very rich in mineral salts and calcium, necessary components of the macaw’s diet. The cock of the rocks (or tunki) also stands out in the higher jungle of the Park, near the rocky areas, thanks to its crest and the intense red color of its chest.
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