Peru’s Amazon Jungles and Rainforests are considered to be the few remaining lungs of the Earth.

Experience a close contact with its unique wildlife and nature landscapes as these natural havens are home to the most fascinating and wide biodiversity in Peru.

Live a unique expeditions to the northern Jungles at the birthplace of the Amazon River, the Pacaya Samiria Reserve, in search of the elusive pink dolphins or experience the southern Rainforests of Tambopata and Manu National Parks.

 

Pacaya Samiria

The Pacaya – Samiria National Reserve is the largest reserve in Peru with 2,080,000 ha. It is located in the “Y” section formed between the two main rivers, the Ucayali and the Marañon River, giving birth to the great Amazonas River.

 

Its countless lakes, swamps and aguajales (watering through land) serve as shelter to the 132 species of mammals, mainly rodents and monkeys; 330 bird species; approximately 220 species of fish, main source of protein for the inhabitants of the region; and 150 species of reptiles and amphibious animals.

Prominent are the charapa turtle, the paiche (the largest freshwater fish in the world), the Amazonian manatee or sea cow, the pink river dolphin, the otters and the black caiman, all of them presently endangered species.

 

The Reserve can only be reached by river and it takes at least one week to visit it.

 

 

Manu

 

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.

 

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.

 

 

Tambopata

 

The Tambopata National Reserve is located between the Tambopata and Heath rivers basins, covering a total extension of 274,690 ha and can be reached from both Madre de Dios and Puno regions. The reserve’s biodiversity wealth hasn’t been measured still; scientists have registered 632 bird species, 103 amphibian species, 1200 butterfly species, 169 mammal species, 67 reptiles species and 205 fish species until now, but new animal species keep appearing.

 

You’ll be able to visit the macaw’s “collpa” (clay lick), a place where macaws congregate, formed due to erosion processes that allowed the creation of a soil rich in mineral salts. Every morning, six different species of macaws, parrots and parakeets gather there. These colorful birds fly around the collpa for a while before they start eating the clay found on the cliff for half an hour, which serves as a great nutritional supplement in their diet.

 

The Sandoval Lake is also a great place to go within the reserve limits. It is 3 km (2 miles) long and 1 km (0.6 miles) wide and has an average temperature 26°C (79.8°F) in its waters. It is surrounded by “aguajales”, swampy areas where, among other exotic species, a native palm tree called aguaje grows. Along with the local vegetation, one can also see orchids, wild plantains, milpesos palms, giant kapoks, mahoganies and 30 meter (98 feet) high aguaje palm trees.

 

The Bahuaja-Sonene National Park protects the only tropical humid savanna that exists in Peru. This park has an area of 1’091,416 ha and is located between the Madre de Dios and Puno Regions (right next to the Tambopata Reserve, following the Tambopata River). The park is home to the most amazing animals such as the maned wolf, the marsh deer, the giant anteater, the river wolf or giant otter, the bush dog, the black caiman and the harpy eagle.