AMAZON REGION

East of the Andes begins the greatest tropical forest in the world: the Amazon. Its western part belongs to Peru. This sparsely populated region also know as the “Oriente”, covers over 60% of the total surface of the country.

IQUITOS

Some of the bustling city’s old wealth is still evident in its tiled mansions, legacies of the turn of the century rubber boom. Located on the banks of the Amazon, the city is the starting point for cruises down the Amazon to protected areas of Peru, Brazil and Colombia. There are few roads here and the Amazon and its tributaries is the region’s lifeline. Jungle lodges in and around Iquitos and down the river from the city, transport you by boat from the bustle of the city to Amazon wilderness.

Lodges Recommended: Ceiba Tops, Pacaya Samiria Lodge, Explorama Lodge

MANU NATIONAL PARK

Located in southeastern Peru, Manu National Park is one of the most important tropical reserves in the world because its 4.5 million acres encompass an entire virgin watershed from Andean puna at 13,000′ to low elevation rainforest! It was created in 1973 and was designated as a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1977, and no other reserve on the planet can compare to it in terms of pure biodiversity! An estimated 20,000 plant species, more than 1,000 species of birds and 13 species of monkeys have been recorded within its boundaries. The area is home to several primitive Indian tribes, and Manu is one of the best places in the Amazon Basin to spot rarely observed wildlife such as black caiman, tapir, jaguar or harpy eagle.

MANU RESERVE

Manu boasts more than 200 species of mammals, including 12 kinds of primates, more than 800 species of birds, the highest diversity of amphibians in the Amazon Basin, and more insect species in one tree than all the insect species recorded in the British Islands. The park is crossed by the 300 Km. long Manu River which flows in curves, skirting hills of several sizes. This meandering favors the formation of temporary and permanent lakes that provide and ideal refuge for many species of birds.

Lodge Recommended: Manu Wildlife Center

PUERTO MALDONADO

WORLD CAPITAL OF BIODIVERSITY

Tucked into remote South-eastern Peru, Madre de Dios borders the department of Cusco to the west, and Bolivia and Brazil to the east. The Puerto Maldonado surrounding offers some of the best wildlife viewing in the Amazon basin including The Manu National Park, a protected area half size of Switzerland, and the Tambopata-Candamo Reserve, sheltering dozens of endangered species. Enjoy exploring trails deep inside the pristine jungle and its amazing flora and fauna.

Lodges Recommended: Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, Posada Amazonas, Refugio Amazonas, Wasai & Sandoval Eco Lodge

TAMBOPATA CANDAMO RESERVE

REFUGE OF LIFE AND COLOR AND THE SPLENDID MACAS CLAY LICK

Part of this huge reserve area was designated a national park in 1996. The reserve’s 1.5 million hectares straddle highland cloud forest and lowland rainforest. This park boasts more than 165 species and 41 families of trees and lianas per hectare, 1,110 species of butterflies, 135 species of ants and 10 species of primates.

Lodges Recommended: Tambopata Research Center & Tambopata Eco Lodge