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Selva
IQUITOS: Iquitos is Peru’s largest jungle city. Once a booming rubber town in the late 19th century, tourism and oil are now Iquitos’ main industries. It is a major base for excursions to the Amazon basin and has numerous hotels of varying standards as well as nearby jungle lodges and camps. The river provides excellent opportunities for travelling down the Amazon to Brazil or crossing the river to and from Colombia.
MANU NATIONAL PARK: Located in the rainforests of the Cusco and Madre de Dios departments, Manu National Park is Peru’s greatest natural treasure in biodiversity. Extending to some 20,000 sq km (7722 sq miles) of tropical rainforest, the area was first earmarked for protection in 1973, declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1977 and a World Natural Heritage Site in 1987. The park is inhabited by indigenous people including the Amahuaca, Huachipaire, Machiguenga, Piro, Yora and Yaminagua tribes and is divided into three distinct areas. The first section, Parque Nacional Manu, can only be entered by scientists and researchers on special permits, while the Zona Reservada is accessible to group tours operated by a licensed company and the Zona Cultural consists of a few villages that are outside restricted areas. Tourist infrastructure in the Zona Reservada is rustic and made from sustainable materials such as local timber and woven palm fronds for roofing material. Few of the lodges have hot water or electricity and, as such, are packaged as eco-friendly and follow strict environmental practices.
Scientists believe that the park is home to more than 20,000 species of plants, 1200 species of butterflies, around 1000 types of birds and 200 different mammals. The dense carpet of tropical rainforest is irrigated and dissected by several great rivers, including the Ucayali, Madre de Dios, Manu and Panagua. Over time, swamps and cochas (oxbow lakes) have formed, sustaining unique types of flora and fauna. In the Manu region, a whole host of birds can be seen including the Amazon kingfisher, harpy eagle, hoatzin, orinoco goose and tiger herons. It is possible to spot various primate groups in the dense tree cover, such as the emperor tamarin, spider and howler monkeys, but less common are the lowland tapir, sloth, jaguar or capybaras. For this reason, a stay of seven to eight days is recommended in order to observe a representative sample of the flora and fauna, birds and animals available.
BLANQUILLO ECOLOGICAL RESERVE: Outside the Reserve Zone is the Blanquillo Ecological Reserve, a private reserve that extends to almost 14,000 hectares (34,595 acres). The Tambo Blanquillo Lodge owns a floating catamaran hide, which is ideally situated to view the spectacular early morning sight of hundreds of brightly coloured macaws and parrots descending to feed off the 6m- (20ft-) high clay lick, or cliff known as a ccollpa. A ten-minute motorised canoe ride from the lodge connects with a trail that leads to the Cocha Camunga, home to a family of giant river otters. Even more opportunities to see wildlife can be enjoyed from a magnificent 40m- (130ft-) high viewing platform, carefully constructed in the boughs of a magnificent Kapok tree.
TAMBOPATA-CANDAMO RESERVED ZONE: The Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone is 58km (36 miles) from Puerto Maldonado by river. Specialists say that it contains the largest and richest bio-diversity of the world. The flora and fauna within includes more than 2000 flower varieties, 1000 birds and 900 butterflies and dragonflies.
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