Diverse Manu Biosphere Reserve in the Peruvian Amazon

Peru’s largest national park shelters the most pristine segments of the Peruvian Amazon and has battled with Bolivia’s Madidi National Park in the last years for the title of the most bio diverse site in the world. It’s estimated that around 12,000 species in the Manu Biosphere Reserve remain to be identified, but more than 20,000 plant species, 1200 butterfly species, and 200 mammal species have been registered- meaning there’s a lot to see and do in this lush area of Peru.

While in the park it is common to see various monkey species, manatees, brightly colored parrots and macaws, sloths, possums, capybaras, agoutis, boas and other serpents, giant tortoises, cayman alligators, pecari, tapirs, and egrets. Many endangered species call Manú home, including the jaguar, river wolf, and the spectacled bear.

Aside from animal life, visitors to Manu National Park also see giant trees such as the Caoba, which reach up to 200ft height, climbing plants which hang from the canopy, ethnic communities indigenous to the Amazon (such as the Huashipaire and the Matsiguenka), and scattered petroglyphs and ruins which hint at an ancient past.

You can fly into Puerto Maldonado, the gateway to Manú and the Peruvian Amazon, from Lima or Cusco, or you can travel by road from Cusco (although it’s a long and uncomfortable trip). You then continue by motorboat along the Madre de Dios River until reaching Manú. You will stay in community-operated eco-lodges and enjoy exploring trails, canoeing among the lakes and rivers, visiting indigenous communities, fishing for piranha, swimming with river dolphins, and camping.

It is possible, but very, very rare to spot jaguars in the buffer zone. Any agency that promises that you’ll see them is lying or worse- extracting such promises from travel agencies encourages animal trapping and abuse for the express purpose of ‘spotting’ these animals with your naturalist guide. As a responsible tourist, you shouldn’t demand guarantees, shouldn’t try to touch the animals that you do find, and shouldn’t consume or buy products made with endangered animals.

Entrances to the park are sold to agencies, not to individuals, so it is recommendable to arrive from Cusco in organized Manú tours. It is important to ask whether you will visit the cultural zone, which is open to all, or the buffer zone, which is limited to controlled scientific research and ecotourism. You are much more likely to spot wildlife in the buffer zone. (The pristine nuclear zone is completely off-limits.) Prepare for the heat and humidity of the rainforest, but remember to keep limbs covered with light fabrics to protect against insect-bourne diseases. And most importantly: savor the experience of stepping into such a vastly different and surprising world!