Why travel?
Loreto is the largest yet least populated department in Peru. It is covered by dense vegetation and by primary and secondary jungle with low hills and slightly rolling landscape, crisscrossed by the many rivers of the Amazon River basin, which is born at the confluence of the Marañon and Ucayali Rivers.
Iquitos, the capital of Loreto, is the main port city on the Amazon River and the largest city in the Peruvian jungle. Different indigenous people groups like the Cocama, Huitoto, and Bora first inhabited the area. Then came the Jesuit missionaries who founded the city. At the end of the nineteenth century was when Iquitos experienced its greatest economic glory due to the rubber industry. The economic bonanza meant that luxurious buildings like the art noveau Palace Hotel and the Iron House, designed by the famous French architect Gustave Eiffel, were constructed there.
In contrast to these buildings, you find the homes in the Belen neighborhood that are constructed on top of rafts and pylons to protect them from the flooding of the river. One of the best attractions in Loreto is navigating on the rivers and lakes and enjoying the beautiful beaches.
The Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve (2,080,000 hectares), the largest reserve in Peru, is located 183 kilometers from the city and is home to numerous plant and animal species, many of them in danger of extinction like the charapa river turtle, the giant river otter, the black caiman, and the river dolphin.
Likewise, the Allpahuayo-Mishana National Reserve (58,000 hectares) protects the largest concentration of white sand forests, or varillales as they are known in the Peruvian Amazon rainforest. This happens to be one of the best areas to go for bird-watching. //In addition to these national reserves, there are also numerous private reserves, which have been created to satisfy all tastes.
Exuberant is the word that describes Madre de Dios with its infinite forests, sinuous rivers that rush towards the ocean, and life abounding in all its corners. Puerto Maldonado, the capital city, is an obligatory stop along the way to gain entrance to the national parks and reserves located in the area, and it has been, at certain moments, an important exporting site for rubber, wood, gold, and petroleum. At present, two of the main economic activities there are eco-tourism and chestnut harvesting.
At only ten kilometers from Puerto Maldonado, or a one and half hour hike, you find Lake Sandoval, bordered by aguajales (swampy areas full of palm trees), orchids, kapok trees, caoba trees, and Mauritanian palm trees that grow up to thirty meters tall. The lake is also the home for a large variety of species such as toucans, macaws, parrots, egrets, tapirs, turtles, and the refuge for river otters and black caimans, two species on the brink of extinction. From Puerto Maldonado by the Madre de Dios River, there are several indigenous communities where the people make their living from fishing for tiger shovelnose catfish, gilded catfish, and paiche; this area is the habitat for plenty of flora and fauna, too.
The Manu National Park (1,716,295 hectares), located in the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios, protects more than 800 bird species, 200 species of mammals, gigantic trees, as well as being home to indigenous communities. This is the park that set the world record for the number of bird species seen in one day at one spot with 324 species. The Tambopata-Candamo National Park (274,690 hectares) is known to possess the greatest diversity of mammal, tree, insect, and bird species in the world as well as the world record for the amount of butterfly species. Additionally, the only humid tropical savannah in Peru is found at the Bahuaja-Sonene National Park (1,091,416 hectares). The highlighted species here are the manned wolf and the marsh deer, both close to extinction, as well as the giant anteater, giant river otter, the bushdog, the black caiman, and the harpy eagle. Summarizing, the Peruvian Amazon covers over half of the national territory and provides unparalleled opportunities for exploration. From Iquitos or Puerto Maldonado, you can embark on a personal Amazon travel adventure into the world’s largest jungle. Peru’s Andes slope down to meet the rainforest lowlands of the Amazon Basin, a geographical confluence that creates several distinctive ecosystems.
The various microclimates combine to create the most biologically diverse region on the planet. Although only 5% of Peru’s population lives in the Amazon, this territory is home to a mind-boggling number of species of flora and fauna. These include: 2.5 million different types of insects; 40,000 different plant types; 3,000 species of fish; 1,294 bird species; 427 mammal types; 428 amphibians; and 328 types of reptiles. These numbers represent just the species that have been identified; many more are still awaiting discovery and classification by diligent scientists. Over the last few decades, the Peru Amazon has seen a dramatic increase in ecotourism. Visitors wishing to explore the spectacular protected areas of Peru now have a growing number of options. Many of these projects are being carried out in an environmentally-responsible manner that seeks to preserve the natural riches that are main draw in Amazon travel.
What to do?
There are many options for Peru Amazon tours.
Iquitos, the capital of Loreto, is the main port city on the Amazon River and the largest city in the Peruvian jungle. This remote jungle city is the world’s largest settlement that cannot be reached by road. The only ways to get to Iquitos are by air or by boat, which makes getting here another part of the adventure. Iquitos is surrounded by rivers and rainforest, with a rich history, and a unique culture that has evolved in isolation from the rest of the civilized world. With a population of 370,000 people, Iquitos is a charming, laid back town. The city was founded in 1757In and experienced huge growth during when in the late 19th century, the region produced much of the world's rubber, which resulted in a huge economic boom that lasted from about 1880 to 1910, when rubber plantations in Asia undercut Peru in the international rubber market. During this period, incredibly wealthy Peruvians built palaces and grand hotels in Iquitos, some of which survive to this day. The most notable of these is the Casa de Fierro, or Iron House, designed by Gustave Eiffel and first built in Paris.
The main reason to visit Iquitos is that it serves as a launch point for trips into the Amazon.
Visit Amazon River. The Amazon River springs up more than 5000 masl / 16.404 fasl in the snowy mountain peak of Mismi in Arequipa and crosses extensive amounts of tropical jungle in an approximate 4500 km / 2796 mile-route. It has more than 500 navigable tributaries, an average depth of 50 meters / 164 feet, and a width that varies from 4 to 6 km / 2 to 4 miles. A large part of its meandering has no definite course; it has formed a complex of smaller rivers that constitute a network of canals with numerous islands. Some of the excursions even reach as far as the borders of Colombia and Brazil. It is also possible to visit Boras, Yaguas, and Witotos de Pucaurquillo indigenous communities as well as some farming communities.
Visit Pacaya Samiria National Reserve. Inside the reserve, there are three river basins: the Pacaya River basin, the Samiria River basin, and the Yanayacu-Pucate River basin. There are also numerous lakes, gorges, canals, and oxbows. It has an annual monthly temperature between 20ºC (68ºF) and 33ºC (91ºF) and an annual rain fall of 2000 to 3000 millimeters, which allows for its huge biodiversity: 527 bird species, 102 mammal species (among them the pink dolphin), 69 species of reptiles, 58 species of amphibians, 269 fish species, and 1024 species of wild and cultivated plants. The reserve is a refuge for different endangered species like the charapa turtle (Podocnemis expansa), the spider monkey (Ateles sp.), the giant river otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), the red macaw (Ara macao), cedar trees (Cederla odorata), and others.
Visit Puerto Maldonado. Is the perfect starting point for an Amazon tour to some of the most pristine rainforest areas, including Manu National Park and the beautiful Tambopata National Reserve. This reserve covers over 13,590 acres, boasts some of the finest and most biologically diverse rainforest on the planet, and is home to a huge spectrum of jungle wildlife. The area is also known for its numerous Brazil nut tree trails, indigenous villages, excellent local guides and ecologists, and a great range of Amazon jungle lodges. A stay here is by far the best way to experience the surrounding jungle.
Visit Manu National Park is spread out between two departments, Cusco and Madre de Dios, and covers an area of 1’692.137 hectares (or the entire Manu River basin). Since 1977, the Manu National Park has formed the Nucleus of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, which was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1987. Although no one is allowed to enter, visitors can stay in authorized lodges in the Reserved Area and in the Cultural Zone adjacent to the park. The park has a great variety of animal species: more than 800 bird species like the harpy eagle, the jabiru stork, the Orinoco goose, the Andean cock-of-the-rock, and the roseate spoonbill, 200 mammal species like the common woolly monkey, the black spider monkey, the giant otter, the jaguar, the little spotted cat, the anteater, and the Andean deer, and over a hundred bat species. Today, 30 Quechuan speaking farming communities are spread throughout the Manu National Park as well as numerous Amazonian native peoples such as the Matsiguenka, Amahuaca, Yaminahua, Piro, Amarakaeri, Huashipaire, and Nahua. In addition, there are trees over 45 meters high and 3 meters in diameter. The most characteristic species are the cetico, the topa, the cedar, the tornillo tree, the white kapok, and the mata palo.
When to visit?
Iquitos has an altitude of 104 masl / 341 fasl, lowest point: 70 masl / 230 fasl (Amelia). Highest point: 220 masl / 722 fasl (Balsapuerto). The weather in Iquitos is hot and rainy all year long. The average annual maximum temperature is 31ºC (88ºF) and the minimum is 21ºC (70ºF).
The dry season (July – November) and the flood season (December – July) feature particular differences in the plant and animal life as well as in the climate. In the Peruvian Amazon, the trees are tall and the flat lands along the banks of the mighty Amazon are regularly flooded. Come rainy season from December to March, the area becomes a vast swampland that attracts a phenomenal amount of wildlife, comparable only to that of Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands.
The flooding allows boats to get to otherwise unreachable areas of jungle. However, during the rainy season, river banks are higher, which makes it more difficult to see animals during an Amazon boat tour. The rainy season also brings about more bugs, so be sure to bring your bug spray if you’re traveling during this time.
USA/CANADA: +1 786-350-7571 PERÚ: +51 1 6285360
LIMA - PERÚ
+51 1 628 - 5360
