The Amazon rainforest is characterized by rain, heat, and more rain and heat, providing the perfect environment for plants and wildlife! The Peruvian Amazon may be the very best place in the world to encounter such rarely seen animals in their native environment. To increase your chances of spotting wildlife, the rainier season maybe the best time to visit. The swell of rains brings with it higher levels of fruit production, and thus enhances the activities of a variety of wildlife (including monkeys and birds) and encourages them to begin their reproductive cycles. The Peruvian Amazon is protected by a number of national parks and reserves. If you are looking for wildlife viewing opportunities, the Amazon is a must for any Peru tour.

The Manu National Park is the largest reserve in Peru and is widely considered South America’s prime location for viewing an extensive variety of wildlife. The shear size of the biosphere allows the wildlife to thrive throughout the cloudforest and the rainforest. It is more than reasonable to expect to see a vast variety of bird species and monkeys during your Peru tour of Manu. Larger mammals, such as jaguars, tapirs, giant anteaters, capybaras and giant otters are also common in the area, but can sometimes take a bit of luck and patience to discover. Manu is easily accessible from the historic city of Cusco.

Located in the southeastern portion of the Peruvian Amazon, the Tambopata National Reserve is nearly 1.5 million hectares. This reserve protects the biological diversity of the entire watersheds of the Tavara and the Candamo Rivers and most of the watershed of the Tambopata River. In Tambopata, travelers have the chance to visit the largest known macaw clay lick in the world! You're likely to see 6 species of macaws: Red-and-green, Blue-and-gold, Scarlet, Red-bellied, Chestnut-fronted, and Blue-headed on the portion of your Peru tour. Along with the macaw there are over 1,300 bird species (including 32 parrot species - 10% of the world's total), 90 frog species, 200 mammal species, 1,200 butterfly species and 10,000 species of higher plants protected in Tambopata.

Another excellent location to explore during a Peru Amazon tour is Lago Sandoval. Keep an eye out for caiman, turtles and exotic birds. Giant otter and piachi, a 10-foot-long Amazonian fish, are also frequently spotted in the area. From Lake Sandoval it is easy to visit the Heath River and the smaller reserve that borders Peru and Bolivia. Families of capybaras, giant three-toed relatives of the guinea pig, are often seen on the banks of the Rio Heath.

If you are looking to for a Peru tour into the Amazon, an excellent option is Adventure Life’s Manu Biosphere 9-day tour. This trip takes you into the remote Manu Wildlife Center and also includes two days in colonial Cusco where travelers are introduced to Andean culture. An extension to Machu Picchu can also be easily added onto the beginning or end of this itinerary for a complete Peru adventure!

Manu Biosphere Itinerary
(9 days/8 nights)

Highlights – historic Cusco, cloudforest, Amazon basin, Macaw and Tapir clay licks, oxbow lakes

Day 1: Arrive Lima
Overnight.

Day 2: Fly Cusco
Begin your Peru tour with an early morning flight takes you into Cusco. The day is free to spend touring nearby ruins mountain biking, rafting and horseback riding. This evening enjoy a folkloric show at a local restaurant.

Day 3: Cloudforest
We pass over two Andean mountain chains on our way into the Manu cloudforest. It is a long seven-hour trip, but the views are well worth it. Overnight at Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge in the Selva Sur private cloudforest reserve, where we'll spend the night in the shadow of a rolling mountain river.

Day 4: Enter the Amazon Basin
Today on our Amazon tour we wake and visit the lek - or mating ground - of the colorful and vibrant Andean Cock-of-the-Rock. While in the jungle and cloudforest we begin our days early to catch glimpse of the waking wildlife. This afternoon, depart for Atalaya and the Alto Madre de Dios River. If time permits, spend the evening hiking the lodge’s surrounding forests.

Day 5: Transfer to Manu
Wake early for a short hike before transferring to the remote Manu Wildlife Center. Manu is within the largest protected area in all of Peru and is billed as the single best wildlife destination in the entire Amazon. It is a six-hour drive to MWC; we’ll take time to stop at a Piro Indian Village. Spend the afternoon wandering the trails and discovering the wild inhabits in the surrounding forest, including twelve species of monkeys. Over thirty miles of trails surround the lodge at Manu. After dinner explore the region’s nocturnal rainforest wildlife.

Day 6: Macaw and Tapir Clay Lick
Your Peru tour continues with an early morning twenty-five minute boat ride to the largest parrot and macaw clay lick in the 4.4 million acre Manu Biosphere Reserve. A floating catamaran lets us get closer to the hundreds of parrots and red and green macaws as they arriving at the lick. As the birds, head back to the lodge to spend the rest of the day exploring the trails, canopy platform, and the Amazon's largest known tapir lick. The adventurous are welcomed to spend the night in an elevated screened-in platform overlooking the tapir lick – watch the tapirs come and go during the night!

Day 7: Cocha Blanco and Cocha Camungo
Visit the Blanco and Camunga oxbow lakes and discover the variety of exotic water birds the call this region home. A leisurely afternoon awaits. Spend time on a guided tour of the Amazon or just relax and enjoy a siesta. During the evening, a boat ride offers the opportunity to discover nocturnal wildlife along the riverbank.

Day 8: Fly Cusco
Take a return flight to Cusco and spend your last evening enjoying the local nightlife and toasting your wonderful Peruvian hosts!

Day 9: Fly Lima and Return Home

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