Passion for Peru

The Peruvian Jungle

About half of Peru is Jungle. However there is one major problem when it comes to exploring it....accessability. There are few roads and not too many towns.

The easiest, and in some cases the only way, to reach these towns is by air. There are exceptions to this, for example Manu National Park is accessible by road from Cuzco. The largest city in the Jungle area is Iquitos, only accessible by air or boat.

Peru is the source of the Amazon River. The jungle covers the whole of the eastern side of the country, with everything east of the Andes dropping down through various eco zones until the true tropical rain forest. There are many sticky adventures to be had in this part of Peru.

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Reasons to Visit

There are several reasons why people want to visit the jungle areas of Peru. 

• To experience "jungle life"
• Birding
• Other wildlife- Jaguars, Piranhas.....
• Indigenous Tribes
• Medicinal Plants

Peru Wildlife Facts

Here are some facts and figures collected from various sources:

Iquitos for the Amazon River

The only way to get to this town on the Amazon River is by boat or air. A large city that can be used as a base to take tours on the Amazon and into the rainforest.

As a city Iquitos is the nerve centre of the Peruvian Amazon

Iquitos was founded in the 1750's as a Jesuit Mission fending off attacks from the indigenous tribes that didn't want to be converted to anything. It remained small until the rubber boom of the 1880's when it expanded rapidly. Rubber barons built huge mansions and for 30 odd years, the rich got richer and the poor, well they remained poor. ( Heard that story before? ). Then someone took the rubber trees to the Malay peninsular, planted them in neat rows that were easy to tap, and that was that. No more rubber boom.

Iquitos then went into economic decline, surviving with logging, limited agriculture and the exportation of animals to zoos.

Then in the 1960's liquid gold was discovered, the black sort, that makes your car run. Oil brought in much investment and brought modern buildings and money.

Nowadays, with the new concepts of eco-tourism , the town is becoming a tourist area and a gateway to the lodges located around the area.

Manu Park

This important park is reached via Cusco. Here you can find the famous Parrot Licks where many brightly coloured Macaws collect clay from a cliff (they need it to help digest their food). If you are a birder, then this is a must see.

The Macaw Licks - Manu

                 Touring the Manu Park 

Manu Biosphere park has the highest concentration of bird life on earth...at least 925 species identified. There are about 9000 species on earth..so Manu has 10% of the worlds species in an area smaller than Hawaii.( the park is about the same size as Northern Ireland )

Passion for Peru recommends.

The Jungle is wet. Bring clothes that dry easily.

The jungle is full of insects, so bring clothes that cover the skin, and sensible shoes suitable for uneven slippy jungle trails. Insect repellant is a must.

Photography. Various issues here. First, cameras and water don't mix well, so plastic bags to keep off the rain etc could be useful. Second, big lenses. All those beautiful photos you see in National Geographic etc...it's not so easy to get photos of animals and birds without a big lens. That leads nicely onto the third point. Light. The canopy is very dense. That means everything below it has very poor light. If you are using a film camera, then bring fast film, at least 400 ASA