Amazon Jungle Peru
The Amazon jungle Peru has some of the most pristine and untouched tracts of rainforest in the Amazon jungle. One of the most beautiful and protected areas of the Peruvian Amazon, is the Pacaya Samiria National Park. Curuhuinsi Lodge is located right next door, just 260km south of Iquitos. From Iquitos you can also access other areas such as the Yarapa communal reserve.
173 different mammal species
More than 400 species of fish
Over 600 species of birds
126 species of hummingbirds
innumerable species of plants such as lianas, mushrooms and trees
Protected Areas
The Amazon jungle in Peru or Peru’s Amazon Basin, covers a large part of Peru – almost half of it’s total land area. It is divided into two zones; the High Jungle is more accessible to visitors, and the Lower Jungle is more preserved. Large protected areas include Manú National Park, Rio Abiseo National Park, Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, and the Tambopata-Candamo Protected Area.
The entire Amazon rainforest is about 5.5 million square kilometres with about 60% in Brazil, 13% in Peru, 10% in Colombia and the rest in Bolivia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuala.
It is the most biodiverse tropical rainforest in the world and represents more than half the Earth’s remaining rainforests. There are billions of trees of about 16,000 different species and millions of people residing from 350 different ethnic groups. It’s a busy place.
The rainforest is estimated to be about 55 billion years old. There are 2.5 million species of bugs? One fifth of all the world’s bird species and fish species are found in the Amazon. There are 126 species of hummingbirds recorded in Peru alone. The rainforest is fertilized by dust carried by the wind from the Sahara desert in Chad, in Africa.
Amazon Wildlife Tour
3Days 2Nights | see sloths, monkeys, anacondas, iguanas, river dolphins and more. Learn about medicinal plants and some jungle survival skills and relax at our jungle lodge.
Jungle Hiking Tour
4 Days-3 Nights | Lots of outdoor activities, including a full day of survival skills in the jungle. On our night tours, catch & release caiman, anacondas, tarantulas, scorpions and giant frogs.
Dangers in Peru’s Amazon Jungle
The jungle is home to some dangerous animals such as electric eels, piranhas, jaguars, cougars, caiman and anacondas. You can also catch malaria, dengue and yellow fever, so please get all your shots and medicines before you visit us in the Amazon jungle in Peru.
The biggest risk in the Amazon, as we all know, is not the wildlife. Logging for cattle grazing and soybean crops has caused a lot of deforestation. Drilling for oil in the rainforest is creating huge amounts of damage with road construction and contaminated water sources. The more trees that are cut down, the less the rain falls. If the 2018 amount of deforestation of 17% increases to 20-25%, it’s likely the Amazon will hit a tipping point and turn into a non-forested eco system. It will just dry up.
Ecotourism Helps!
Eco-tourism could help reduce deforestation and also provide economic benefits to local communities. Just by being here you can be part of the change to protect the Amazon jungle in Peru. Ecotourism also empowers indigenous communities by giving them access and a voice. Booking tours in the Amazon rainforest with local operators really can make a difference.