Tour the Manu Jungle

First Amazon protected area in Peru recognized as a Natural Heritage of Humanity

Ocelot

Today we will tour the Manu jungle and celebrate half a century of creation as a natural area protected by the State, the Manu National Park is established as an authentic jewel of world conservation, preserving extraordinary biodiversity and unparalleled landscape beauty on the planet. This has earned it recognition as a Natural Heritage of Humanity and other international distinctions.

Location and purpose

The Manu National Park has an area of 1 million 716,295.22 hectares and includes part of the provinces of Paucartambo (Cusco) and Manu (Madre de Dios).

Its establishment, on May 29, 1973, had the purpose of protecting a representative sample of biological diversity, as well as the landscapes of the lowland jungle, the jungle area and the Andes of southeastern Peru. Likewise, it aims to promote tourism based on ecological and culturally compatible criteria. Tour in the Manu jungle

Biological importance of the tour in the Manu jungle

The Manu National Park protects one of the most important areas on the planet in terms of megadiversity of biological species. Its great extension crosses frigid punas that exceed 4,000 meters in altitude, rugged forested mountains that give rise to a multitude of small ravines and valleys, cloud forests of high jungle, and finally the Amazonian plain.

A tour in the Manu jungle has a magnificent and unique natural setting that includes a large and complex hydrographic system and guarantees the presence of a diversity of ecosystems with little intervention by humans.

Under these circumstances, the biological diversity that the Manu National Park houses is manifested in all its potential in a unique landscape on the planet.

Fauna and Flora

Tour the Manu jungle National Park will allow you to see a large number of species of wildlife. 228 species of mammals have been recorded (44% of the total in Peru); 1,030 species of birds (56% of the total); 132 species of reptiles (30% of the total) and 210 species of fish.

Among the large mammals, the otorongo, the black tiger, the sachavaca, the huangana, the sajino, the deer, the ash boar, among others, stand out.

Also the river wolf, the ronsoco, the coto monkey, the black maquisapa, the woolly monkey, the white machín monkey and the black machín monkey, among others.

On the other hand, the number of insects in the Manu National Park is estimated at about 30 species. More than 1,300 species of butterflies have been recorded, 136 of dragonflies, at least 300 of ants (more than 40 species were found in a single tree) and more than 650 of beetles, among others.

Regarding the flora of the Manu National Park, the number of plant species is very high. The various records indicate that there are at least 162 families; 1,191 genera and 4,385 species identified. In a single hectare, up to 250 varieties of trees were found.

The aguajale forests are one of the most outstanding ecosystems, where the aguaje and huasaí palm trees are the dominant ones. They develop on almost permanently flooded areas, especially on the right bank of the Manu River.

The presence of cedar, screw, chestnut, lupuna and rubber, among other species, also stands out. A tour in the Manu jungle is a guaranteed spectacle.

Tree frog

Local communities

The tropical forests of Manu have allowed ecological and evolutionary processes to take place almost without the presence of man. However, in the area there is also enormous cultural wealth, represented by the current indigenous populations at different levels of contact with the outside, and an archaeological heritage not yet revealed in its full magnitude.

Tour the Manu jungle allows you to be surrounded by the Territorial Reserve of the Kugapakori and Nahua ethnic groups; the Megantoni National Sanctuary and the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve.

The Yora, Mashko-Piro, Matsiguenka, Harakmbut, Wachipaeri and Yine communities have ancestrally lived among the forests and rivers of these jungles. For their part, the communities of Tayakome and Yomibato are recognized within the area. Both are located in the upper area of the Manu River.

In the southwest sector there is a farmers association known as Callanga. Furthermore, in the northwest sector adjacent to the Manu National Park, and in the interior, there is an undetermined number of indigenous populations in voluntary isolation. To tour the Manu jungle on this section is forbidden for tourist; only scientists can get in.

Matsigenka tribe

World Heritage

Since 1977, the Manu National Park has held the status of Biosphere Reserve. In turn, in 1987 it was declared a Natural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. For 20 years, tourists have been able to tour the Manu jungle safely.

Worldwide recognition

The Manu National Park has received various national and international recognitions, the most recent being the one granted by the Green Destinations organization in 2022, which gave it the distinction as one of the eight protected natural areas in Peru that are part of the Top 100 best stories. of sustainable tourism in the world.

This recognition reaffirms once again that tour the Manu jungle is one of the main nature destinations in Peru and the world.

Tourist routes

In the lower basin of the Manu River you can see the exuberance of the Amazon plain. Five areas have been designated for visits, where a high diversity of wild flora and fauna is concentrated. These are the cochas (horseshoe-shaped lakes) Salvador, Otorongo and Juárez, as well as the Pakitza and Limonal sectors.

In these areas there is a wide variety of circuits and trails to tour the Manu jungle. The lakes also stand out where it is possible to observe species that have disappeared in other ecosystems, such as the river otter and the black caiman.

Tour operators

Currently operating in the Manu National Park, specifically on the Manu River route, are ten authorized tour operators that provide the set of services required for a complete travel experience (accommodation, guidance, transportation and food). With these companies your tour in the Manu jungle is assured.

Visiting season

The best season to tour the Manu jungle is from April to October, given that November to March is the rainy season, which makes access and travel through the protected area difficult.

How to get

Most visitors to the Manu National Park usually travel first to Cusco, where they can also take a tour to Machu Picchu or hike the Inca Trail, and then travel to Puerto Maldonado to leave for the protected area by river. However, the majority toured the Manu jungle through the Paucartambo and Tres Cruces de Oro access roads.