Tambopata National Reserve

Smaller in size and more accessible than the neighbouring Manu, the Tambopata National Reserve features an amazing –and almost incredible-- biodiversity. It's believed that the area is home to 30% of Peru's bird species, and nothing less than 90% of the country's amphibians, reptiles and fresh-water fish species.

Numbers for the 275,000-hectare reserve are extraordinary: 160 mammal species, 630 bird species, 200 fish species, 100 amphibian species, 1,200 types of butterflies... Jaguars, ocelots, giant armadillos, and other endangered species have found a refuge within the reserve boundaries.

One of the most visited spots in the reserve is the Colpa de Guacamayos, the world's largest known mineral clay lick. Hundreds of parrots and macaws congregate each day to feed on the minerals contained on the red clay cliffs.

The richness of Tambopata's biological diversity may stem from the confluence and interaction of three quite different eco-systems: the cloud forest, the Amazon rainforest, and the palm-studded savanna.

Located between the basins of the Tambopata and Heath Rivers, in the department of Madre de Dios, the Tambopata National Reserve can only be reached by motorboat (a 2-hour ride from Puerto Maldonado, the department's capital, which makes it much more accessible --and economic-- than the Manu).

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