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 The
Peruvian Amazon rainforest is part of the enormous Amazon river
basin of which 60% is located in
Brazil, a large portion in Peru and
other significant portions are located in
Venezuela,
Colombia,
Ecuador and Bolivia.
It is possible to explore the Peruvian Amazon year round. A
selection of jungle lodges and Amazon River cruises are available
while expeditions and adventure programs can be arranged for at any
time. The main gate to the Amazon in Peru is the city of
Iquitos,
followed by Puerto Maldonado.
The Peruvian Amazon is dominated by the dense rainforest and the Amazon River.
The Amazon River finds
it's source high up in the Andes mountains in the form of small streams
created by rain and melting snow and ice. Streams flow together
forming creeks, then small streams, small rivers and finally, at the
juncture of the Ucayali and Maranon rivers, the Amazon River is
born. Predominantly the Amazon has two seasons, a high water and a
low water season. The seasons are dominated by water levels in the
rivers. The water levels drop
some 30-40 feet every year between the months of July and September,
staying low until November. During this
time of the year there are a great number of beaches on the rivers
and it is a great time for hiking and expeditions by foot as the
jungle is dry and accessible. By November, at the end
of the winter season in the Andes, huge amounts of water begin to
flow down the mountains and the rivers begin to increase their levels.
The banks of the many rivers and the surrounding jungles will become
flooded and during this time it will be possible to penetrate the
jungle by small boats. By May the rivers reach their highest point,
staying like this until July when the whole cycle repeats itself.
The entire Amazon basin is covered by more than 7,000,000 km˛ (2
million square miles) in the form of dense tropical forest. For
centuries, the tropical rainforest has protected the area and the
animals residing in it. Due to its density not all of the plant and
animal life of Amazonia are known to men as there are still huge
unexplored areas. Nobody knows how many species of fish there are in
the river either. The main reason for the dense plant growth is the
rainfall and re-growth of leaves which occur gradually throughout
each year. We can find a huge diversity of tree species with usually
smooth, straight trunks and large leaves.
The Amazon Basin includes a diversity of traditional inhabitants as
well as biodiversity in both flora and fauna. These people have
lived in the rain forest for thousands of years, and their
lifestyles and cultures are well-adapted to this environment.
Contrary to popular belief, their subsistence living methods do not
significantly harm the environment. In the past few decades, the
real threat to the Amazon Basin has been deforestation and cattle
ranching by large transnational corporations.
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