La Selva
The Rio Tigre in Loreto, northeast Peru
This is the isolated rain forest region in the eastern part of Peru,
and it takes almost 60% of the country. La Selva is the area between
the eastern foothills (the montaña)
of the Andes and the enormous rain forests of the Amazon basin, which
extends further into Brazil. Most people will think of Brazil when
hearing the name Amazon. Indeed is Brazil's part of the Amazon rain
forest much bigger. However,
the Amazon river finds its roots in Peru, and most of the Peruvian
Selva
is still unspoiled.
The Rio Alto Madre de Dios. Image © RTW2VT
Actually, Peru has some of the best untouched rain forests anywhere
in the world. Although the Peruvian rain forest suffers from
deforestation as it does anywhere else, there is a lot of ecological
awareness in the country, and there are up to 24 national parks to
protect this fragile nature.
Jungle covered hills in Tingo María. Image © Govert-Jan Mennen
The root of the Amazon lies
in the heart of the Peruvian Selva, at the point where two other big
rivers, the Marañon and the Ucayali, flow together and form the
Rio Amazonas. Another mighty river and important source of the Amazon
is the Urubamba. It flows from Peru's southern Andes northwards through
the montaña, where it joins the Ucayali. On its way it passes
magnificent sites like Machu
Picchu and the Pongo de
Mainique. Coming from Lima,
one of the easiest ways to enter the Selva is the Chanchamayo Valley.
The Rio Satipo, near Satipo in the department of Junín.
Taken from SATIPO.COM.
Image © Hector
Paredes
One of the biggest nature reserves in La Selva is Manu National Park. Manu is called the most
bio-diverse
rain forest in the world. With 4.5 million acres, half the size of
Switzerland,
it is one of the best areas for seeing wildlife anywhere. There are for
instance
over 1000 species of bird, 300 more species than can be found in the
USA
and Canada together.
La Selva is a region where only few people live. There are some small
cities, with the only exceptions the relatively big city Iquitos, in the district of Loreto, and
Pucallpa in the Ucayali
district. Other cities are Puerto
Maldonado
in the Madre de Dios district, Moyobamba
and Tarapoto in San Martín, San Ramón and La Merced, both
in the Chanchamayo Valley in Junín, Satipo
and Tingo María, and Yurimaguas in the Loreto district.
Rainforest near Tarapoto. Image © Raintree Nutrition,
Inc.
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