The Cloudforests

Between the Andes and the Amazon basin lies the world of the tropical cloudforests. They are growing on a narrow fringe along the eastern slopes of the Andes but are considered to be part of La Selva, and are called montaña. All over Peru from north to south, the cloudforests form a natural border between the Amazon basin and the Andes. It is a unique hemisphere on its own. The cloudforests grow at an altitude between 1800 m to 2500 m, and they are named for their intense humidity. The unique moderate and rainy climate and the steep, complex geography produce a lush and diverse flora, with ferns, bromeliads and orchids. The fauna includes the Andean bear and the rare oilbird. In Tingo María is a cave populated by a large community of oilbirds.

The cloudforest of Tres Cruces. Image ©Jack Ritter

Most of the time the cloudforests are indeed covered in clouds. The region is extremely humid and has a moderate climate without extremes.The ancient city Machu Picchu is part of the montaña as well. When you look at pictures of Machu Picchu, often the site is foggy or covered in clouds. The cloudforest is a very isolated region and due to its geographical structure it is not fit for building cities. However, good starting points from where to explore the cloudforests are Chachapoyas and Moyobamba, both at the edge of the northern Andes, Tingo María, and Cuzco (for exploring the Tres Cruces area).

Landscape near Chachapoyas. Image © Last Frontiers

Manu

Cloudforest in Manu Biosphere Reserve

One very special cloudforest area can be seen in Tres Cruces. It is situated east of Cuzco near Paucartambo. Very isolated and difficult to reach, it is an area of extreme beauty: The sight of the mountains dropping away into the Amazon basin is exceptional, and made even more exciting by the sunrise phenomenon that occurs around the time of winter solstice on June 21. For some mysterious reason, the sunrise tends to be optically distorted, causing double images, halos and unusual colours, particularly during May, June and July.