The Manu National Park is spread out between two departments, Cusco and Madre de Dios, and covers an area of 1’692 137 hectares (or the entire Manu River basin).
Since 1977, the Manu National Park has formed the Nucleus of the Manu Biosphere Reserve, which was declared a Natural World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1987. Although no one is allowed to enter, visitors can stay in authorized lodges in the Reserved Area and in the Cultural Zone neighboring to the park.
The park has a great variety of animal species: more than 800 bird species like the harpy eagle, the jabiru stork, the Orinoco goose, the Andean cock of the rock, and the roseate spoonbill. 200 mammal species like the common woolly monkey, the black spider monkey, the giant otter, the jaguar, the little spotted cat, the anteater, and the Andean deer, and over a hundred bat species.
Additionally, there are trees over 45 meters high and 3 meters in diameter. The most characteristic species are the cetico, the topa, the cedar, the tornillo tree, the white kapok, and the mata palo.
Today, 30 Quechuan speaking farming communities are spread throughout the Manu National Park as well as numerous Amazonian native peoples such as the Matsiguenka, Amahuaca, Yaminahua, Piro, Amarakaeri, Huashipaire, and Nahua. |