Named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987, the Manu Biosphere Reserve covers almost 19,000 square kilometers and has some of the greatest biodiversity on earth. Home to more different types of birds than the US and Canada combined, 13 types of monkeys, more insects than scientists can even count, and mammals found nowhere else on the planet, the national park is a nature lover's paradise (except maybe the bugs). We were fortunate enough to see many animals most only see in a zoo!
A falcon watches us cruise down the Madre de Dios...
Our guide, Fernando, shows us the fangs on a poisonous snake...
A bat hangs inside a huge tree, the trunk more than 15 feet around...
An endangered black caiman slinks into the muddy water. This guy was about 10 feet long, though they can grow much bigger!
A more common white caiman suns itself on the edge of the Manu River...
Turtles congregate on a fallen tree... We saw more of these than we could even count!
Parakeets flock together and meet at clay licks to eat the nutrient rich soil. Between the clay walls and surrounding trees, there were hundreds of these colorful birds!
The next post has many of the mammals we saw!
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