Tambopata
The Amazon rainforests of south eastern Peru is home to one of the world's highest biodiversity concentrations and has a spectacular array of flora and fauna species. One of these places is The Tambopata Reserve and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. Records include:
- Over 700 species of birds
- Over 700 species of birds
- 90 species of mammals
- 120 species of reptiles and
- Amphibians and innumerable species of insect.
The main habitat types found in the area: terra firma, varzea, secondary floodplain, bamboo and aguaje forest as well as lakes, rivers, streams, ponds and cultivated areas.
There are a lot of parrot collpas where many species of macaw, parrot and parakeet feed at clay licks and also mammal collpas where animals such as tapir, deer and peccary come to feed.
Tambopata have a lot of attractions such as oxbow lakes, waterfalls, "collpas" and local communities. Its proximity to the National Park guarantees opportunities to observe well protected wild fauna with little environment impact.
The Forest
The Amazonía has 3,54 million square kilometers of continuous forest-covered areas, the largest in the world. Paradoxically, however, it is a soil with low fertility: 78% of it is acid and difficult to use for agriculture. Biodiversity is also the largest in the world: while there are 4 to 25 tree species per hectare in North America, there are between 40 and 300 different tree species in the Amazon forest. There are more than 5,000 species of trees.
The volume of rain in the Amazon river basin is truly amazing: more than 15 trillion cubic meters per year. Of the overall rainfall, 48% evaporates, 52% flows to the rivers, and ultimately to the sea. The rainforest ecosystem changes significantly this average: in its environment, only 25% is evaporated and 25% goes to the rivers: the major part is retained in the forest itself.
The Amazon forest may be considered a kind of "ecological filter" for carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, because the plants in the forest absorb more CO2 than they release. Unfortunately, the accelerated human occupation of the Amazonia is causing a series of environmental problems, due to the amount of destruction of its original ecosystem. It has been estimated that approximately 12,5% of the original forest cover, or 500,000 km2, has been deforested or burnt. Logging companies, miners in search of gold and other valuable metals and agricultural occupation are the main culprits. Although the destruction rates have decreased lately, it still continues at a worrying pace.
The Fauna
A cubic meter of soil has 100 times more insects and worms there than in the Northern hemisphere. The gigantic volume of water and the mild temperatures make a kind of fertile incubator, too: there are more than 3,000 fish species in Amazon, representing 85% of all species living in South America, and 15% of the species in the world. However, only 40% of these species have been studied by scientists, and about 36 fish species are economically exploited.
The region has many astounding records in terms of fauna. It has more than 100 species of New World monkeys (the smallest one is no larger than a fountain pen; the largest is comparable to a chimpanzee), thousands of bird species, like the colorful macaws (guacamayos) and toucans (tucanes) and dozens of exotic and interesting animals such as capybaras (the largest rodent in the world), tree sloths, alligators (caiman), the feared spotted jaguar (onça), turtles and gigantic anacondas (yacumamma), which can reach up to 40 feet (12 meter long)
Ayahuasca
A quechua word that means “rope that links the world of the dead with the world of the living”. This language is much extended in South America: Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and some part of the Brazilian Amazon, Bolivia, North of Argentina, and North of Chile. That is, the ancient territory of the Inca Empire. There are 90 different plant species in combination to produce Ayahuasca.
Is very common to find “curanderos” (masters) that treat sickness only with Ayahuasca and are known as “ayahuasqueros” due to their skills in the preparation and use of this beverage that contributes to physical and spiritual health .
This means that Ayahuasca is considered a sacred and therapeutically beverage; an important goal, considering human beings in its context and not as a organism that only responds to external stimulus .
Those who have some time and money to spend can visit the Amazon Jungle and contact renowned “chamanes” and participate in one or more rituals of Ayahuasca.
