Manu Located in the rainforests of the Cusco and Madre de Dios departments, the Manu National Park is Peru's greatest natural treasure and a trove for the number of species it shelters and the diversity of the ecosystems it features. Established in 1973 over a land surface of 1'532,806 hectares, it was included in UNESCO's list of Mankind's Natural Heritage in 1987. It comprises the whole of the Manu River basin as well as an extraordinary cross-section of altitudes ranging from 4,300 m.a.s.l in the Andean High Plateau to 200 m.a.s.l in the Amazon floodplain. It is home to several ethnic groups including the Amahuaca, Huachipaire, Machiguenga, Piro, Yora and Yaminagua, as well as others who still have not made contact with the modern world. The park is the natural environment for over 20,000 vascular plants, 1,200 species of butterflies, 1,000 types of birds, 200 kinds of mammals and an unknown number of reptiles, amphibians and insects.

Huascaran

Located in the department of Ancash, the Huascaran National Park is wedged in the White Cordillera, the world's highest tropical mountain chain. It was created in 1975 over a surface of 340,000 hectares and included in UNESCO's list of Mankind's Natural Heritage in 1985. The park protects one of the world's most surprising high-mountain ecosystems, featuring 663 glaciers, 269 lakes and 41 rivers, as well as dozens of mountains, 26 of which tower above 6,000 meters.

The Park is home to plentiful and diverse plant and animal wildlife including some 800-plant species and several dozen types of animals.

Additionally, the Park includes 33 pre-Inca archaeological sites like Wilcahuain and is home to dozens of Quechua-speaking peasant communities that still practice their traditional farming and livestock herding techniques.

Peruvian Nature:

National Parks
National Reserves
Other Natural Wonders
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