As you travel east of the Andes, Peru's landscape drops sharply and dramatically to the greatest rainforest on earth - the Amazon. This area is remote, to say the least, and vast areas of pristine jungle provide habitat for a remarkable diversity of life.
There are two particularly stunning areas to visit down here: Manu Biosphere Reserve & Tambopata National Reserve. Some of the most spectacular sights are the famous macaw licks, where hundreds of rainbow coloured macaws fly in to nibble at the clay on the riverbank. There are mammal licks as well, where animals like the tapir can often be seen. Rare Giant River Otters live in the oxbow lakes - these have to be seen to be believed! It almost goes without saying that there are numerous species of monkey in the jungle and that the bird life is without parallel. It is a real experience just to be in a rainforest like this; you are in the domain of the plants, walking beneath a canopy of giant trees where plants that we know as houseplants at home grow naturally to vast proportions.
