WHAT MAKES TAMBOPATA, MADRE DE DIOS, PERU SO SPECIAL?
Biodiversity
Tambopata is world-renowned for its unusually high biological diversity. Some examples of the incredible number of species recorded here: over 1,200 types of butterflies (a world record), 592 of birds (also a world record), 127 of amphibians, 103 of mammals, 74 of reptiles. In a single hectare of rainforest, 300 different tree species have been recorded.
Clay Licks
This area has the highest concentration of known avian clay licks in the world. It is also where the world’s largest known mineral clay lick is located with a height of 50 meters and a length of about 500 meters. This is a gathering spot for hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 17 different species.
Endangered Species
Many endangered species (giant river otters, harpy eagles) as well as vulnerable species that are rarely found elsewhere in the Amazon jungle because of poaching (anacondas), can still be found here. The density of top predators like the jaguar and large-bodied primates is among the highest on Earth. In addition, the area features a major diversity of plant life, including forest species (cedar, mahogany) that have been logged to extinction in most parts of the Amazon.
