Manu National Parks in Peru are divided into 4 different zones. These are Cultural Zone, Cloud Forest, Reserved Zone and Intangible zone. The park has over 1000 bird species and nearly half of this can be found within a small radius of low land forest. Manu offers the best of rain forest wild life, is the most approachable and photographable too.
Weather in Peru
Rainfall in the low lands of Manu is around 3000 mm with much of it occurring between November and April. The average temperature is 28 degrees Celsius. Day temperatures can go upto 34 degrees and night temperatures may drop down to 22 degrees. In the cloud forest region, rainfall averages about 5000 mm per year and temperatures hover around 24 degrees. The day temperature in the region moves upto 29 degrees while the night temperature can go down as low as 11 degrees.
Getting there
National Parks in Peru are very special locations and involves travel through air, road and water. Unless you have all the means of co-coordinating these diverse means of travel and making yourself comfortable, you should look for professional tour organizers to the region. Reaching the Manu Low lands will involve a 45 minutes flight from Cusco. 90 minutes navigation through Madre de Dios River through motorized canoes takes you to the Manu Wildlife center. An important aspect of a trip to the National Parks in Peru is that your accommodation once confirmed at the Wildlife center must be paid for in full notwithstanding your actual arrival or departure. This means that understating or overstaying for any reason will cost you money not just in terms of your accommodation, but also other incidentals like the canoe.
What you should carry
Good pair of binoculars, Camera (ASA 50,100,200), few pairs of long cotton pants, few pairs of cotton socks, A perfectly waterproof raincoat, Some cotton shirts with long sleeves, T shirts, and Sunscreen lotion. A water container for use during outings, hiking sandals and boots, insect repellants – separately for the river and forest, personal medications and toiletries, rubber boots and a powerful flashlight. Once you ensure that your backpack contains all these, your visit to National Parks in Peru will be more rewarding and enjoyable.
Health Information
Some health precautions are necessary for traveling to National Parks in Peru. An yellow fever certificate would be essential for most tourists. The vaccination is best when taken at least 10 days before you embark on the trip. If you are planning trips into the jungles, immunization against hepatitis A and typhoid are recommended. Another risk associated with the low-land areas is Malaria/dengue fever. Mosquito bites will be another area of concern. Carry adequate and strong protective measures. Diarrhea and altitude sickness are the other common issues. Using bottled water, avoiding drinks cooled with ice, and staying away from food served by street vendors are among the other precautions you can take. Health care in major cities of Peru are good but expensive. A health insurance therefore becomes essential. You will enjoy the National Parks in Peru when you take these essential precautions.