Information of Manu

The Manu National Park was established on 29th May 1973 under the Decreto Supremo Nro. 0644-73-AG. Manu belongs to the departments of Cusco and Madre de Dios, in the South East of Peru. In 1977 the park was recognized by UNSECO on a global scale by declaring it as Manu Biosphere Reserve. In 1987 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared Manu as a World Heritage Site. Thus the largest Rain Forest Biosphere Reserve in the World was born.

The Manu National Park is divided into 3 areas, the Nucleus Zone, the Reserve Zone and the Cultural Zone, comprising of a total area of 1,881,200 hectares representing a large part of the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest. The parks altitude ranges from 350-3350m.
Around 10% of all the species of plants in the world exist in Manu National Park, including palms and medicinal plants. Scientists are continuing to discover new species. In one hectare of Manu you can find more than 220 species of trees, compared to only 20 in Europe or North America. Manu National Park is probably the most species-rich zone on the planet.

Manu National Park has 200 different species of mammals, including 13 species of monkeys and 5 species of cats, around 1000 species of birds, including 7 species of Macaws, 100 species of Bats, 1200 spices of butterfly, 500 species of fish and numerous types of amphibians, reptiles and insects.
More than 30 communities live in the park and the official language is Quechua. There are also indigenous communities speaking other dialect in the remote areas of the park, including the Mashigenka, Amahuaca, Yine, Amarakaere, Huachipaire, Mashco Piro and Yaminahua. There are also archelogical sites that have never been studied, plus others that are know, for example the Painted Stones of Pusharo, close to the Palatoa River and the Mamerian ruins.
The risk of Malaria is very low in Manu and in the Bonanza Ecological Reserve. We recommend that you bring good insect repellent (with at least 25% deet) and use long sleeved shirts and trousers. If you choose to use strong medicine against malaria, please check the side effects of these medicines as they can be quite severe! No method is 100% safe against Malaria. If you want you can bring your medication to the jungle (Malaria can be detected from a blood analysis). It is also possible to get medication in the jungle. The risk of Leishmaniasis is also very low in Manu, the best protection being long sleeved shirts and trousers. In Manu there is Plasmodium Vivax, this is curable. You also can get vaccinated against Yellow Fever for the jungle. A vaccination against Tetanus is important.