Peru is home to ten 



national parks, 

 nearly 10 percent 

 of the world's 

 mammals and 

 reptiles, and more 4 

 than 20 percent 

 of its birds. 



In the Manu rain forest, look for 

 rare species such as the giant otter 

 and the giant armadillo, and jaguars, 

 which are often sighted here. 



A more out of the way but spec- 

 tacularly beautiful national park is 

 Mount Huascaran. Set in the Andes 

 Mountains' Cordillera Blanca, the 

 world's highest tropical mountain 

 range, the park includes the moun- 

 tain of the same name, which tow- 

 ers at over 22,000 feet, as well as 26 

 other snow-capped peaks over 

 19,000 feet tall. Its 120 glacial 

 lakes, glaciers, rivers, deep ravines, 

 thermal springs, and varied vegeta- 

 tion — from humid montane forest 

 to alpine tundra to puna plateaus — are home to the 

 spectacled bear, the puma, vicuna, and North 

 Andean huemul, a rare type of deer; notable birds 

 include the Andean condor, giant hummingbird, 

 and cordillera hawk. Allow yourself a few days here 

 to acclimate to the high altitude. 



Also off the beaten track but worthwhile is the 

 Cerros de Amotape National Park in northwestern 

 Peru. The park protects the vast equatorial dry 

 forests of the Amotape Cordillera and its surround- 

 ing valleys, once intensely harvested for their valu- 

 able hardwoods, and tropical Pacific forests. The 

 park shelters two endangered species on the brink of 

 extinction: the American crocodile and the north- 

 eastern otter. It's also home to Tumbes howler mon- 

 keys, ocelots, and more than 100 bird species, many 

 of which are endemic, such as the white-winged 

 guan and the northern magpie. 



No matter how far-flung your destinations, Peru 

 is easy to visit and travel in, thanks to its highly 

 developed transportation network and hotel infra- 

 structure. It has 36 airports, and 9 of these arc inter- 

 national. For more information, visit www.peru.info. 



Left: Machu Picchu. Top. 

 Condor about to land on the 

 Andes; Incan wall in Cusco; 

 stack of colorful traditional 

 Peruvian fabrics at a market 

 in Pisac 



