5 Best Sights in The Amazon Basin, Peru

A popular spot for explorers of all ages, Isla de los Monos (Monkey Island) is home to more than 40 monkeys of eight species. The 250-hectare (618-acre) island is a private reserve where monkeys that were once held in captivity, or were confiscated from animal traffickers, now live in a natural environment. In addition to the monkeys, there are sloths, parrots, macaws and a small botanical garden. Since most of the animals are former pets, you can get very close to them; maybe even closer than you might want. The easiest way to visit the island is on a tour.

Covering approximately 4,144 square km (1,600 square miles), the Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Communal Reserve is larger than the state of Rhode Island. It comprises an array of ecosystems that includes seasonally flooded forests, terra firma forests, aguaje palm swamps, and oxbow lakes. It holds a wealth of biological diversity, including almost 600 bird species: cocoi herons, wire-tailed manakins, and blue-and-gold macaws among them. It is also home to 15 primate species, including the rare saki and uakari monkeys. The government manages the reserve in coordination with local people (They still hunt and fish here but have reduced their impact on its wildlife.). Local eco-lodges provide employment and support education and healthcare in those communities, which has strengthened their interest in protecting the environment.

Around Iquitos are large tracts of protected rainforest, of which Allpahuayo Mishana is the easiest to get to, since it is just 27 km (16 miles) southwest of Iquitos via the road to Nauta, making it possible to visit on a day-trip. It isn't a great place to see large animals, but it is a good destination for bird-watchers. Scientists have identified 475 bird species in the reserve, including such avian rarities as the pompadour cotinga and Zimmer's antbird. It is also home to several monkey species.

This hard-to-reach park comprises a vast expanse of wilderness between the Marañón and Ucayali Rivers, which flow together to form the Amazon. The reserve is Peru's largest, encompassing more than 20,000 square km (7,722 square miles)—which makes it about the size of El Salvador. The landscape is diverse, comprising a patchwork of seasonally flooded forests, oxbow lakes, black-water rivers, aguaje palm swamps, and vast expanses of lowland rain forest. So are the animals who inhabit it, including pink river dolphins, black caimans, more than a dozen kinds of monkeys, and more than 500 bird species. As with many South American reserves, there are people living in Pacaya Samiria, around 40,000 according to recent estimates. The park can only be reached by boat, and some cruises visit it's northern sector, which is relatively close to the town of Nauta.

This smaller, private rain-forest reserve is northeast of Iquitos, near the confluence of the Napo and Amazon Rivers. CONAPAC (the Peruvian Amazon Conservation Organization) manages the 1,000-square-km (386-square-mile) multiuse property, known as the Sucusari Biological Reserve, which can be explored from the ExplorNapo Lodge.