Tambopata (Madre de Dios, Peru)

Where Are We Going?

With 84 of the 104 known life zones on the planet, Peru is one of the 17 megadiverse countries on earth. Overall it ranks in the top four, and is second in birds with 1,701 species, second in primates with 34 species, third in mammals in general with 361 species, and fifth in reptiles and amphibians with 297 and 251 species, respectively.

Map of south america

In the south-east of the country lies the province of Madre de Dios, with a human population of 100,000. The region is dominated by lowland Amazon rainforest considered by many to be one of the most biodiverse areas of the Amazon, if not the world. The provincial capital of Puerto Maldonado is already recognised by the Peruvian Congress as the Biodiversity Capital of Peru.

Map of Peru

In Madre de Dios are located the two protected areas at the centre of our bird ringing courses, the Tambopata National Reserve (TNR), created in 2000 with an area of 274,690 hectares, and the Bahuaja Sonene National Park (BSNP), first created in 1996 and subsequently extended in 2001 with a current area of 1.09 million hectares. Both protected areas derive their name from the Tambopata River, which the local native Ese'eja people call Bahuaja. The river is born high up in the Andes in the Sandia region of Puno (close to lake Titicaca) and subsequently flows northwards until its confluence with the Madre de Dios River at the town of Puerto Maldonado.

Map of Madre de Dios

Come join us and find out what it means to have over 1.3 million hectares of pristine Amazon rainforest wilderness on your doorstep.

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Trip extensions For those course participants interested in a post-course birding experience or two, Fauna Forever and CORBIDI can help arrange modestly-priced sidetrips and extensions to:

1) Paracas National Reserve (a shorebird and rocky-island birding paradise if ever there was one, including the option to look for Pacific pelagics);

2) Lomas de Lachay National Reserve (an oasis for birds located on the misty, western edge of the Andes about 100 km north of Lima);

3) Pantanos de Villa Reserved Zone (a wetland and Important Bird Area located a mere 40 minutes from downtown Lima which hosts numerous resident and migrant bird species);

4) Birds of Arequipa Andes, coastal wetlands and beaches (includes the Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Reserve, the Lagunas de Mejia National Sanctuary and the Arequipa Pacific ocena shoreline between Mejia and Moyendo;

5) Inambari cloud and elfin forest (a new birding destination accessed by highway from Puerto Maldonado).

Ask us also for our recommendations regarding trips to Cusco, Machu picchu, Lake Titicaca, Arequipa and dosens of other Peru tourism destinations.

Please contact us for details at: info@birdringingforever.org