MANU: PERU'S EDEN IN THE AMAZON

ANDINA. The Peruvian Amazon makes up about a third of the country’s land area and is as rich and untamed as the rest of the Amazon in neighboring Brazil and Ecuador.

The Peruvian government has been vigorous in its efforts to protect the nature and the native peoples of this region and as a result, the Amazonian Peru has some of the most pristine primary rainforests of the world.

Although logging, mining, ranching and agriculture compete with these preservation efforts, much of the biodiversity of this region’s nature is still protected and vibrant, according to an article published by Main Line Times.

"Our destination is the Manu National Park in the southern Amazon, which along with Tambopata National Reserve and Bahuaja-Sonene National Park forms a vast sanctuary enormously rich in wilderness.

Manu National Park

"Manu National Park and Biosphere Reserve is over four and a half million acres sustaining an entire ecosystem and hosting the most diverse flora and fauna in the world. Thanks to this rich nature, Peru ranks near the top in world’s lists of mammals, amphibians, fresh-water fish, insects, butterflies and plant life.

"It has 1,800 species of birds, 1,000 of them in Manu. Thus the Manu sanctuary allows a person to experience a true Amazonian wilderness in its forest trails, forest canopy, tranquil lakes, rivers, clay licks, bamboo trails, clearings and gardens.

Giant otter in Tambopata National Reserve

WASHINGTON POST PUTS COLCA VALLEY CHURCHES IN THE SPOTLIGHT

(Photo: Andina)

ANDINA. An article in the Washington Post takes readers to one of Peru's top tourist attractions, the Colca Valley in the southern Arequipa region.

In addition to describing the scenic beauty of one of the deepest canyons in the world, journalist Rebecca Dalzell writes about "The magnificent churches of Peru’s Colca Valley."

The Washington Post writer said she structured her visit to the Colca Valley around churches largely as an excuse to visit the Andean towns and villages, including Tuti, Chivay, Sibayo, Callati and Madrigal.

A spray of colors lit up the sleepy brown countryside. The women wore long floral skirts, handwoven shawls and patterned hats studded with mirrors.

The children were wrapped in striped wool blankets. Musicians with horns and drums were scattered through the crowd, playing catchy folk tunes, and people danced in circles, repeatedly pulling me in.

The chicha, or corn beer, flowed generously. An old man insisted that I try a shot of herb-infused spirits, which he poured from a plastic soda bottle.

Behind them, Peru’s Colca Valley, with its checkered green fields and the Colca River coursing between jagged Andean peaks, unfurled dramatically.

Agricultural terraces, some dating to the 11th century, line the hillsides, seeming to stitch together the rugged scenery.