The hook
Peru's vast, pristine slice of the Amazon, among the most biodiverse places on the planet, where you can drift the rivers past caimans and giant otters, walk beneath the canopy, and watch hundreds of macaws set a clay riverbank ablaze with colour.
01Why it's worth it
More than half of Peru is Amazon rainforest, and its protected reserves, above all Manú and Tambopata in the south and the wildlife-rich waters around Iquitos in the north, are among the most biodiverse anywhere on Earth, sheltering staggering numbers of bird, mammal, insect, and plant species in near-pristine jungle. Staying at a river lodge, you explore by boat and on forest trails: spotting caimans by torchlight, watching for giant river otters and capybaras, listening to howler monkeys, canopy-walking among the treetops, and, in a signature Amazon spectacle, visiting the collpas, riverbank clay licks where hundreds of parrots and brilliant macaws gather each morning to eat mineral-rich clay, a riot of squawking colour. The northern jungle around Iquitos, a city reachable only by river or air, offers a more river-and-village-focused experience, while the southern reserves are prized for their remoteness and wildlife density. It is hot, humid, and buggy, and sightings take patience, but immersion in the greatest rainforest on Earth is unforgettable, and easily combined with the Andes.
02How to experience it
Choose your region, remote Manú or Tambopata in the south for pristine wildlife, or Iquitos in the north for river and village life, and stay a few days at a lodge, doing early-morning and night excursions when wildlife is active. Aim to catch a macaw clay lick. Come prepared for heat, humidity, and insects, and support conservation-minded operators.