About the National Reserve
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve, known as the Jungle of the Mirrors, is the most important, extensive and diverse set of floodplain ecosystems in the Peruvian Amazon and occupies an area of 2,080,000 hectares, representing 1.5% of the surface of Peru.
The two major tributaries of the Amazon River, the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers, mark the limits of the reserve, which also has three major basins: Pacaya, Samiria and Yanayacu Pucate.
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve has been recognized as the second best place for wildlife in the world due, among other aspects, to its mega-biological diversity (10% of the world’s biodiversity), composed of more than 2,000 species of flora and fauna, and its large extensions of aguajales or aguaje forests that form a unique scenic beauty in the world and whose wetlands have been designated as of international importance by the Ramsar Convention.
In the reserve and its surroundings, as well as in its buffer zone there are 203 populated centers that are home to more than 120,000 inhabitants.
The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve can be visited throughout the year, both in the rainy season (November-April), during which birds, primates and amphibians can be observed in all their magnificence; and in the dry season (May-October), when the fluvial beaches are formed and aquatic chelonians spawn; lizards, taricaya and charapa turtles can be easily seen. The Pacaya Samiria National Reserve is protected by the Peruvian government through the National Service of Natural Protected Areas (SERNANP) and the communities that inhabit it play a leading role in the conservation of both threatened species and representative species of the area (paiche, manatees, dolphins, turtles, primates, among others).
In most of the programs of Pacaya Samiria Amazon Lodge we include the entrance to the Pacaya Samiria National Reserve; interpretation tours through the Yanayacu-Pucate basin; visiting the Nauta Caño area; and the implementation of ecotourism activities such as navigating through the Jungle of the Mirrors; visiting lagoons such as the Shiriyacu Lake; traditional piranha fishing; resident and migratory bird watching; guaranteed dolphin watching; ecotreks through flood zones; camping and visits to local Kukama Kukamiria communities.
What to expect depending on the season?
Each season is unique and allows us to enjoy many experiences throughout the year, however, each season has conditions that favor some experiences more... Get to know them!
RAINY SEASON
The perfect time to navigate the Amazon.
November to April - temperature: 86 ° F (30 ° C) approximately.
Main characteristics:
The Jungle of Mirrors can be enjoyed at its maximum scenic splendor and the Amazon, Marañon and Ucayali rivers in their widest margins and flow
The Yanayacu-Pucate basin is more navigable
The smell of the wetlands floods the reserve
Enjoy sailing on a green carpet of putu putus (local name for water lilies)
Delight yourself with the "Victorias Regias" (giant water lilies) in their maximum size
Observe primates feeding from the branches near the river banks
Get to know the sloths closely and if you come in May you will be able to see them during their mating season
Alligator and caiman sightings
DRY SEASON
The perfect time to walk in the Amazonian jungle and enjoy its beaches.
May to October - temperature: 98 ° F (37 ° C) approximately.
Main characteristics:
The season of the Taricaya turtles! Egg-laying takes place in July and the time of birth and release into the waters of the reserve is between October and November
Prepare yourself for the arrival of the migratory birds that visit us from Chile, Argentina, the
United States, among other countries, for their mating season
Watch the curious mammals of the reserve approaching the riverbanks to drink water and fish, among them you will see the famous ronsoco (capybara), the largest and heaviest rodent in the world
Enjoy the beaches that form on the riverbanks for a true summer experience in the Amazon
Learn about the life and economy of the communities and how it varies according to the seasonal crops (beans, rice, corn, etc.)
Get adventurous and explore the floodplain forests of the reserve
Amazonian biodiversity
THE Flora
The reserve has more than 965 species of flora
The flora of the RNPS is one of the most diverse in the forest, which remains flooded almost all year round. Approximately 965 species of wild plants and 59 species of cultivated plants have been identified, including orchids, palms, ferns and other plants that make the Reserve’s landscape unique in this part of the Amazon. We can also find a diversity of medicinal plants and wood species such as mahogany, cedar, tornillo, moena, lupuna, capinurí, bolaina, capirona, among others.
We must underline the large extensions of aguaje palm trees (Mauritia flexuosa), and trees like the renaco that form the floodable forest we can see on the riverside. In addition, there are other important species such as the aya uma, palms like the pihuayo, the shapaja, and the unguruhui, these palms are very popular for their fruits.
THE Fauna
Nearly 1000 species inhabit our wetland forest
The conditions provided by this ecosystem provide the presence of more than 1,025 species of vertebrates, which represents 27% of the diversity of these species in Peru and 36% of the total registered for the Amazon. It is home to wildlife species considered as indicators of good conservancy standards such as the sea cow or manatee (Trichechus inunguis); the pink dolphin (Inia geoffrensis); the gray dolphin (Sotalia fluviatilis); the white-bellied spider or maquisapa monkey (Ateles beltzebuth); the giant otter (Pteronura brasiliensis); the puma (Puma concolor); the sachavaca (Tapirus terrestris); the otorongo or jaguar (Panthera onca); the huangana (Tayassu pecari); the sajino (Tayassu tajacu); the red deer (Mazama americana); the maquisapa or Red-faced spider monkey (Ateles paniscus); the coto monkey (Alouatta seniculus) and the choro monkey (Lagothrix lagothricha).
The RNPS is the habitat for 449 species of birds, where those related to aquatic environments stand out. Among them, we can mention the white heron (Egretta alba); the ash heron (Ardea cocoi); the puma heron (Tigrisoma lineatum); the cushuri (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) and several other species.
Among the reptiles we find the charapa turtle (Podocnemis expansa); the taricaya turtle (Podocnemis unifilis); the black lizard (Melanosuchus niger) and the white lizard (Caiman crocodylus). The hydro-biological resources are the most important in the RNPS both for their role in the ecological processes and for their economic value, being the basis of the local peoples’ diets.
The main species for large human consumption are the paiche (Arapaima gigas), the dorado (Brachyplatystoma rousseauxii), the maiden (Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum) and the tower fish (Phractocephalus hemiliopterus); and the medium and small species such as the gamitana (Colossoma macropomum), the sábalo (Brycon melanopterus), the corvina (Plagioscion squamosissimus), the boquichico (Prochilodus nigricans), the palometa (Mylossoma duriventris), among other very appreciated species.
It is also important to mention the large presence of ornamental fish that are caught for exports, such as the tiger (Tigrinus peruvianus), the arahuana (Osteoglossum bicirrhosum), the ray (Potamotrygon motoro), the tetra (Hyphessobrycon erythrostigma) among tens of other species.
