The Amazon basin stretches across 9 countries with 2/3 in Brazil, 1/8 in Peru and 1/10 in Colombia, while the rest of the total of 2.7 million sq mi is located in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. Almost all of the land is still covered with forest.
The furthest sources of the Amazon river lie in Peru and Bolivia at a distance of about 6,500 km from the river mouth in the Atlantic. As the lower Andes are rather hilly, the upper watershed of the Amazon have few lakes and narrow rivers they are tough to navigate, making those areas little accessible from the water. []
The weather in the Amazon rainforest is hot and humid, with yearly temperatures averaging about 26C. The abundance rainfall is a result of convection: surface water evaporates and as it rises it cools down, after which it condenses and falls down as rain, thus continuously recycling the water in the region. Additional water originates from rivers from run off from snow peaked mountains in the Andes Mountains.
Having a stunning 40,000 types of plants, the Amazon basin has the greatest species diversity known on the planet. For Brazil alone, between 100,000 and 130,000 types of invertebrates have already been documented. Bird species are represented with up to 2,000 species and mammals with about 430 species. Reptiles make up 380 species, while there are as many as 425 species of amphibians plus a stunning 2,200 types of fishes.
Research in 2001 established that the Rainforest in the Amazon of Ecuador has got the greatest number of species. Studies performed from the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve discovered more species per hectare than for any other area on earth. This all makes little difference to tourists, however, as even scientists on an occasional visit could not see the difference in diversity.
What is way more relevant is the existence of slow flowing creeks and lakes. When one walks through the jungle, it's very difficult to distinguish birds and mammals and plants, which mostly are in the canopy. The contrast between the light of the sky and the leaves is so great, that the latter almost look black. From creeks on the other hand, the opening between the shores is enough to have the light fall on the lower branches of the trees, while one still feels as though in the rainforest, while birds and mammals is visible much better. Moreover, many water birds live along the shores of rivers and lakes. Only the Cuyabeno National Park has slow flowing streams and lakes. Hardly any other national park in the Amazon region from Venezuela to Bolivia offers this kind of jungle experience and wildlife visibility from the water! []
Only around 30 minutes flying and 1 1 / 2 hour by bus over a good asphalt road, Cuyabeno, is South America's most accessible Amazon park. For this reason travelers on Tripadvisor elected the Cuyabeno Lodge among the finest 25 destinations in all of Latin America and the greatest choice for Amazon tours.
The furthest sources of the Amazon river lie in Peru and Bolivia at a distance of about 6,500 km from the river mouth in the Atlantic. As the lower Andes are rather hilly, the upper watershed of the Amazon have few lakes and narrow rivers they are tough to navigate, making those areas little accessible from the water. []
The weather in the Amazon rainforest is hot and humid, with yearly temperatures averaging about 26C. The abundance rainfall is a result of convection: surface water evaporates and as it rises it cools down, after which it condenses and falls down as rain, thus continuously recycling the water in the region. Additional water originates from rivers from run off from snow peaked mountains in the Andes Mountains.
Having a stunning 40,000 types of plants, the Amazon basin has the greatest species diversity known on the planet. For Brazil alone, between 100,000 and 130,000 types of invertebrates have already been documented. Bird species are represented with up to 2,000 species and mammals with about 430 species. Reptiles make up 380 species, while there are as many as 425 species of amphibians plus a stunning 2,200 types of fishes.
Research in 2001 established that the Rainforest in the Amazon of Ecuador has got the greatest number of species. Studies performed from the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve discovered more species per hectare than for any other area on earth. This all makes little difference to tourists, however, as even scientists on an occasional visit could not see the difference in diversity.
What is way more relevant is the existence of slow flowing creeks and lakes. When one walks through the jungle, it's very difficult to distinguish birds and mammals and plants, which mostly are in the canopy. The contrast between the light of the sky and the leaves is so great, that the latter almost look black. From creeks on the other hand, the opening between the shores is enough to have the light fall on the lower branches of the trees, while one still feels as though in the rainforest, while birds and mammals is visible much better. Moreover, many water birds live along the shores of rivers and lakes. Only the Cuyabeno National Park has slow flowing streams and lakes. Hardly any other national park in the Amazon region from Venezuela to Bolivia offers this kind of jungle experience and wildlife visibility from the water! []
Only around 30 minutes flying and 1 1 / 2 hour by bus over a good asphalt road, Cuyabeno, is South America's most accessible Amazon park. For this reason travelers on Tripadvisor elected the Cuyabeno Lodge among the finest 25 destinations in all of Latin America and the greatest choice for Amazon tours.
About the Author:
Concerned about choosing the wrong area for your Amazon visit? Famous tropical ecologist Dr. Vreugdenhil shares his knowledge so you can select a great place for your Amazon holiday. He'll tell you why the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve would be a great destination.
