Peru is a country that has unique geographical characteristics, such as its position in the tropics; possessing cold waters on its coast, caused by the constant presence of the Humboldt current; and, to crown its unique characteristics, it has the most complex Andean mountain system in all of South America, where from its high mountains the waters that result in the great Amazon are precipitated. These characteristics converge to give rise to a mega diverse country, one of the 17 biologically richest countries in the world.

Peru is among the ten countries with the greatest biological diversity on the planet, it has 87 of the 117 existing life zones; 28 types of climate of the 32 existing ones; in its 18 snowy mountain ranges it has 3044 glaciers, ranking among the 20 major glacial areas of the world; It has the 2nd largest portion of the Amazon forest on the planet; it is the 4th in owning tropical forests, with 62 million hectares and means 62% of its territory; it occupies the 2nd place in number of bird species, it also lodges 128 of the most important AICAs (Areas of Importance for the Conservation of Birds) of the planet; 5th place in number of mammal species, with 515 species; 5th place in number of reptiles, with 418 species; 4th place in number of amphibians, with 449 species; 8th place in number of species of plants with flowers, with 25 thousand species described; in butterflies has 3532 species; it harbors 4000 species of orchids, 10% of the total of the world; in fish species is also one of the most important, both in marine and continental fish.

The main areas that concentrate most of this great biodiversity are within natural areas protected by the Peruvian State. These spaces are ideal to develop tourist activities that, in addition to relaxing, bring us closer to having unique natural experiences.

The coast of Peru is one of the most fabulous ecosystems and easy to visit, since a short time of navigation you can see several of its life-packed scenes; It is possible to observe sea lions, guano birds, Humboldt penguins and even Andean condors at some times. The most emblematic scenarios can be found navigating gently in the Ballestas Islands (in the Ica region) or in the Palomino Islands (near the capital, Lima).

The navigation through the Amazon will take us into the dense jungle, populated by a huge variety of multicolored birds and intimidating cats, in the middle of a lush vegetation.

On the roads that cross the Andes are the most impressive mountain landscapes of southern America. The Andes have reserved for Peru a system that hosts a dozen and a half mountain ranges with perpetual glaciers, thousands of lagoons that give rise to torrential rivers that run through the country, giving life to thousands of villages whose subsistence is based on agriculture and cattle raising. Within this complex, and at the same time beautiful, mountains such as the Cordillera Blanca, in the northwest of the country, stand out. This mountain range is considered the highest in the tropics, an emblematic place for travelers and mountaineers of the world who, among its mountains, find suitable spaces to live the best adventures in the Andes. One of the most spectacular experiences of the Andean heights is to observe the flight of the condor, a bird of great importance that imposes itself with its elegant and mythical style of flight; being the colca canyon the ideal place for this experience.

This is just a small account of Peru’s great biodiversity; I invite you to enjoy, appreciate and learn about the invaluable wealth of this mega-diverse country.

Edson Ramírez