T
P
’sTambopa-
taRiverfromPuertoMaldonado
beneathaneveningAmazonian
sun,Iamgiventheobligatory
lecturetostaycenteredinthe
narrowboat—nosuddenmove-
mentsplease,nowildrushingtoonesideandthe
othertosnapphotosofrain-forestcreatures,for
thereisnotellingwhatwemightseehereina
placebothrareandbeautiful.Hereinthesouth-
easterncornerofPeru,nearly80percentofthe
regionofMadredeDiosisprotected.
AndsoIammildlysurprisedwhentheboat
driverstandsandshouts,abandoningthetillerto
leanfaroutovertheportside,cellphonecamera
inhand.EnzoMaricheAncasiisrightbesidehim.
EnzogesturestomeandIjointhem,thethreeof
us—rule-breakersall—leaningouttogapeatthe
blackcaiman,eightgloriousfeetofprehistoric
reptile,stretchedupontheriverbank.
“It isveryunusual toseethemontheriver,”
whispersEnzo. “Theyaremostly livingonthe
lake,andeventheretheyareshyand it ishard
toseethem.”
Ourboatthrobs idly,holding itsown
againstthesweepingbrownriver.Noonetakes
hiseyesothecaiman.
Verysoftlymynew friendEnzosays, “The
nature isamazing.”
Regardingnature,Enzo is,ofcourse, spot
on.Butbetterstill forEnzoandthosewhovisit
Tambopata, fewplacesshowcasetheamazing
breadthanddepthofnature liketheAma-
zonianrain forest:otherworldlycreatures,
astonishingadaptations,andterribleDarwin-
ianbattles forsurvival—up, in,andundera
riotouscanopythatcomprises just2percent
oftheEarth’ssurface,yetholds50percentof
itsspecies.Perhapsmostastonishingofall
isthat,despitethiscornucopiaofecological
excess,Peru’srain forest isoftenoverlooked
bytravelers.
AsEnzo’s fellowRainforestExpeditions
guideKatherineTorresputs itonenightover
dinner, “The faceofPeru isMachuPicchu.”
Thisisaprofoundshame.Don’tgetme
wrong.IhavebeentoMachuPicchuanditis
indeedalife-changingplace,butnowIcanalso
tellyouthatPeru’srainforestwillaccomplish
preciselythesamemagic,stampingyouwith
momentsandmemoriesyouwillneverforget.
Happily, too,youwon’thavetorolloutyour
sleepingbag inaskeeter-infestedbogtogarner
thesememories.Althoughecotourismhas
onlycometotheTambopataregion inthepast
20years,alreadysome10dierentcompanies
ANIMALENCOUNTERS:
FROM
LEFT
:
Aprehistoric-lookingblackcaiman, the largestof the
alligator species, lies inwait in thewater; theaptlynamedhowlermonkey.
OPPOSITEPAGE:MICHAELLANGFORD/GETTY IMAGES; THISPAGE: THOMASMARENTGETTY IMAGES
SUMMER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
