The area of the Chontachaka reserve is located in the amoriguamiento area of the Manu National Park wich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Biosphere Reserve, and the biggest protected area in Peru.
From high elevation tropical forests, cloud forest, lowland rainforest, oxbow lakes, and lowland jungle rivers that are brimming with life.
The area of influence of the Chontachaka Ecological Reserve is located in the Cloud Forest, in the Qosñipata Valley, within the Manu, one of the world's richest plant species. Wide Amazonian areas such as Cloud Forest or Ceja de Selva, the biodiversity of these ecosystems is high.
The Chontachaka Ecological Reserve manages 200 hectares of forests in the Palmaceda estate, Chontachaka (Qosñipata valley, Manu Biosphere Reserve), where it develops its integral biological restoration project. It has replanted more than 5000 individuals of native tree species since 2006. There are already several communities and individuals in the area willing to join their efforts.
In 2006 we began to develop its ecological restoration project in Manu and in 2009 it was legally established with the firm determination to implement sustainable and realistic solutions that connect us again with the Pachamama (mother earth) .
In our Reserve we can observe butterflies like: Morpho menelaus, Morpho achilles, Diaethria spp., Marpesia sp. and also other butterfly species restricted to the forest like: Cithaerias pireta, Mesosemia sp., Napeogenes spp., Oleria sp.; Hyposcada sp. that fly off and rest along the shoreline and on stones along the river and creeks.
Along the creeks on both sides of the trail we also can observe numerous bird species - although this means to go a bit off the main trail –, like tanagers, traupids, hummingbirds, parrots etc. the calls of which will be with us all the time.
In some of our trails you just need to wait for Woolly Monkeys, Lagothrix lagotrichia, to pass through in groups of 6 to 8 individuals, with the leading male that is larger compared to the other members, always ahead of the group..will be able to observe them feeding on leaves and fruits of trees like “shimbillo”, annonáceas, lauráceas, etc. and looking for insects in the tree canopy, inside old or rotting branches and under the leaves.
The cock-of the-Rock (Rupicola peruviana) which can be observed perched, posing for each other or raising their crests for attracting the females' attention.
Manu is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. Here it is possible to find all the variety of ecological floors that exist in the Amazon and this makes one of the most appreciated protected areas.
From the "cloud forest", between the 600 meters above sea level and the 1650 meters in the fog it is constant to cover a splendid landscape full of vegetation,here there are trees up to 30 m high that are invaded by moss, orchids and ferns, forming a dense forest interrupted only by small streams and waterfalls that are born and lost among the vegetation.
At present it is estimated that this area contains no less than 200 different species of trees with a density that can exceed 700 per hectare.
Butterflies of Chontachaca