Cerros de Amotape National Park

National Park

With its four different ecosystems, the Cerros de Amotape National Park, south of Tumbes, stands out as one of the finest models of an equatorial dry forest on the Pacific coast. Here's where you can enjoy a 100 different types of birds, amphibians, butterflies, and mammals, including the giant sloth bear, boa constrictors, and the American Crocodile, the latter an endangered specie, along with 44 varieties of trees, 47 different types of bushes, and 61 species of plants, including four varieties of orchids.

Amotape is at its most humid from December to April, and generally drier throughout the rest of the year.

This park is 30 to 40 minutes from Tumbes, but can only be accessed through a tour agency.

Permission to enter this park must be obtained from the Instituto Nacional de Recursos Naturales (INRENA) in Tumbes (Avenida Tarapacá 427, Tel.: 52-6489). It is easier to go on tour to this reserve, as the agency takes care of the permit.

OTHER THINGS TO DO & SEE: Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary, Tumbes National Forest; Los Hervideros and El Tubo hot springs; surfing, bird watching, fishing.