Protected Areas

The Peruvian system of Protected Areas, SINANPE, covers nearly the 10% of the country's surface and is composed by: 8 National parks, 8 National reserves, 6 National sanctuaries, 3 Historic sanctuaries and 20 other reserved areas.

National Parks
The national parks were created to protect and preserve plants and wildlife and the landscapes of an specific area. Human settlements are forbidden in these places, unless they are native tribes. None of the natural resources, including flora and fauna, can be taken from the national parks. The first national park was established in 1961 and the last one in 1995. Plan your trip to these wonderful national parks:

Parque Nacional de Cutervo (Cajamarca) Parque Nacional de Tingo María (Huánuco) Parque Nacional del Manu (Cusco-Madre de Dios) Parque Nacional Huascarán (Ancash) Parque Nacional Cerros de Amotape (Tumbes-Piura) Parque Nacional Río Abiseo (San Martín) Parque Nacional Yanachaga-Chemillén (Pasco) Parque Nacional Bahuaja-Sonene (Puno-Madre de Dios)

National Reserves
Created for the protection and propagation of wildlife, the national reserves are these protected areas where wildlife resources can only be used by the State. In Peru, you can visit the following national reserves:

Reserva Nacional de Pampa Galeras (Ayacucho) Reserva Nacional de Junín (Junín) Reserva Nacional de Paracas (Ica) Reserva Nacional Lomas de Lachay (Lima) Reserva Nacional del Titicaca (Puno) Reserva Nacional Salinas y Aguada Blanca (Arequipa-Moquegua) Reserva Nacional de Calipuy (La Libertad) Reserva Nacional Pacaya Samiria (Loreto)

National Sanctuaries
The national sanctuaries are these areas created to protect intangibly an specific specie or community of flora and/or fauna, as well as natural formations of landscape or scientific importance. We can find these places in three natural regions of Peru:

Santuario Nacional de Huayllay (Pasco) Santuario Nacional de Calipuy (La Libertad) Santuario Nacional Lagunas de Mejía (Arequipa) Santuario Nacional de Ampay (Apurímac) Santuario Nacional Manglares de Tumbes (Tumbes) Santuario Nacional Tabaconas-Namballe (Cajamarca)

Historic Sanctuaries
The sites that once before were decisives in the Peruvian history are called historic sanctuaries and, although there should be more, only three places have been considered in the national official list:

Santuario Histórico de Chacamarca (Junín) Santuario Histórico Pampas de Ayacucho (Ayacucho) Santuario Histórico de Machu Picchu (Cusco)