Back in July I posted some elevation profiles traveling from Cusco to Manu National Park on the edge of the Andes down to Hacienda Villa Carmen in the Amazon Basin. Those profiles were created from readings on a GPS unit I had with me as we made the drive. The drop from 10 thousand feet above sea level to 1 thousand feet over 50 miles driving is pretty dramatic, so I went into Google Earth to see what the elevation profile would look like in a straight line. Taking out all the twists, turns, and switchbacks- it's really only about 25 miles from Manu to Villa Carmen- making the drop off twice as rapid as I had gathered from the GPS (and cutting in half the amount of land needing protection). The amount of wildlife and plantlife in that 25 mile stretch is unbelievable. On my last trip down, we stopped at the Wayqecha Biological Station and talked to researchers who were finding new, undescribed bird and insect species almost every time they went out. Anyway, that 25 mile wide ribbon from Andes to Amazon extends all the way through Peru- and we're working to protect it in Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.
Straight line from Manu National Park entrance near Tres Cruces to Hacienda Villa Carmen:
Driving:
