Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary

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The Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary is a national park located in the Tumbes Department of Peru. It is similar to the Everglades National Park in Florida, USA while it is known to be less saturated by tourism. They contain many different spieces of flora and fauna from many different animal groups. It is just picking up pace in tourism as the beach resort of Mancora three hours to the south is booming.

Although hard to imagine, during the summer months from December to March, the swamp dries up to become a large canyon encompassed by the surrounging brush. During this time, seafood farmers collect crabs, black conches, and shrimp to be exported through the port of Paita.

[edit] Biodiversity

The mangrove stands are home to an abundant number of common and endemic species. Besides the famous mollusks and crustaceans (black conchs and shrimp), the sanctuary protects a large variety of commercially important fish, more than 200 species of birds (including many rare or endangered species), and rare and threatened mammals, including the Crab-eating raccoon (Procyon cancrivorus) and the neotropical otter (Lutra longicaudis). Mangrove forests composed of over 40 varieties of plants, among them the distinguished Red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle).

[edit] Threats

The principal threats to Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary are the presence of shrimp farmers who deforest and pollute the area, the excessive extraction of natural resources (particularly conchs and crabs), and pollution from surrounding villages. Other threats include: contamination from domestic effluents and agricultural runoff; forest and scrubland destruction to create fish farms; increasing unregulated tourism; and the negative influence of the El Niño phenomenon, which alters ecosystem patterns affecting mangroves.

[edit] Tourism

The Manglares is a major tourist destination in the Tumbes Department. It is reachable by direct mototaxi service from Tumbes. The mototaxitrip takes an estimated twenty minutes and costs around S/.15 ($4.50USD). From the small port various boats are docked waiting for passengers. The tour lasts 4 hours and includes a separate tour to the Crocidile Island Zoo. The total voyage costs S/.80 ($25USD) and consists of a private motorboat and a very informative private local tour guide. The boats can accommodate up to 8 people so therefore fares can easily be divided by separate parties. The Manglares are very often visited by day trips from tourists to the major beach resort town of Mancora. Mancora receives an average of 340,000 visitors a year many of which take the day trip to the Manglares and other destinations in Tumbes. The trip from Mancora takes about 3 hours and can be reached by various methods. Collectivos (marked "Tumbes") run from Mancora all the way to the 1278 kilometer of the Pan American Highway (passing through Tumbes) to the junction of the smaller road leading to Puerto Pizarro. From the junction at the 1278 kilometer (After the city of Tumbes) taxis to the dock cost S/.5 soles ($1.50USD). Collectivos can run back and forth looking for passengers in Mancora anywhere from 5-20 minutes before starting off on the trip. The fare for the collectivo costs S/.6 ($2USD). Going by taxi to the Manglares from Mancora is very inconvenient as it costs around S/.120 ($37USD) or S/.240 ($75USD) roundtrip. It is only for travelers who want to have a more direct, fast, private, and comfortable service and have a little extra cash to spend. In contrast the collectivo plus the mototaxi cost $8USD roundtrip while the taxi costs $75USD.