Trips to the Park requires prior permission 3 days in advance so the it is essential to book this trip before arriving in Manaus.
Parque Nacional do Jaú
The
Park is situated in the lowland plateau in the Western Amazon and North of
Amazon State and it is the largest National Park in Brazil, in Latin America
second only to Parque Nacional Canaima in Venezuela. It is 2,272,000 hectares
big and 1,250 km of perimeter. It was created on 24th September 1980. It is of
paramount importance in ecological terms for its high endemism and richness of
its wild flora and fauna. Part of the Park area constitutes of varzea
denominated as Pluvial Lowland .Terra firme is divided in two: (1) large flat
tops separated by shallow valleys occupying the largest area, and (2) small
hills on a higher level. There are small areas which are flatened by sand
sediments in the Park central part. Open Forest is predominant throughout
represented by either Tidal Flat Open Palm Forest especially in varzeas
alongside Jau and Carabinani rivers, or Tidal Flat Canopy Dense Forests. In the
tidal flat areas , frequentely flooded, alongside the Carabinani and Jau rivers
t ere are a great number of palm trees such as paxiúbas (Iriarte spp), cabbage
palm (Euterpe oleraceae) and Jauaria (Astrocaryon spp). In older tidal areas,
rarely flooded, the predominant palms are miriti and carana (Mauritia spp).
Many other tree species are found in the Park area, some of them with
commercial value such as brazilnut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) and sucupira
(Bowdichia virgilioides).
The local fauna include fish as acará, pirarucu, traira,
tucunaré, tambaqui, piraiba, pacu, piracatinga, pirarara, piranha among others.
The most important reptiles are the land turtle, river alligator, jacaretinga,
sucuri and tortoise. The birds that stand out are macaws, herons, jacus,
inhambús, parrots, bacuraus and the mammals are tapirs, giant otters, river
dolphins, caitetu, capybaras, agoutis, guariba vermelho, several kinds of
monkeys, pumas and jaguars, pacas, manatees, sloths, armadillos and deers among
others.
