A journey to South America is not complete without a visit to the Amazon Rainforest. The Amazon is the largest tropical rain forest on Earth, covering about 2.7 million square miles (seven million square kilometers) or 90% the size of the 48 lower states of the U.S. Although the Upper Amazon of Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia is only 20% of this total, it represents the wildest, most wildlife-packed rain forest in the world. The density and diversity of Amazonian animal and plant species reach global maxima in the extreme western Amazon, near the foot of the Andes, precisely the location of many of the lodges and other experiences we offer.