Jaguars- Manu National Park (Peruvian Amazon)

This classic “stalk and ambush” predator is the largest and most dangerous big cat in the Western Hemisphere. Although deadly encounters with humans are rare, jags have all the tools to rip you apart in seconds: incredibly powerful jaws combined with razor sharp teeth and claws. Unlike other big cats, which debilitate their prey with a bite to the back of the neck, the jaguar wraps its vice-like mouth right around the victim’s head, plunging its fangs directly into the brain. Peru’s sprawling Manu National Park is ideal habitat for jaguars—thick rainforest with numerous streams and oxbow lakes where prey like deer gather. Inkanatura Travel can arrange customized camping expeditions in search of jaguars. Or bunk at the comfy Manu Wildlife Center lodge on the banks of the Madre de Dios River, downriver from the park entrance.

For more information: Inka Natura & Manu Wildlife Center