Ayacucho Jungle

The eastern slopes of Ayacucho descend from the Andean highlands into the forested valleys of the Apurímac basin. Rivers cut deeply through the mountains, carrying water towards the Amazon and separating steep ridges clothed in tropical vegetation. The contrast between these warm valleys and the cold puna above gives the eastern side of the Andes a markedly different character from the open highland basins around Ayacucho.