Brown Capuchins

Conservation International rates Peru among the top “Megadiversity Countries”. The vastness of the country’s natural areas and its tremendous variety of habitats are the main reasons for this “megadiversity”. On this trip we will cover a large range of Peru’s habitats, from the orchid laden cloud forest where Spectacled Bears and Andean Cock-of-the-Rocks still live unmolested to untouched Amazon rainforest where many species of monkeys abound and Jaguar and Tapir still roam, and from high Andean grasslands to the coastal desert and offshore waters.

In the Amazonian lowlands we will explore natural areas that set the standard against which natural purity is judged. The Manu Biosphere Reserve has the highest diversity of life on Earth and is one of the most important conservation units in the world. A trip to Manu is a trip to one of the world's great wilderness areas where wildlife is enormously plentiful. After exploring rich Amazonian rivers and forests, we will be refreshed by the high-altitude cool of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley of the Incas, with ample time to discover the immortal remains of the Incan culture. We will enjoy the Quechuan culture of Cusco, Ollantaytambo, Saccsayhuaman and the ruins of Machu Picchu, some of the world's greatest archaeology in a landscape of dramatic mountains. Extend your travels if you wish to end along Peru’s Pacific coast, where we will explore one of the richest marine zones in the world.

Cost: $4850, including flight from Boca Manu and all meals, except in Lima. Single supplement: $860. Optional extension to Paracas on the Peruvian coast: $550, single supplement: $100

Airfare: approximately $850 to Lima, depending on departure point, plus approximately $200 on LanPeru or LACSA from Lima to Cusco round trip. (quoted 7/06)

Deposit: $500 of which $150 is refundable. Group size limit: 12, plus leaders

Leaders: Paul Donahue and Teresa Wood

Leaders: Paul Donahue and Teresa Wood. Paul Donahue is an ornithologist, naturalist, bird painter and environmental activist. He has been working in the rainforests of South and Central America since 1972, tape-recording bird vocalizations, painting birds, guiding natural history tours, and, since 1988, working in the rainforest canopy. He has spent a total of seven years working with birds in the rainforest of southeastern Peru, including a year in Manu, where he has led dozens of birding trips. Teresa Wood received her B.S. in Zoology from the University of California, Davis, and a B.S. in Nursing from California State University, Fresno. She then served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Paraguay for three years. After leaving Peace Corps in l989, she began working with Paul in the rainforest canopy. She has spent several years in the Amazonian rainforest of Peru, including a year in the Manu region, and has led several birding trips to the area with Paul. They have been leading tours with Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris since the 80’s.

Conditions: A non-smoking tour
Itinerary updated 7/2006

• May 17: Arrive in Lima on the coast of Peru and spend the night there.
• May 18: Fly from Lima to highland Cusco, and traverse the Andes to the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.
• May 19: Visit an active Cock-of-the-Rock lek and explore cloud forest trails.
• May 20: Explore subtropical cloud forests above Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.
• May 21: Travel by road down to Amazonia Lodge in the Andean foothills.
• May 22: Travel by boat down the Rio Alto Madre de Dios to Boca Manu.
• May 23: Travel by boat up the Rio Manu to the Manu Biosphere Reserve.
• May 24: Explore Cocha Salvador and the surrounding pristine forests.
• May 25: Travel by boat down the Rio Manu and Rio Madre de Dios to Manu Wildlife Center.
• May 26: Visit Manu Wildlife Center’s canopy tower and explore the trail system.
• May 27: Visit Cocha Camungo and explore more of Manu Wildlife Center’s forest.
• May 28: Travel upriver to Boca Manu, fly to Cusco, then drive to Ollantaytambo.
• May 29: Travel by train from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu and spend the rest of the day in the ruins.
• May 30: Travel by train from Machu Picchu to Cusco.
• May 31: Day in Cusco to explore the ruins of Saccsayhuaman and other important cultural sites.
• June 1-2: Fly from Cusco to Lima, and departures home or south along the coast to Paracas.
  
  Optional extension along the Peruvian Coast:
• June 2: Boat trip to the seabird islands off the Paracas Peninsula.
• June 3-4: Explore the Paracas Peninsula then drive from Paracas to Lima and departures home

 
Detailed Itinerary:

May 17, Thursday: Arrival in Lima
Arrive in Lima where you will be met at the airport and taken to the Hotel Jose Antonio in the residential Miraflores section of the city for the night. Meals will be on your own today to accommodate varying arrival schedules. Lodging: Hotel Jose Antonio in Lima.

May 18, Friday: Peruvian highlands to subtropical cloud forest
This morning’s early morning flight will carry us from the Pacific Coast to Cusco, high in the heart of the great and dramatic Andes Mountains. Upon arrival in Cusco, we will transfer to our expedition truck for a trip across the Peruvian highlands and down the east slope of the Andes. Winding our way up and down through dry inter-montane valleys, we will pass through traditional Quechua villages. Along the way we will stop for a picnic lunch. When we reach Acjanaco, the last Andean pass, if the weather is clear we will be treated to an expansive view down into the vast Amazon Basin.

From this vista at 3600 meters we can look down on the Manu Biosphere Reserve and see more pristine rainforest than is preserved in all of Central America. Manu is said to be the most undisturbed rainforest left on Earth. It has been designated an IUCN "World Heritage Site" to recognize and hopefully maintain its splendor. To date over 1,100 bird species have been recorded within the reserve and its wide variety of habitats - an entire watershed, from Andean grasslands, elfin forests, and cloud forests to lowland rainforests. At this high point in the Andes there is a chance to see Andean Condors, as well as grassland species like Puna Thistletail and Streak-throated Canastero. From the grasslands of the pass we then descend the eastern slope of the Andes. As we drop in elevation, passing cascading waterfalls, the forest gradually becomes more continuous. The misty cloudforest here is draped with orchids and epiphytes, many of which remain undescribed to science. Time permitting, we will stop to walk along the road, looking for mixed-species flocks of tanagers and flycatchers.

In late afternoon we will arrive at our lodge at 1600 meters, the very comfortable Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge. The lighting is by lanterns, the meals are excellent and the cabins have private baths with hot showers. Any extra luggage can travel with us as far as the Cock of the Rock lodge, then will be taken back to be stored in Cusco. Lodging: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.

Cock-of-the-Rock

May 19, Saturday: Cock-of-the-Rock lek and exploring the cloud forest
The subtropical humid forest in the vicinity of the Cock-of -the-Rock Lodge is a birder’s paradise. An Andean Cock-of-the-Rock lek a five minute walk from the lodge is the largest known lek of this species in the world. We will begin there at dawn to watch the strange mating dance of these spectacular birds. We'll hope for a busy day; up to 20 males congregate at this spot to display! When activity at the lek quiets down, we will return to the lodge for breakfast. While eating we will be treated to Violet-fronted Brilliant hummingbirds and Brown Capuchin monkeys that come to the lodge’s feeding stations. The remainder of the morning will be spent exploring trails through the cloud forest in the vicinity of the lodge. Some special birds are found in the forest here, including Black-streaked Puffbird, Versicolored Barbet, Cerulean-capped Manakin, and an as yet undescribed species of tanager. After lunch, we will walk through the forest along the road below the lodge. Lodging: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.

May 20, Sunday: Subtropical cloud forest
On the slopes of the Andes, the bird species change along with the elevation. So, to see a good selection of the birds, it is important to cover a wide elevation range. This morning we will depart early and travel in our safari truck back up the road above the lodge, then spend the rest of the day slowly making our way downhill on foot. Along the way we should encounter numerous mixed flocks of colorful tanagers. Tanagers reach their peak of diversity in the cloudforest, and flocks here contain many species, including Grass-green Tanager, Black-eared Hemispingus, Rust and Yellow Tanager, Black-goggled Tanager, White-winged Tanager, Blue-capped Tanager, Hooded Mountain-Tanager, Scarlet-bellied Mountain-Tanager, Golden-collared Tanager, and Orange-eared Tanager. Some of the other special birds we may see are Black and Chestnut Eagle, Golden-headed Quetzal, Highland Motmot, Blue-banded Toucanet, and Gray-mantled Wren. Lodging: Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge.

May 21, Monday: Subtropical cloud forest to Andean foothills
This morning will provide a second opportunity to visit the Cock-of-the-Rock lek. After breakfast, we will then leave the Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge at 1600 meters and meander down through the upper tropical zone forest to 500 meters elevation. This zone has disappeared on much of the Andean slopes in South America because of its suitability for cash crops, such as tea, coffee and coca. So we can feel particularly lucky for the opportunity to see some of what remains of this forest type. In the forest and bamboo thickets some of the birds we will be looking for are Rufous-webbed Brilliant, Emerald Toucanet, Black-backed Tody-Flycatcher, Chestnut-backed Antshrike, Cinnamon-faced Tyrannulet, Ornate Flycatcher, and Saffron-crowned Tanager. With luck we will have views of a flock of Military Macaws flying over the forested slopes, and we will keep an eye open for Amazonian Umbrellabird. In the afternoon we will arrive at the Rio Alto Madre de Dios by the small village of Atalaya. From here we will be ferried across the river to Amazonia Lodge, a former tea plantation nestled in the Andean foothills in the buffer zone of Manu National Park. Lodging: Amazonia Lodge.

May 22, Tuesday: Upper tropical zone foothill forest of Amazonia Lodge and Rio Alto Madre de Dios
We will spend much of the morning exploring Amazonia Lodge’s trail system and small oxbow lake. The bird list for the lodge is long, with many species much easier to find here than farther downriver in the Manu lowlands. Some of the birds we hope to see here this morning are Military Macaw, Blue-headed Macaw, Koepcke’s Hermit, Rufous-crested Coquette, Dot-winged and Stripe-chested Antwrens, Purplish Jay and Blue-necked Tanager. In late morning we will then board a motorized, covered dugout canoe for a six-hour boat trip down the Rio Alto Madre de Dios to its confluence with the Rio Madre de Dios in the Amazon lowlands. Passing through the lushly forested foothills, this stretch of river is rocky and fast moving. Along with a host of other waterbirds, rare Fasciated Tiger-Herons can be seen feeding in the stony shallows. We'll overnight near the village of Boca Manu in a small, locally built and managed lodge across the river from the airstrip of Boca Manu. Lodging: Wildlife Lodge, Boca Manu

May 23, Wednesday: Rio Manu and the Manu Biosphere Reserve
Leaving Boca Manu, we will turn up the wildlife-rich Rio Manu, heading up into the Manu Biosphere Reserve. We will have to make a brief stop at the park ranger station at Limonal to present our permits. From there we will travel upriver for about another five hours. In much of the Amazon Basin, deforestation, development and mining blight the riversides, and poaching depletes the wildlife. Not here! As we travel upriver, each curve will reveal a beach that may hold Black or White Caimans, turtles, riverside birds, and mammals such as Capybara or Peccary. If we are very lucky we may even see a Jaguar, which can occasionally be seen sunning on the beaches. Both the large, vociferous Red Howler Monkeys and the smaller Squirrel Monkeys are possible in the riverside forests. Beaches, especially in the dry season, are loaded with nesting and feeding birds such as White-necked Heron, egrets, Horned Screamer, Orinoco Goose, Pied Lapwing, Collared Plover, Large-billed and Yellow-billed Terns and Black Skimmer. Hundreds of Sand-colored Nightjars roost during the day on logs and beaches. Fly-overs are frequent, including many species of macaws, parakeets and parrots. For the ecologist, the riverside vegetation along the Manu River is a study in plant succession as beaches build and erode. Researchers have documented the specialization of bird species within the stages of succession on these beaches.

In the afternoon we will arrive at our safari camp along the Rio Manu. The camp is our most rustic accommodation, but we are well cared for with flush toilets, simple shower facilities and large walk-in tents on raised roofed wooden platforms with cots for sleeping. We'll have the remainder of the afternoon to explore some of the trails through the pristine rainforest in the area. Lodging: Campamento Aquaje in the Manu Biosphere Reserve.

May 24, Thursday: Cocha Salvador in the Manu Biosphere Reserve
After breakfast we'll spend the morning across the river at Cocha Salvador, an old oxbow of the Rio Manu. Some of the time will be spent canoeing the lake on a floating platform observing oxbow lake animal life from the water. We may encounter an Anhinga, Capped Heron, Rufescent Tiger-Heron or a Sungrebe. White-fronted Capuchin Monkeys are often feeding on fruiting trees nearby. Specially constructed piers that jut out into the lake enable us to look for a family of Giant Otters that live here. These, the world's largest freshwater carnivorous mammals, remain common in few places outside Manu, hunted to extinction throughout most of their former range for their beautiful fur. Each animal consumes between 4 and 5 kilos of fish daily and often they can be seen eating large fish on logs at the lakeside.

The forest surrounding the lake is rich in birdlife. One specialty found here is Black-faced Cotinga, a gray and black bird that feeds on mistletoe fruits in the forest canopy. With some luck we may also find a fruiting tree with Common Piping-Guans, or a pair of Razor-billed Curassows foraging on the forest floor. A visit to Cocha Otorongo, another oxbow lake, is planned for the afternoon. Here observation piers and a 20-meter observation tower overlooking the lake are available for observing wildlife. Again we will be on the lookout for a large family of Giant Otters that inhabit this lake. We can then enjoy a late afternoon swim in the river near the camp as the sun sets. After dinner we will venture into the forest in search of nocturnal creatures. The lakes are full of eye-shine of the large Black Caiman and if we are lucky we may encounter an Olingo, Kinkajou or even an Ocelot on the trails. Certainly the nighttime noise of tree frogs and insects in the forest is an experience not to be forgotten. Lodging: Campamento Aquaje in the Manu Biosphere Reserve.

May 25, Friday: Cocha Otorongo and downriver to Manu Wildlife Center
This morning we will walk from camp through the forest to Cocha Otorongo. We may encounter troops of monkeys. This is a particularly good trail for Woolly Monkey. We'll be met at the river by our cook with a picnic lunch and then board our motorized dugout for the six-hour trip down river to Manu Wildlife Center for the night. Traveling first along the Rio Manu and then the Rio Madre de Dios, we will arrive in late afternoon at the Manu Wildlife Center. Manu Expeditions and PeruVerde, a Peruvian conservation organization, jointly own Manu Wildlife Center. We will enjoy three nights here in spacious and comfortably rustic cabins with hot water showers! Lighting is by lanterns, candles and flashlights. Without a noisy generator, wildlife is much more abundant on the lodge grounds. The birding is wonderful and primates are often viewed feeding in the trees around the lodge. Lodging: Manu Wildlife Center.

Red and Green Macaws

May 26, Saturday: Manu Wildlife Center
We will awake this morning to a bird song-filled dawn. One of the highlights of Manu Wildlife Center is a canopy tower, accessible via a spiral staircase, in a huge Ceiba or kapok tree about fifteen minutes walk from the lodge. We will head out there first thing to experience early morning in the rainforest canopy. More than half of all the life forms on Earth are found in rainforests and of these, more than half are found only in the rainforest canopy. A canopy tower, like the one here, provides a wonderful window into this fascinating world. Many of the most spectacular birds in the rainforest are found only in the canopy. While most birds are quite shy of ground-based observers, they are much less concerned with large primates in the treetops, and occasionally approach quite closely. The bird possibilities from the tower are many: Orange-cheeked Parrot, Black-bellied Cuckoo, Black-eared Fairy, Pavonine Quetzal, White-tailed Trogon, White-necked Puffbird, Gilded Barbet, Cuvier’s Toucan, Curl-crested and Brown-mandibled Aracaris, Plum-throated Cotinga, Paradise Tanager, Yellow-bellied Dacnis, and Yellow-shouldered Grosbeak, to name but a few.

We will spend the midday around the wildlife center, relaxing or exploring the biodiversity-rich grounds and nearby trails. Because the grounds are more open than deeper inside the forest, wildlife is often very visible and photogenic here. In the afternoon we will explore the Manu Wildlife Center’s extensive trail system. The area around this lodge has a great diversity of forest types, and thus very high biodiversity. Mature floodplain forest, terra firme forest, river edge zabolo, sartenjales, Mauritia palm swamps, and dense stands of spiny Guadua bamboo combine to support a tremendous diversity of birds and mammals. If we are lucky, we may come upon a troop of Pale-winged Trumpeters, or an army ant swarm attended by Black-spotted Bare-eye, and White-throated and Hairy-crested Antbirds. Among the many species of mammals found here in the surrounding forest are two species of Tamarin monkeys, the Saddleback and Emperor. The latter, with its long, white moustache, is a rare and precious sight. Other highlights among the 12 species of primates found in the vicinity of the lodge are Goeldi's Monkey, Monk Saki and Black Spider Monkeys. And Jaguars are sometimes spotted most unexpectedly while walking the trails quietly.

At night, tree frogs and insects together build a profound chorus. After dinner each evening, you may choose to join our night-spotting walk. Rich with frogs and bizarre nocturnal insects, each walk will turn up some worthwhile surprise. Lodging: Manu Wildlife Center.

May 27, Sunday: Manu Wildlife Center

Brazilian Tapir

This morning we will travel about 30 minutes down the Rio Madre de Dios to Cocha Camungo, an old oxbow of the river. Overlooking the lake is another canopy tower in a huge Ceiba. This tower provides another perspective over the forest as well as an aerial view of the lake. We will also have the opportunity to paddle slowly around the shore of the lake on a catamaran specially designed for wildlife viewing. One of the creatures we are sure to see is the strange Hoatzin, a primitive-looking turkey-sized bird that lives in groups in the shrubs around the shore of the lake. The young of this unusual bird are born with claws on their wings to help them climb back into their nests if they fall out. Some of the other birds we will be looking for here are Agami Heron, Sungrebe, Gray-breasted Crake, and Masked Crimson Tanager. If we are lucky we may see a family of Giant Otters that lives in the area. In the afternoon we will investigate a large patch of bamboo across the river from the lodge. From a birder’s point of view, bamboo stands are particularly interesting, holding many species of birds restricted to this specialized habitat, such as Rufous-headed Woodpecker, Peruvian Recurvebill, and Bamboo Antshrike. Lodging: Manu Wildlife Center.

May 28, Monday: Flight to Cusco, then travel to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley
This morning we will depart Manu Wildlife Center early and travel upriver to the airstrip at Boca Manu. From Boca Manu we will then take a spectacular 45-minute light aircraft flight over the Andes to Cusco, arriving there by midday. In Cusco we will board our bus for the 89 kilometer trip to Ollantaytambo in the Sacred Valley. Along the way we will stop at the Huarcarpay Lakes, a great birding site just a short ways from Cusco. In this high Andean lake and its associated marshes and scrub we should see a good collection of the birds typical of these habitats, such as Silvery and White-tufted Grebes, Puna Teal, Yellow-billed Pintail, Giant Hummingbird, Green-tailed Trainbearer, Wren-like Rushbird, Rusty-fronted Canastero, Many-colored Rush-Tyrant, Andean Negrito, and Yellow-winged Blackbird. A specialty here is Bearded Mountaineer, a spectacular hummingbird fond of the yellow tubular flowers of the abundant tree tobacco growing around the lake. In later afternoon we will arrive at the Hotel Paucartambo in Ollantaytambo, a town with one of the major archaeological sites in Peru. Lodging: Hotel Paucartambo in Ollantaytambo.

May 29, Tuesday: Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is one of the most magical and mysterious places on Earth! Situated on the spine of a jungle-cloaked granite peak towering some 2,000 feet above an entrenched meander of the roaring river below, the site is frequently shrouded in misty clouds pierced through by the powerful equatorial sun, the Inca god Inti. Constructed from precisely sculpted granite blocks carefully joined with the exposed stone of the surrounding mountain, the site may well be the finest architectural achievement of the New World.

Machu Picchu and Wayna Picchu

We will leave Ollantaytambo at 9:00 am for the train journey to the town of Aguas Calientes and Machu Picchu in the clouds above. As we parallel the Rio Urubamba, we will keep our eyes open for Fasciated Tiger-Herons, Torrent Ducks, White-capped Dippers, and Torrent Tyrannulets on the rocks in the river below. Arriving at Aguas Calientes, we will ascend the switchbacks to the ruins by bus. We will have a guided tour of this mystical archeological complex to hear the full history of Machu Picchu, with many competing theories seeking to explain this "Lost City of the Incas". Machu Picchu is the most impressive site in which to learn of the rise and fall of the ancient civilizations of the Andes and the tragic end of the Inca. The site is also interesting from a birder’s point of view, with Inca Wren, White-winged Black-Tyrant, and Cusco Brush-Finch, among other species. If we are very lucky, we could even see an Andean Condor soaring over the ruins. In late afternoon we will descend from the ruins to Aguas Calientes, where we will spend the night. Lodging: Machu Picchu Inn in Auguas Calientes.

Temple of the Sun, Machu Picchu

May 30, Wednesday: Machu Picchu
Those who have not had enough of Machu Picchu can take the first bus back up to the ruins for an early morning exploration in relative solitude. The rest of us will spend the morning birding downstream along the railroad tracks. The birding can be quite good, with Torrent Duck, nearly a dozen species of highland hummingbirds, including the endemic Green-and-White Hummingbird, plus Golden-headed Quetzal, Masked Trogon, Highland Motmot, Capped Conebill, and Silver-backed Tanager. After lunch, we return on the 3:00 pm train to Cusco. Lodging: Hotel Jose Antonio in Cusco.

May 31, Thursday: Cusco and Sacsayhuaman
We will spend the morning in the nearby Incan ruins of Sacsayhuaman, a dramatic structure that forms the head of Cusco's ethereal puma shape. Sacsayhuaman is worth exploration just to see the amazing stonework, yet has a huge depth of Inca history worked into its walls. After a fascinating visit to the ruins, we will have the afternoon free to explore beautiful and charismatic Cusco. Cusco, in the heart of the Incan empire, is the oldest continuously inhabited city on the continent, with a thriving Quechuan population and dominant colonial architecture. It is quite possibly the most beautiful of all the Andean cities. Lodging: Hotel Jose Antonio in Cusco.

June 1, Friday: Flight to Lima, and departures home or south along the coast to Paracas
After a morning flight from Cusco to Lima, connect to flights homeward or extend your travels with a trip down the Peruvian Coast to some of the richest marine habitats in the world. Extension cost: $550, single supplement: $100. If joining the extension, we will board our bus for a trip through the Sechura Desert, one of the driest deserts in the world. Several irrigated river valleys cross the strip of coastal desert, but in between these green valleys, isolated clumps of terrestrial bromeliads are only vegetation to be seen on the sand dunes. Along the way we will make a couple of stops to try and find some of the distinctive birds of this desert environment, such as Peruvian Thick-Knee, Least Seedsnipe and Slender-billed Finch. Our destination is the small resort town of Paracas at the base of the spectacular Paracas Peninsula. Lodging: Hotel Paracas in Paracas.

June 2, Saturday: Islas Ballestas seabird islands
This morning we will take a boat trip out to the Islas Ballestas, a cluster of guano-covered seabird islands lying several miles off the coast. The cold waters of the Humboldt Current, lying just beyond the islands, are one of the richest marine environments in the world, providing food for countless numbers of seabirds. On the way out to the islands we may see Cape Petrel, Giant Petrel, Peruvian Diving-Petrel, and White-vented and Markham’s Storm-Petrels. The Islas Ballestas are used for nesting by many thousands of Peruvian Boobies and Guanay Cormorants, plus smaller numbers of Red-legged Cormorants, Peruvian Pelicans, and Inca Terns. If we are lucky, we may find a Humboldt Penguin in one of the caves along the shore. In the waters around the islands are Southern Seal Lions and Southern Fur Seals.

For those coming from or continuing on to the Galapagos, this area will provide an interesting contrast. Some of the marine creatures - Southern Fur Seals, Sally Lightfoot Crabs - are shared with the Galapagos, while other species found here are closely related colder water replacements of Galapagos species. Blue-footed Boobies are replaced by Peruvian Boobies and Brown Pelicans are replaced by Peruvian Pelicans. In the afternoon we will travel by bus to the extensive Agua Santa marshes north of Paracas. Gray-hooded Gulls nest here and we should also see White-cheeked Pintail, Black-necked Stilt, lingering North American-breeding shorebirds, and Peruvian Meadowlark. Lodging: Hotel Paracas in Paracas.

June 3 - 4, Sunday - Monday: Paracas Peninsula to Lima and homeward or to Quito
This morning will be spent exploring the spectacular Paracas Peninsula and Bay of Paracas in the Paracas National Reserve, Peru’s only marine reserve. While the interior of the peninsula is a barren moonscape, populated by only a few hardy creatures like Coastal Miners and Tropidurus lizards, the shorelines and inshore waters teem with life. Chilean Flamingoes and Great Grebes use the peninsula’s shallow bays, and along the mudflats and rocky shores are Blackish and American Oystercatchers, Snowy and Puna Plovers, Gray-hooded, Gray, Kelp and Band-tailed Gulls, and Black Skimmers. With luck we may encounter an Andean Condor gliding on the updrafts along the top of the 300-foot cliffs.

After lunch at the hotel, we will then board our bus for the return trip up the coast to Lima. As time permits, we will make a stop or two at interesting spots along the way to look for birds we might have missed so far. We’ll stop at the Hotel Jose Antonio in Lima to freshen up and pick up any luggage stored here during the trip. If you are continuing to Quito, stay the night and fly to Quito tomorrow on the daily morning flight. Lodging optional: Hotel Jose Antonio in Lima

Hotel schedule and schedule of included meals:
(B = breakfast, L = lunch, D = dinner)

• May 17: Arrival and overnight in Lima. Hotel Jose Antonio, Lima
• May 18 - 20: Lima to Cusco. Drive to Cock-of-the-Rock Lodge. B:L:D
• May 21: Amazonia Lodge. B:L:D
• May 22: Wildlife Lodge, Boca Manu. B:L:D
• May 23 - 24: Campamento Aguaje, 2 nights. B:L:D
• May 25 - 27: Manu Wildlife Center, 3 nights. B:L:D
• May 28: Hotel Paucartambo, Ollantaytambo B:L:D
• May 29: Machu Picchu Inn, Aguas Calientes, Machu Picchu B:L:D
• May 30 - 31: Hotel Jose Antonio, Cusco B:L:D
• June 1 - 2: Flights homeward B, or if continuing on extenson: Hotel Paracas in Paracas B:L:D
• June 3: Transfer to airport for night flights to USA or overnight in Lima to connect to Quito on June 4 if continuing on to Ecuador and the Galapagos. B:L

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris
20800 Kittredge Road
Saratoga, CA 95070-6322

Telephone: (800) 527-5330
Locally (408) 741-5330
Fax: (408) 741-0358

Payments & Cancellations: Upon receiving your deposit of $500, we will send trip materials, including a travel guide, reading list, species lists, and maps. A second payment of $500 is due October 1, 2006. The final payment is due on March 1, 2007. Until the due date of the final payment, deposits are refundable except for $150. This may go toward another tour if reservation is made within six months of the trip departure date. There are no refunds given after the final payment. Trip insurance applications are available.

Travel Insurance: Additional information on travel insurance will be provided at the time you register for this trip. If you have any questions about trip insurance please give us a call.

Included: All guiding, hotels and lodges from May 17 to June 3, tours and transport as in the tour description, and all meals except in Lima.

Not Included: Items not included are airfare to and from Lima and to and from Cusco, any airport taxes not included in the airfare, meals in Lima, laundry and other personal expenses, items not on the menu of included meals, bottled beverages including mineral water, room service, gratuities to the bus drivers and others, and the customary end-of-the-tour gratuity for our resident guides. We recommend an average of approximately $8/day.

Concerning Health: Consult your physician about vaccinations, inoculations, malaria prophylactic, etc. No specific vaccinations or inoculations are required to enter Peru. We recommend drinking bottled water or bring a water filter. Bring any specific medicine that you require. If you use corrective lenses, bring an extra pair.

Climate: Temperatures can vary greatly, even in Amazonia. It is less humid in May than from November to April. The Andes can be surprisingly cool all year. Rain can be encountered during any season. We will send a packing list with trip materials when you make your reservation.

Responsibility: Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris, Saratoga, California, act only as agents and shall not be responsible or become liable for any delay incurred by any person in connection with any means of transportation, nor for the loss, damage, or injury to person or property by reason of any event beyond the control of the agency or default of such agency suppliers. We reserve the right to cancel the tour prior to departure in which case full refund will constitute full settlement to the passenger. No refund will be made for any unused portion of the tour unless arrangements are made at the time of booking. All rates are based on current tariffs and exchange rates and are subject to adjustment in the event of any change therein. By sending your initial deposit, you agree to accept our payment schedule as a contract. If payments are still outstanding two weeks after the due date, your space may be forfeited. Baggage is at the owner’s risk.

Cheesemans' Ecology Safaris is registered as California Seller of Travel #2063050-40. Registration as a seller of travel does not constitute approval by the State of California. All payments for transportation or travel service not provided to the passenger shall be promptly refunded, in accordance with terms described above, unless the passenger otherwise instructs us, in writing. All client payments are deposited into a trust account in accordance with California law. This business is a participant in the Travel Consumer Restitution Corporation (TCRC). We will always make due refunds in a timely manner, as we have for over twenty years. However, if we didn't, you, the passenger, may request reimbursement from the TCRC within six months of the scheduled end of the tour. Please feel free to ask us for more information.
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