The Wonders of Peru with Boyd Norton

April 21 - May 4, 2006

Optional Colca Canyon Extension to Photograph Andean Condors:

 May 3 - 7, 2006

                                                              Green tree frog, Tambopata Research Center

DAY 01 APRIL 21 USA – LIMA

DAY 02 APRIL 22 LIMA

In the morning the group will visit the Centro de Lima (Colonial Downtown). With its magnificent squares, monasteries, churches and colonial buildings, UNESCO declared Colonial Lima in 1991 a World Heritage Site. The group will have great chances to photograph Colonial and Republican style buildings. Later the group will visit the Archaeology and Anthropology Museum of Lima.

At our "Welcome Lunch" the group will have their first taste of the unique and rich array of Peruvian cuisine. The Kapallac will be a perfect place to have this delicious experience. If time permits, the group will visit the parks along the Miraflores coast. Overnight at hotel Posada del Inca Olivar. B,L

DAY 03 APRIL 23 LIMA - PUERTO MALDONADO – REFUGIO AMAZONAS

We will receive a short orientation and a complete briefing on the lodge and the Ecotourism Project before our afternoon activity if permits. A video about the forest of Tambopata will be displayed after dinner. L, D

DAY 04 APRIL 24  REFUGIO AMAZONAS -TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER
We will be up at dawn for a visit to an oxbow lake where we will look for giant river otters, turtles, hoatzin, and wading birds. As we approach noon, animal activity decreases, and we will continue travel up the Tambopata River for 5 to 6 hours into the pristine heart of the reserve. After the first hour we will leave the final traces of human habitation behind as we cross the northern boundary of the 700,000 hectare, completely uninhabited nucleus of the Tambopata National Reserve. This is one of the largest protected rainforest reserves in the whole Amazon Basin, an area the size of Connecticut! Differences in wildlife abundance will be noted immediately: we will begin to sight macaws, herons, kingfishers and cormorants frequently and improve our chances of encounters with capybaras, caiman, storks, ducks and other wildlife. Jaguars have been sighted on the river banks in this region. Boxed lunch on the boat. We will arrive at Tambopata Research Center in the early afternoon, being greeted by the Chicos, our flock of semi-wild, rescued macaws. On arrival, we will hold an orientation session. After this we may hike the 1.5 mile Bamboo Trail, a trail that is famous for the abundance of rare birds that live exclusively in this habitat and are endemic to southern Peru. It is also the home of the frequently found Howler and Dusky titi monkeys. As we birdwatch our way through the trail we will end our hike at the overlooks which are good places to observe canopy birds like tanagers, jacamars, elaenias, guans, and oropendolas. We will return to TRC for dinner. After dinner, to cap off a fulfilling day we can have a frog walk through the forest, allowing the photo lovers to take beautiful macro shoots of american bullfrogs, horned frogs, tree frogs and an incredible variety of colorful insects. B,L,D

DAY 05 APRIL 25 TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER

At dawn we will cross the river and enjoy the world’s largest macaw clay lick where hundreds of parrots and macaws of up to 15 species congregate daily. The January 1994 issue of National Geographic features an article on Tambopata Research Center and the Tambopata Macaw Project. It begins with a description of the daily spectacle at the clay lick:

" When the morning sun clears the Amazon tree line in southeastern Peru and strikes a gray-pink clay bank on the upper Tambopata River, one of the world’s most dazzling wildlife gatherings is nearing its riotous peak. The steep bank has become a pulsing, 130-foot-high palette of red, blue, yellow and green as more than a thousand parrots squabble over choice perches to grab a beakful of clay, a vital but mysterious part of their diet. More than a dozen parrot species will visit the clay lick throughout the day, but this midmorning crush belongs to the giants of the parrot world, the macaws."

The Tambopata Research Center clay lick

You can expect to see ten to twelve of the following members of the parrot family: Red-and-green, Blue-and-gold, Scarlet, Red-bellied, Chestnut-fronted and Blue-headed Macaws; Mealy and Yellow-crowned Amazons; Blue-headed, Orange-cheeked and White-bellied Parrots; Dusky-headed, White-eyed, Cobalt-winged and Tui Parakeets and Dusky-billed Parrotlets. This show will continue until the macaws sense danger, usually in the form of an eagle, and depart simultaneously in an explosion of sound and color. Around mid-morning, when the most intense clay lick activity is over for the day, we will return to TRC for breakfast.. NOTE: viewing distances from the clay lick vary considerably, depending upon the river flow and other factors. At best, we may be at such a distance to require very long lenses and usually with extenders. Under those conditions it may be possible to get photos of a number of the colorful birds, but do not expect to get frame-filling close-ups of single birds. Those may be possible at the lodge with the chicos, the semi-wild macaws. Obviously we cannot get too close to the clay lick because the birds are very skitish and our guides will not allow us to pressure them or fighten them off.

After breakfast we may hike the 1.5-mile Ocelot Trail, a trail which exemplifies the quintessential rainforest . Although at this time of day mammals and birds are not as active as in the early morning, we will concentrate on the forest itself and discuss and photograph general rain forest ecology. This forest, which includes truly huge Ceiba trees and Strangler figs, is home to several mammals that are occasionally encountered: Saddleback tamarins, Squirrel and Brown Capuchin Monkeys and Collared peccary. This trail is the one which most often has ocelot, puma and jaguar tracks, although any one of these three large cats is extremely difficult to spot. We will return to TRC for lunch and then embark on a 2-mile hike to the palm swamp, a nesting colony and preferred roost for Blue and Gold and Red-bellied Macaws. The scenes at the swamp, especially with late afternoon sun in our backs, make for excellent photo opportunities. After a lazy afternoon with the macaws we will hike back to the lodge for dinner. After lunch, to cap off a fulfilling day we can have a frog walk through the forest, with more opportunity to take macro shots of american bullfrogs, horned frogs, tree frogs and an incredible variety of colorful insects. (Obviously, you will need to use flash for these shots) B,L,D

                                                                                      Capirona tree

DAY 06 APRIL 26 TAMBOPATA RESEACH CENTER

We will wake up at dawn once again to visit the macaw clay lick and then return for breakfast. The rest of the morning may be spent walking a trail that passes through seasonally flooded forest, allowing us excellent opportunities to see wading birds and even mammals that look for these precious bodies of water to quench their thirst. This trail also has excellent opportunities to spot howler monkeys and mixed flocks of birds. After lunch we may take a short five-minute boat ride to a small, drying oxbow lake where we can spend the afternoon on a platform in the middle of the pond observing some of its birdlife, which may include hoatzin, duck, ibis, woodpeckers, chachalaca, parakeets, oropendolas and numerous flycatcher species. We will return to TRC for dinner and an optional second night outing. Please take note that all of the activities listed here may change depending upon weather (this is after the rainy season, but storms are still common), group interests and trail conditions. In the past our guides have collected specimens of insects, reptiles and amphibians to allow us excellent close-up photographs in natural backgrounds. (Note: our guides make it a point to return each insect, reptile and amphibian to the exact place where it was captured.) B,L,D

DAY 07 APRIL 27 TAMBOPATA RESEARCH CENTER - REFUGIO AMAZONAS
We will wake up at dawn once again to visit the macaw clay lick and then return for breakfast. After breakfast we will have some leisure time to photograph the immediate environs of the lodge and perhaps some of the staff here at TRC. Later we’ll climb aboard our boats for return downriver to Refugio Amazonas, arriving at mid-afternoon. The remainder of the day is free to photograph and explore the environs of the lodge. We will spend our last night in the rain forest in this wonderfully designed lodge. B,L,D.

DAY 08 APRIL 28  REFUGIO AMAZONAS – CUZCO – SACRED VALLEY

After an early breakfast we will return to the Puerto Maldonado airport for our flight to Cuzco. Arrive in Cuzco. The group will stop at hotel in Cuzco to use the facilities and also have some tea before departing for the Sacred Valley. We’ll stop along the way to photograph the magnificent views of cultivated field and Andean mountains through the Anta Valley. After arrival at Guest House Willka T’ika we will register and have the remaining of the afternoon to relax and acclimatize to the altitude. The gardens here are a photo op in themselves. B,L,D

DAY 09 APRIL 29 HUYLLOC – OLLANTAYTAMBO – SEMINARIO STUDIO

  Flute player, Sacred Valley

Later in the afternoon, we will drive to the town of Urubamba to visit the ceramic studio of Pablo Semenario, a well-known popular artist. Along with his contemporary works, he and his artisans produce ceramics with the same techniques used during Incan times. Pablo, or an associate, will describe these and we can watch the artisans at work. He also has a small shop where we can purchase a variety of attractive and well-designed items. From the shop we have a short drive back to the hotel in Yucay. Overnight in the Guest House Willka T’ika. B,PL,D

DAY 10 APRIL 30 SACRED VALLEY - MACHU PICCHU

After a very early breakfast we will be picked up at our hotel to begin our journey to Machu Picchu - the "Lost City of the Incas". After a short drive to Ollantaytambo, we will board our train for the Putucusi Rail Station where we will climb a final 2,000 feet by bus to the citadel of Machu Picchu. Rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911, Machu Picchu was unknown to the Spaniards. Its reason for existence remains under debate. Some argue it was built and populated by the family of one Inca ruler, Pachakkutek; others have proposed the principal function of Machu Picchu was to maintain a reliable supply of coca leaves for the priests and royals of Cuzco. Bingham fostered the school of thought that the city existed primarily for strategic and defensive purposes, but other findings support the hypothesis that Machu Picchu was a university where the children of the leaders of other Andean cultures conquered by the Incas were taken to be taught and brainwashed. At any rate, as we wander through the maze of empty plazas, chambers and dwellings saddled atop steep mountainsides, we will be unable to resist our own speculations at the impenetrable mystery of these stones. After lunch and thoroughly exploring the significance of a variety of stone structures and ruins, we will descend to the village of Aguas Calientes. Overnight at the Pueblo hotel.

The Pueblo hotel is the winner of the National Geographic Traveler Best Practices Award for Sustainable Tourism Practices. (May/June 2002 issue)

The Pueblo hotel is situated on five hectares of cloud forest considered to be a genetic bank. It is surrounded by spectacular scenery and a wealth of biodiversity. The Pueblo hotel has the world largest native species orchid garden open to the public. In the hotel grounds are 372 species of native orchids, 154 bird species 108 butterfly species, more than 200 species of trees and a great variety of reptiles and mammals, including two spectacled bears. The hotel offers a wide variety of ecotourism activities that promote contact with nature and the local culture, and implements projects for researching and conserving the local flora and fauna, in cooperation with prestigious international institutions. B,L,D

Machu Picchu at dawn

DAY 11 MAY 01 MACHU PICCHU

We can spend the morning around Aguas Calientes to photograph the market and town or go back up to the ruins, continuing our exploration of the forests around the famous citadel. We will have the option of retracing the Inca Trail for as far as we like in order to photograph the cloud forest surrounding the ruins and the complex of Machu Picchu from a high vantage point. Overnight at Pueblo Hotel. B,L

DAY 12 MAY 02 MACHU PICCHU - CUZCO

Hotel Libertador: In 1976 the Libertador opened in the colonial mansion "Casa de los Cuatro Bustos", originally built by Inca laborers for the conquorer and first governor of Peru, Francisco Pizzaro. In 1998 it was enlarged to 214 rooms and suites and the entrance changed from the original mansion entrance to opposite the famed Temple of the Sun with new large lobby offering plenty of seating space for check-in and tour gathering. It is only a three block walk to the center of Cuzco, the Plaza de Armas. B,L

DAY 13 MAY 03 CUZCO

Sacsayhuaman.- Located two kilometers from the city of Cuzco, the immense walls of the complex made up of huge stones distributed in a zigzag pattern in three platforms with an average of 1,181ft in length. These platforms are connected by flights of stairs and doorways also in stone; one of these is 29ft tall and 15ft wide and weighs more than 100 tons. The largest stone block found in Sacsayhuaman stands 27.88ft high and weighs 361 tons. Inca Pachacuti employed 20,000 men for the construction of the complex and it took approximately 50 years to complete. Overnight at the Libertador hotel in Cuzco. B,D

DAY 14 MAY 04 CUZCO – LIMA - USA

Our destination for lunch is Astrid & Gaston restaurant recognized world wide for its cuisine. Do not forget to order dessert!!!! Good luck trying to decide. After lunch the group will visit the private collection and artisan shop of Mari Solari located in the historic district of Barranco. The shop offers clients the best selection of popular art, ceramics, retablos, rugs and textiles in Peru. Also the group will have a chance to visit Mari’s private collection. Late afternoon return to the hotel for last minute packing before departing for the airport. B,L

Andean condor, Colca Canyon

Our destination for lunch is Astrid & Gaston restaurant recognized world wide for its cuisine. Do not forget to order dessert!!!! Good luck trying to decide. After lunch the group will visit the private collection and artisan shop of Mari Solari located in the historic district of Barranco. The shop offers clients the best selection of popular art, ceramics, retablos, rugs and textiles in Peru. Also the group will have a chance to visit Mari’s private collection. Late afternoon return to the hotel for last minute packing before departing for the airport.

Single Supplement US$ 325.00

INCLUDES: All lodge accommodations based on double occupancy. All scheduled domestic air private land and river transportation. All private transfers. All scheduled excursions with English-speaking guide services. All entrance fees. All meals as indicated. All domestic Peruvian airport departure taxes. Entrance fee to the Tambopata region.

NOT INCLUDED: International flights. International airport departure taxes or visa fees, excess baggage charges, additional nights during the trip due to flight cancellations, alcoholic beverages or bottled water, snacks, insurance of any kind, laundry, phone calls, radio calls or messages, and items of personal nature.