Peru epitomises what, for many of us,are those unique characteristicswhich make South America sofascinating: a profoundly rich history andculture; wonderfully varied geography andtopography, including some of the mostspectacular scenery and biodiverseecosystems on Earth; and, of course, an immense bird list comprising over 1,700 species!This tour focuses on three of the mostrewarding sites in southern Peru. First, we visit the country's most importantmarine nature reserve along the Pacificcoast, then the south-eastern rainforestand isolated macaw clay-lick on the remote upper Tambopata River. Finally, we visit South America's best known andmost spectacular archaeological site, Machu Picchu. We start from Lima, heading south alongthe Pan-American highway through someof the driest deserts on earth. Calling in atthe small fishing village of Pucusana forlunch and a boat trip, we should arrive atParacas in the late afternoon. The nextmorning, weather permitting, we will offerthe chance to fly over the famous NascaLines in a light aircraft whilst others mayprefer to continue exploring the habitatsaround the peninsula in search of suchspecialities as Coastal Miner, PeruvianThick-knee and Peruvian Shear-tail. TheBallestas Islands and the Península deParacas make up La Reserva National deParacas, the most important wildlifesanctuary on the Peruvian coast. During amorning excursion on a small launch wehope to see Humboldt Penguin, PeruvianPelican, Peruvian Booby, Peruvian Tern andthe beautiful Inca Tern amongst theSouthern Sea Lions and many other birds. Back in the capital, a domestic flight takesus high over the majestic Andes and downinto the Amazon Basin and the jungleboom-town of Puerto Maldonado. A 4-hourmotorised canoe journey takes us up theTambopata River to a comfortable junglelodge, our base for one night. From herewe strike out upstream, away fromcivilisation, and stay beside one of nature'smost spectacular sights; at dawn the nextday, with dry weather, we hope to seehundreds of Scarlet, Red-and-green andBlue-and-yellow Macaws descending ontoan almost vertical bank of red clay to takeadvantage of the high mineral and saltcontent of the soil. It should be a sight tobehold, and one of the highlights of ourholiday. Our days will be spent on the trailsthat take us through superb virginfloodplain rainforest as we search for innerforest birds, such primates as Red Howler,Dusky Titi, Brown Capuchin, SquirrelMonkeys and, with luck, the endangeredBlack Spider Monkey. The lowlandrainforest ecosystem is a fascinating oneand there is so much to learn. For thosewishing to do so there are clear rainforeststreams to bathe in and, on red-letter days,the sighting of a Brazilian Tapir or a GiantRiver Otter is not out of the question. Ahandful of our groups in recent years havealso had magnificent views of Jaguar. After two nights we descend to the junglelodge for one night, before flying to Cuscoin the heart of the Andes for the final leg of the trip.Our first afternoon will wisely be spentacclimatising to the altitude in Cusco witha gentle city tour. Next, we will enjoy a dayexploring the area, including a visit to theHuacarpay lakes. We will look out forCinnamon, Speckled and Puna Teal,Andean Negrito, Wren-like Rushbird, Many-coloured Rush-tyrant, BeardedMountaineer and Cinereous Harrier. Moving around to the north of Cusco andthe Pisac ruins, we hope to see Chestnut-breasted Mountain-finch and BeardedMountaineer amongst a fine selection ofAndean birds. We will be free in theevenings to explore some of Cusco'svaried restaurants and perhaps samplesome of the local culinary specialities. We will next undertake one of the world'sclassic hikes. Five easy-paced days on thefamous Inca Trail will allow ample time foracclimatisation, some rewardingbirdwatching and stunning scenery enroute to the World Heritage site of The LostCity of the Incas, Machu Picchu. Far toomany people visit this spectacular area ona day-trip from Cusco and miss out on thetime needed to fully appreciate this uniquelocation. Ours will be an experience neverto be forgotten. Finally, we must take the train along theUrubamba Valley back to Cusco, where we stay overnight before our return to Lima and, after a city tour, our onwardflight to London. *Although our late September tour isour dedicated 'non-trek' departure, non-trekkers are also welcome on the otherdepartures, where alternatives can bearranged.Peru - Macaws & Machu PicchuAn 18-day holiday combining Peru's most important marine nature reserve, the ancient Inca capital of Cusco, the classic trek through the Andes to Machu Picchu, and one of the world's finest wildlife spectacles: an isolated macaw clay-lick on the upper Tambopata River in the south-eastern rainforest.Wednesday 13th June - Saturday 30th June Cost: £3,895Wednesday 5th September - Saturday 22nd September Cost: £3,895Wednesday 26th September - Saturday 13th October Cost: £3,995*(*This tour is a non-trekking departure, visiting Manu cloudforest instead of the Inca Trail)Outline itineraryDay 1Fly Lima.Day 2Coastal Peru; Paracas.Day 3Nasca Lines.Day 4Ballestas Islands.Day 5/8Tambopata rainforest.Day 9/10Cusco.Day 11/15Inca Trail to MachuPicchu.Day 16Machu Picchu and trainto Cusco.Day 17Lima.Day 18 Arrive London.AccommodationA mixture of comfortable lodgesand hotels, most with privatefacilities, and fully servicedcamping.FoodAll included in the price exceptevening meals in Cusco. Allow £50.GradingEasy day walks only, though IncaTrail is fairly strenuous (Grade B+).FocusBirds, mammals and culture.LeaderPepe Moscoso, Percy Avendaño,Andy Smith or Byron Palacios, pluslocal guides.Single room supplement£495.ExtensionsMany optional extensions areavailable. Some suggestionsinclude Lake Titicaca, theGalápagos and Arequipa and theColca Canyon. Please call for ourhelp and suggestions.Web quick search: PER06208Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip ItineraryPISCOCUSCOMANUTAMBOPATAMACHUNATIONAL PARKPARACASPICCHU& BALLESTASISLANDSPACIFICOCEANPERULIMABOLIVIACHILE ECUADORCOLOMBIABRAZILPUERTOMALDONADORed-and-green MacawsMachuPicchuBlue-and-yellow Macaws

Peru is a vast, spectacular andimmensely varied country thatsupports an enormous wealth ofwildlife including a number of the world'siconic species. On this tour two of thesespecies, Spectacled Bear and AndeanCondor act as a tantalising focus that willlead us to some contrastingly different and very special regions of the country and an exciting range of wildlife, sceneryand culture.We begin in the far north-west of Peru, aregion famous for its tropical dry forestswhich are home to an extraordinary varietyof endemic birds and other wildlife. We'llspend three days in the Chaparri EcologicalReserve, based at a rustic, remote andcharming lodge from where we can exploreour rugged and dramatically beautifulsurroundings. This is one of the best placesto see Spectacled Bears as they are quitecommon in the area and relatively confidingbecause of the longstanding protection andlack of disturbance which the reserve hasafforded them. Largely vegetarian and theonly bear in South America they will be ourprincipal target here and with patience andluck we have a good chance ofencountering one during our stay. Chaparriand its surroundings offer much more thanjust bears however, and during our stay wehope to encounter mammals such asSechuran Fox, White-tailed Deer andGuayaquil Squirrel plus a wide range ofcolourful and localised birds includingPacific Parrotlet, Scarlet-backedWoodpecker, Elegant Crescentchest, White-edged Oriole, Tumbes Tyrant and the critically endangered White-wingedGuan. While at Chaparri we'll also visit thehumid, higher altitude forests towardsTocmoche where we have further chancesof finding a Spectacled Bear and thenearby Tinajones Reservoir where we willlook for the rare and distinctive coastal formof Black-faced Ibis.Leaving Chaparri we'll spend a dayexploring various sites on the coastal plain around the city of Chiclayo, including theatmospheric Bosque del Pomac with itsancient adobe pyramids and areas ofMesquite forest, home to the TumbesSwallow and the engaging PeruvianPlantcutter, a rare and enigmatic speciesnow restricted to just a few sites in this partof Peru. At the coastal marshes and fieldsof Santa Rosa we'll search for PeruvianThick-knees and Tawny-throated Dotterels.The second part of our tour is centred in avery different region. From Chiclayo we'll flyto the far south of Peru and the city ofArequipa, famous for the beautiful whitebuildings of its old colonial centre and itsdramatic setting beneath the toweringvolcanic peaks of El Misti and Chachani.Using Arequipa as a base for this leg of thetour we will have ample time to explore theold city including the famous and verybeautiful Santa Catalina convent. FromArequipa we'll then travel across the breath-taking volcano-studded landscapes of thehigh, dry altiplano towards the small markettown of Chivay. En route we have a verygood chance of seeing Vicunas which arecommon and conspicuous in thismarvellous area and at the Pampa deTroca, a vast marshy plain, we will spendsome time enjoying a range of high Andeanbirds that is likely to include AndeanGoose, Giant Coot, Chilean Flamingo,Grey-breasted Seedsnipe and AndeanNegrito.Near Chivay is the Colca Canyon, one ofthe deepest canyons in the world and noted both for its spectacular scenery andits very visible population of AndeanCondors. We'll spend two mornings here inthis dramatic setting watching as thecondors leave their roosts on the cliffledges and circle around the canyon rimbefore gaining altitude with the first of themorning's thermals and soaring off toforage over the surrounding mountains andvalleys. This is an almost uniqueopportunity to see these enormous andmajestic birds at such close quarters andwill surely be one of the highlights of thetrip. As the condors leave for the day so wecan look further afield and enjoy theViscachas clambering among the rocks, theGiant Hummingbirds flitting around the cactus flowers and a range of otherwildlife that adds to the appeal of thisfantastic place.Finally, after another day based inArequipa, during which we'll visit the Mejiawetlands on the nearby coast and enjoy thehuge flocks of waterfowl and waders thatconcentrate there, we will return to Limaand conclude our time in Peru with a boattrip out to the Palominos Islands. This littlearchipelago, while not as dramatic as thecelebrated Ballestas further south,nevertheless supports good numbers ofcommon Humboldt current seabirds and ahealthy population of impressive SouthernSea Lions, and will provide a perfect finaleto an exciting and action-packed trip thatwill have introduced us to two verycontrasting and very special areas of thisfabulous country. Peru - Spectacled Bears & Andean CondorsA 12-day wildlife adventure exploring the dry forests of northern Peru in search of Spectacled Bears and endemic birds, plus the south's spectacular Colca Canyon, one of the world's deepest.Sunday 23rd September - Thursday 4th October Cost: £2,895Book direct on 01962 733051or see page 280 for Booking InformationCHICLAYO PACIFIC OCEAN PERULIMA CHIVAYAREQUIPACHAPARRIBOLIVIA CHILE ECUADOR COLOMBIA BRAZIL COLCARIVER AND CANYONOutline itineraryDay 1Fly Lima.Day 2Fly Chiclayo; transfer toChaparri Lodge.Day 3/4Wildlife excursions fromChaparri Lodge.Day 5Chiclayo.Day 6Fly Arequipa.Day 7/8Chivay and the ColcaCanyon.Day 9/10Arequipa and Mejiamarshes.Day 11Fly Lima; PalominosIslands. Depart.Day 12Arrive London.AccommodationA delightful, community-owned eco-lodge in the north. Comfortablehotels in the south.Food All included in the price.Grading Grade A.Focus Birds, mammals and other wildlife.Leader Andy Smith.Single room supplement£295.Extensions An extension to Cusco and MachuPicchu is highly recommended.Web quick search: PER07209Vicunas on altiplanoSpectacled Bear Andean Condor