Peru

Lima, Cusco, Andean Highlands, and Manú National Park

May 2008

In May we joined an American Birding Association (ABA) sponsored birding tour in Peru, flying to Lima (via Dallas and Miami), then on to Cusco, down the Urubamba Valley to Machu Picchu, over the crest of the Andes and down the eastern slope into the cloud forest and eventually rainforest at the lower elevations.

Some of the photos from our trip are on this and following pages. Our trip journal is also available for anyone wanting gory details. See also the Trogon News article Robert wrote (for Huachuca Audubon).

Click photos to enlarge...

Lima and Cusco

At the Larcomar shopping center, Miraflores district, Lima	Planes in the mist...waiting to fly to Cusco	Oxygen at the Cusco airport, which is at 10,860 ft elevation (no, we didn't bother)	Inside the Cusco airport terminal
The photographer is herself photographed!	Bienvenidos! The image of Machu Picchu is iconic, to say the least	Exterior, Alejandro Velasco Astete International Airport, Cusco	Stuff to buy already...
Cusco street (our hotel was down on the left)	Adobe is the building material of choice; a wall topped with cholla says "keep out"	Birding at Huacarpay Lakes	More adobe...
Birding at Huacarpay Lakes	Getting ready for lunch	Yum! Note the bottle of Inca Cola, too bad it isn't sold in the US - was like a lemon merengue cream soda...	The lunch table...
Fishing from a reed raft	Liza happy after lunch	[Pre-?]-Incan ruins - not Machu Picchu	Tilling a field...the hard way
[Pre-?]-Incan ruins	Dinner at A Tunupa near the Plaza de Armas, Cusco	Good company...	...and marvelous entertainment!
	Pan-flute music...	...and dance
Plaza de Armas, Cusco (photo (c) 2005 Christophe Meneboeuf, www.pixinn.net)

Click photos to enlarge...