PeruNorth's musings on events & destinations in Northern Peru, Amazonia ... and beyond. Detailed tour reviews.
A new bird species has been identified in Cerros de Amotape National Park in Tumbes: the White-necked Jacobin (Florisuga mellivora), a member of the hummingbird family measuring 12 cm (4 in) in length, on average. Adult males have a blue head and breast, a dark-blue hood, iridescent upper parts, and a white abdomen and tail. And, as the name suggests, they have a white crescent on the neck.
Guano (seabird droppings) covers the coastal islands and cliffs of Peru in a thick, odiferous, white layer. Derived from the Quechua word huanu (manure), guano has been used as a natural, nitrate-rich fertilizer since pre-Inca times. The sunny atmosphere of the coast bakes in the nitrates, and lack of rain ensures that the droppings are not washed away.
Carlos Fitzcarrald was born to an Irish-American father and Peruvian mother in 1867, and raised in the city of Iquitos, which became the heart of the Rubber Boom.
Venturing deep into the Amazon in the 1890s, Fitzcarrald discovered a trove of rubber trees in the region of Madre de Dios that now holds Manu National Park.
In 2003, Peru created El Dia Nacional del Pisco Sour (National Pisco Sour Day), an annual public holiday on the first Saturday of February, celebrating the tangy, sweet - and undeniably intoxicating - Peruvian cocktail, which is both delicious and addictive!
This concoction of Pisco, lemon juice, egg white and sugar syrup liquidized, and served with a dash of Angostura bitters, has a long history dating back to the arrival of the Spanish in the Americas.
To date, 94 people have died, and an estimated 700,000 have been left homeless, as a direct result of the landslides and flooding, brought on by unusually heavy rains on the Western side of the Andes.
What, then, is causing all this destruction? To understand this, we need to look at Peru's coastal climate which, in a similar way to southern California, blends strong desert and offshore influences.
Descended from North African and Spanish stock, caballos de Paso are mid-sized horses bred for sure-footedness and comfort, not for speed. Unlike trotting breeds, Paso horses pace smoothly with little up-and- down movement, resulting in an exceptionally comfortable ride. As a result, they are tough and well-suited to demanding trips into the rough, dry, and expansive western Andes. Today, they are considered the smoothest saddle horses in the world.
PeruNorth is delighted to be able to announce the opportunity to visit the remote Matses National Reserve on a remarkable 12-day journey, during which adventurous clients will be able to catch a glimpse of the unique lifestyle of the private Matses indigenous people, as well as enjoy the bountiful flora and fauna of this unspoilt corner of Amazonia.
Most of Trujillo’s wonderful Colonial and Republican buildings are to be found within a few blocks of the central square, the Plaza de Armas, and so it makes an ideal location to explore on foot.
In the excitement of the recent commencement of international flights between Panama and Chiclayo, I became curious as to why Chiclayo Airport (CIX) was named after José Abelardo Quiñones Gonzáles. It turns out, I had been regularly looking at his face, ever since I arrived in Peru - his face and aeroplane have appeared on the s/.10 note since 1991!
