The itinerary was very well designed and we had a fabulous time. We were blown away by Patagonia and want to return there.
Overall summary – wonderful holiday. 10 out of 10! Thank you!
Levy & Evers - Chachapoyas Testimonial
11 Best Amazon Experiences
Inca Kola - Peru's Marmite
It was not until 1935, the year of Lima's 400th anniversary, that Lindley created a carbonated soft drink based on the native plant Lemon Verbena (Aloysia citrodora). This was given the name Inca Kola and launched with the strapline 'Solo hay una y no se parece a ninguna' (There is only one, and it’s unlike any other).
10 Facts about Spectacled Bears
The Spectacled - or Andean - Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) holds a special place in PeruNorth's heart, being the emblematic large mammal of northern Peru's dry forest and cloud forest.
It is fitting, therefore, that we should give this attractive and endangered species some blog time!
Lagunas - The 'Other' Gateway to Pacaya-Samiria
Like Iquitos, Santiago de Lagunas (to give the full name) is a jungle town founded by missionaries, in the Amazonian province of Loreto; and like Iquitos, it is a jumping-off point for visiting the surrounding rainforest, especially the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve.
But, even though Lagunas is nearly 100 years older than Iquitos, having been founded in 1670 by a priest, Juan Lorenzo Lucero, it has a fraction of the population and receives a fraction of the visitors.
Witchcraft in Northern Peru
Totora Reed - a Unique Resource
Amazon River Dolphins
A natural highlight of an Amazon cruise or lodge stay in Loreto is the interaction with Amazon River Dolphins (Inia geoffrensis), known in Spanish as boto or bufeo.
Southern Peru & Bolivian Titicaca: A Photo Journal
In this age of social media, we were able to keep a close track on the progress of Anglo-Malaysian clients, Andy & Julia Little, as they travelled from Lima to The Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu to Cusco to Lake Titicaca (both Peruvian and Bolivian sides) and back to Lima. Here is a photographic journal of their 'exciting and action-packed' two-week journey.
Viringos - Peru's Hairless Dog
Except for a tuft between their ears and on the end of their tail, these medium-sized, dark Peruvian dogs are completely hairless. In spite of their unorthodox looks - or perhaps because of them - viringo dogs were prized by the Moche, Chimu and Virus cultures, who included them as sacrifices in many important burials, and depicted them on painted pottery.
Hike to Yumbilla Waterfall
One of PeruNorth's first forays into Northern Peru was in 2006, to see first-hand Catarata Gocta, which had just been claimed as the third-highest waterfall in the world. At that time, we learned that Gocta was just one of many drops from this one plateau in the Amazonas province.
In the subsequent years, another of these waterfalls, Yumbilla, had been surveyed by Peru's Geographical Institute (IGN), and found to have a total drop 125 m (407 ft) higher than Gocta. So, it went to top of our list of must-see natural attractions.