PeruNorth's musings on events & destinations in Northern Peru, Amazonia ... and beyond. Detailed tour reviews.
Regular PeruNorth clients, Elana Dallas & Alastair Hatchett, give their thoughts on a trip to Colombia’s Caribbean coast.
Cultural visit to Cartagena, followed by few days at nearby beach resort, Baru.
Particular interest in work of Colombian author, Gabriel Garcia Marquez.
“Thank you for another brilliantly organised trip that once again exceeded all our expectations.
At PeruNorth, we certainly see travel as a mind-broadening exercise, and many clients enjoy reading about the region they are visiting before, during and after their trip.
Here is a list of recommended reads that range from scholarly works investigating specific pre-Columbian ruins or Amazon tribes, to fictional books offering a more general feel for the atmosphere of Latin America.
Born in the southern city of Arequipa in 1936, Mario Vargas Llosa stands as one of the lions of modern Latin American literature alongside Colombia’s Gabriel García Márquez and Mexico’s Carlos Fuentes.
In 2010, he became the first Peruvian to win a Nobel Prize - for Literature - which solidified his position as a literary great and a national hero.
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.
A good maxim when packing to go on holiday is 'half the luggage; twice the money'! Peru has plenty of shops, selling everything from Alpaca sweaters to camera batteries, and by spending in them, visitors are doing their bit to support the local economy.
Moreover, we once had a client arrive for a two-week holiday in Belize with just hand luggage ... and this was by choice, not at the whim of the airline. He had two shirts and would wash one, while he wore the other.
Nonetheless, Peru North understands that this is not the norm, and so please see our advice on what to bring. Northern Peru is a very diverse place, geographically, climatically and culturally, so there will be variations according to your exact destination. We will start with the essentials, and then suggest additions, according to the region or activity.
