You may (or may not) have wondered about the inspiration behind the PeruNorth logo. Well, the animal chosen to represent Northern Peru is the Marvellous Spatuletail Hummingbird (Loddigesia mirabilis).
Vallunaraju - a 'Moderate' Cordillera Blanca Climb
By the giddying standards of Huascaran National Park, which contains 27 peaks over 6,000 m (19,685 ft), Mount Vallunaraju, standing at 5,686 m (18,654 ft) is a relative midget.
It can be seen directly from Huaraz, as well from the Cordillera Negra, and is easily identifiable for its double - headed summit, of which the northern summit is the highest one. It is one of the few peaks in the Cordillera Blanca that can be climbed from Huaraz in two days.
Top 7 Swimming Pools in High Amazon
The water in the vast Amazon River system is largely run-off from the Andes Mountains, and some of the most spectacular scenery and interesting wildlife can be found in the region of Northern Peru where these two gigantic geographical features meet - an area known in Spanish as ceja de selva (literally 'jungle's eye-brow') and incorporating a wide range of eco-systems between the altitudes of 500 m (1,640 ft) and 3,000 m (9,840 ft) above sea level.
Even at a slightly higher elevation, the heat can be stifling, and so a nice swimming pool is extremely welcome for the purpose of cooling down and calmly taking in one's surroundings. We therefore list below some of our favourites in the high Amazon provinces of San Martin and Amazonas.
Puya Raimondii - Pineapple meets Triffid!
What to Bring on a Northern Peru Holiday
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.
Lares Trek - Alternative Route to Machu Picchu (or not)
I recently blogged about my 2015 trek on the Salkantay trail, which got me thinking about all my Peru hiking experiences. I've had the good fortune to have trekked most of the routes to Machu Picchu, including doing the Classic Inca Trail nine times, over the course of 16 years working and living in the country. However, now with a family and concomitant responsibility, the opportunities to head into the hills and disconnect for a few days, are few and far between.
I have to go back to August 2009 for the previous multi-day trek, Lares. Reassuringly, the photos reveal that I was using the same faded green hoodie then that I used for the Salkantay trek, six years later!
Salkantay Trek - Alternative Route to Machu Picchu
My first multi-day trek was on the Classic Inca Trail way back in 2000 while working as a Tour Leader … and I was immediately hooked. The scenery, the camaraderie, the archaeology and the sense of achievement upon arriving at the Sun Gate of Machu Picchu after four days’ hiking added up to a wonderful experience.
Now no longer a tour leader accompanying groups around Peru, the opportunity to go trekking in the spectacular Andes mountains have been much reduced. But, after years of longing, I finally completed the Salkantay Trek, one of the alternative routes to Machu Picchu, in July 2015.
Visiting a Working Farm: Granja Porcon
Of several working farms in the Cajamarca area, Granja Porcon, 30 km (19 miles) north west of the city of Cajamarca, stands out for providing visitors with good tours, a restaurant serving fresh, home-made meals, and comfortable accommodation.
Chachapoyas: Peru's most unexplored region?
Gocta Falls is the second highest waterfall in Peru, yet was not scientifically measured until 2006, at which time they were declared the third highest in the world (an opinion since revised several times). They are barely 32 km (20 miles) north of Chachapoyas as the crow (or condor!) flies, and yet had escaped the attention of travellers and researchers.
Ten years later, just how remote and unexplored is Chachapoyas?
End of the Amazon: Belem
May 07, 2014: 14 years after first setting foot in Amazonia, I had finally arrived at the end of the Amazon River! But rather than this being a tale of an epic water-borne journey, battling vicious creatures, geographical challenges and bloodthirsty natives, in the style of the Conquistadors, I had rather mundanely arrived in the Brazilian city of Belem by plane from Sao Paulo
Surfing in Lima
Downriver From Iquitos
These days, nearly all Amazon river cruises travel upstream from Iquitos to the confluence of the Ucayali and Marañon Rivers, and the Pacaya-Samiria Reserve. However, when I first took one of these cruises, in the year 2002, the Rio Amazonas took me and my group downstream to the tri-border with Colombia and Brazil. It remains a very interesting - albeit busier - river journey, which can be visited using local transport or by chartering your own vessel.