The Birds of Northern Peru

This trip to Northern Peru was designed to seek out the birds of Peru, particularly endemics and to give us an insight into the pre-Inca cultures. It succeeded on all fronts. Excellent tour leaders with amazing birding skills escorted us into the Amazon, over the Andes and through the dry plains of western Andes to the Pacific Coast, their skills and knowledge enhancing the birding experience. The humidity and rains of the Amazon did nothing to dampen our enjoyment of walking forest trails and boating the tributaries and oxbow lakes seeking out the local wildlife, and we found loads! Equally birding the high hairpin roads, passing through remote villages and the warm welcome of the people contributed to an amazing holiday culminating in a visit to pre-Inca ruins and a superb museum of ancient artefacts .

D.P. Devon

Over 17 days we travelled from the Amazonian rainforest over the Andes to the Pacific coast of Northern Peru. The birdlife was outstanding and we saw several rare, even threatened, species such as Marvellous Spatuletail and Wattled Curassow. But it wasn't just birds as there were many other memorable experiences too - butterflies, mammals including the Amazon Pink River Dolphin - fantastic as they played around our small boat. Perhaps our most memorable time was listening to the night sounds in the thick dark forest - awesome!! The cultural history of Peru is just as interesting as the natural aspects and we visited two wonderful sites, Kuelep hill fort and The Lord of Sipan Museum. The accommodation and food was good to excellent throughout with our time staying in a Homestead and the end of tour seafood banquet, in a restaurant overlooking the Pacific Ocean, being our favourites. Finally our guides were of the highest quality - knowledgeable and friendly, and contributed significantly to the success of the trip. Overall it was a fantastic trip!

T.J. Leicestershire

Having been on your Macaws and Machu Picchu trip I was particularly keen to see more of Peru and this visit to Northern Peru was exactly what I had hoped for. It covered a wide range of habitats, which gave rise to a stunning variety of birds, animals, insects, plants and fungi. Northern Peru deserves to be far better known and appreciated. The scenery is magnificent, its archaeological remains easily comparable to those found further south, the people are delightful and friendly, and the hotels, I think without exception, were comfortable and welcoming. True there was a lot of travelling but what better way to see the country and appreciate its strengths and problems. The travelling was no more than on the Macaws and Machu Picchu trip and if the pre-trip information uses the word pioneering you know more or less what to expect and its not Hilton hotel-style luxury or lazy days spent by a swimming pool (thankfully). Of course a trip like this is busy at times but the rewards are enormous and well worth the effort. Rob was a knowledgeable and enthusiastic leader, the local guides were generous in sharing their considerable expertise and very proud of what their country had to offer. Ive been lucky enough to have two Naturetrek holidays this year and both have been excellent. I like the way you arrange the trips and your organisation is first-class. I also like the fact that you don't ignore local culture and history; the tours are well rounded and diverse. Of course there will be hitches but when they occur they are dealt with efficiently, quietly and quickly. It is also very encouraging that you listen to your customers and take note of what they say. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending this Northern Peru trip and Naturetrek to anyone and I look forward to travelling with you again in the near future.

S.S. Surrey

The Reserves for the Long Whiskered Owlet and the Marvellous Spatuletail are doing a great job and provided great views of these special rare birds. It was good to see the native people working to save their own flora and fauna and they were pleased to have foreign visitors to see their work.

M.W. Lancashire

Alejandro was the best field guide I have ever travelled with.

L.C. Surrey

The Lord of Sipan Museum was quite stunning which was an unexpected highlight. The trip to Kuelap was also a very memorable day: a very impressive ruin in a stunning setting.

T.R. Hampshire

This was a really excellent tour with spectacular scenery - it more than lived up to what we had expected/hoped for. Sitting in a boat in the middle of the Amazon with a picnic breakfast and observing the pink river dolphins was magical.

J.P. Buckinghamshire

This was intended as an opportunity to see a wide range of common species of birds characteristic of certain habitats plus localised endemics. The leader was outstanding in spotting and identifying birds as well as explaining about their ecology and taxonomic relationships.

D.P. Hertfordshire

Alejandro is probably the best guide I've travelled with, which is saying a lot. Overall, possibly the best trip I've ever done.

C.M. Gloucestershire

The major plus points were the superb leader Alejandro Solano, the itinerary which stayed just the right amount of time in each locality and the excellent accommodation. Alejandro could not be faulted as a leader as he has superb birding skills together with a desire for everyone to see each species. His scope abilities to get everyone on to each target (species) were exceptionally quick.Obviously the quality and quantity of species also made this tour particularly memorable. Easily the best birding experience in 40 years of tours.

T.D. Northumberland

A really good birding holiday with excellent cultural interest. Alejandro very good. His birding skills are superb and his group management and communication very good - top leader!

Mr & Mrs P. Devon

Overall the tour was excellent, covering a wide variety of habitats, birds and mammals, and with a bit of culture thrown in for good measure. The lodges we stayed at were fantastic - beautiful locations, friendly and obliging staff, and very good food.

K.P. Buckinghamshire