Rose and I traveled to Peru on our honeymoon in 2008. We we saw an incredible number of animals, thanks in large part to our exceptional guides.
Most photos © Brent Plater. Brendan Cummings took most night hike pictures and a few mammal shots. I’ve specifically noted authorship in the gallery.
Election Night
We left for our honeymoon on election day, but not before we voted and saw the results. Rose celebrates CR's new friend in the white house.
Home Away from Home
Our frequent flyer flights routed us through Toronto, where we spent 16 hours in the airport.
Limanian Ruins
The works of indigenous people can be found even in Lima.
Peru Coast
We took a day trip to the Peruvian coast to see Humboldt penguins and Inca terns.
The Largest Peruvian
Lucho, our driver and guide, was political, energetic, knew his birds, and packed some extra security.
Scoping for Birds
Great Grebe, Podiceps major
Inca Tern, Larosterna inca
Peruvian Thick-knee, Burhinus superciliaris
American Oystercatcher, Haematopus palliatus
A few of the 340 bird species we saw were familiar sites from North America.
Puerto Maldonado
From Lima we flew to Puerto Maldonado. The gateway to the Peruvian Amazon, Puerto Maldonado makes the rainforest accessible to tourists and miners and loggers alike.
It Makes My Stomach Queasy
Kassie & Rose both got more than they bargained for on the flight.
Lunch on the Tambopata River
Rivers serve as Amazonian highways, and we often had meals served on our river cruises.
Our guide at the Tambopata Research Center, Paula had an infectious love of the Amazon, and her enthusiasm shined so brightly we saw not only many plants and animals but also light at the end of the tunnel.
Peru
Canopy Tower, Posada Amazonas
BP's Brave Face
I'm deathly frightened right now.
Rose's Canopy Experience
Rose was much more sanguine.
Howler Monkey
Sunset on the Canopy Tower
The end of our first day in the rainforest.
Long-nosed Bats
Hoatzin, Opisthocomus hoazin
This ancient bird was the inspiration for The Exploited, England's great punk rock band. Or, Dr. Hoatzin, I presume?
Oxbow Lake Boat
Capybara
Earth's largest living rodent.
Cateye Snake
Frog
Tambopata Clay Lick
Tambopata has an accessible clay lick, and early risers can enjoy many species of birds taking part. The birds eat the clay to either neutralize toxins or obtain scarce nutrients.
Blue-and-Yellow Macaw, Ara ararauna
Blue-headed Parrot, Pionus menstruus
White-bellied Parrot, Pionites leucogaster
White-throated Jacamar, Brachygalba albogularis
Blue-crowned Mot Mot, Momotus momota
Huge
This tree looks tiny in relation to my hugeness.
Iguana
Tree Frog
Brown Capuchin Monkey
Howler Monkey
Atop the Clay Lick Trail
Pants in socks prevent chiggers from getting your ankles, which were the only invertebrate inconvenience we suffered.
Double-collared Seedeater, Sporophila caerulescens
White-lipped Peccary, Tayassu pecari
White-lipped peccaries live in large herds and have been known to kill humans by stampeding or by disemboweling you with their sharp tusks.
Hiding from Peccaries
We were surrounded by hundreds white-lipped peccaries on five occasions. The only thing to do is hide behind a tree, as pictured here. We survived unscathed.
Lawrence's Thrush, Turdus lawrencii
One of the rainforests' most accomplished singers.
Blue-and-Yellow Macaws, Ara ararauna
Clay Lick
Buff-throated Woodcreeper, Xiphorhyncus guttatus
Tambopata Research Center
Squirrel Monkey
Spix's Guan, Penelope jacquacu
Swamp Tower
Ostensibly used to search for Blue and Yellow Macaw nests, it was far more useful for escaping peccaries.
Lettered Aracari, Pteroglossus inscriptus
Rufescent Tiger-heron, Tigrisoma faciatum
Caiman
Peru
Frog
Parrot Viper
Quite poisonous, another miraculous spot by Brendan.
Orinoco Goose, Neochen jubata
An endangered species.
Refugio Amazonas
Another rainforest lodge. We were lucky to be there during shoulder season, when few other visitors were around. We had the place mostly to ourselves!
Double-toothed Kite, Harpagus bidentatus
Paula and Ania
Peru has fewer enviro-themed books for kids than the States. One of the more popular in Peru features Ania, an indigenous girl, and Paula was a big fan.
Frog
Refugio Amazonas Canopy Tower
Ivory billed Aracari, Pteroglossus azara
Which Way Forward?
This little guy has some interesting predator avoidance techniques.
Cuzco is the gateway to Machu Pichu. When we left Tambopata, we came here to check out the ruins and prepare for another trip into the Amazon. At over 10,000 feet, we drank coca tea to deal with the altitude.
Peru
Anti-Violence Against Women Rally
We can't vacation long without getting involved with politics.
BP & RB in Cuzco
Magic Table
Cuzco cuisine is getting Californian: this restaurant served only local organic (and pretty) foods.
Cuzco at Night
Cuzco, from the Train to Aquas Calientes
Aguas Calientes
We ate remarkably well on this trip.
Machu Picchu
Rose at Machu Picchu
It really is that steep.
Hiking back from Huayna Picchu
We were told this would be the place to see the spectacled bear. We struck out on this steep, hard, exposed hike.
Obligatory Honeymoon Shot
Spectacled Bear!
After spending the day searching for the spectacled bear around Machu Picchu, we saw one with a cub just before dusk from Aguas Calientes! Brendan got this photo.
Spectacled Bear
Brendan got the shots.
Spectacled Bear Spectacle
The town of Aguas Calientes was abuzz when we spotted the bear. Even the police came for a look!
Torrent duck, Merganetta armata
There are few things cooler than the torrent duck. They swim upstream with strength that even salmon might not match.
White-capped Dipper, Cinclus leucocephalus
Giant Hummingbird, Patagona gigas
Eight inches, easy.
Cuzco to Madre de Dios "Road"
Carved out of the steep mountainsides and without guard rails, this road is not for the feint of heart. Did I mention the frequent landslides?
Andean Flicker, Colaptes rupicola
Mountain Caracara, Phalcoboenus megalopterus
Ancient burial tombs
Scarlet-bellied Mountain-tanager, Anisognathus igniventris
Manu National Park
Toa, a nomadic parrot researcher originally from Canada, our driver, Jose Antonio our guide, and the crew.
Peru Cloudforest
Golden-headed Quetzal, Pharomachrus pavoninus
Digiscoping Setup
My photos were taken primarily through this setup. Brendan had a 15x power Sony.
Cock-of-the-Rock, Rupicola peruvianus
We had one of our few rainy days when we visited the lek, but we still got good views, even if our poor photos don't show it.
Hummer
Sparkling Violetear, Colibri coruscans
Squirrel
Silver-beaked Tanager, Ramphocelus carbo
Orange-bellied Euphonia, Euphonia xanthogaster
Butterfly
There are something like 12,000 butterfly species in Peru. This is one of them.
Plumbeous Kite, Ictinia plumbea
Long-tailed Tyrant, Colonia colonus
See the tail?
Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans
Couldn't get a great photo of this guy for some reason, but he was a beaut.
Onward to Manu Wildlife Center
Pictured here is one of the tallest (if not the largest) Peruvian alive, who also happens to be the greatest bird guide in the country: Jose Antonio. Here he helps us on the boat to Manu.
Pink-toed Tarantula
Common Pauraque, Nyctidromus albicollis
Manu Airstrip
We couldn't fly out because the plane operator decided not to return after servicing his plane in Lima. It added a day to our trip; luckily we planned for it.
Manu Wildlife Center
Rose is stunned by the opulence. We were there at the end of the season, and had the place to ourselves.
Saddleback Tamarin
Bluish-fronted Jacamar, Galbula cyanescens
Rainforest Hike
Canopy Tower III
While the spiral staircase was quite shaky, the platform treehouse was not. Tradeoffs.
Kassie on Tower
Frog
Frog
Tapir
Lineated Woodpecker, Dryocopus lineatus
Black-tailed Trogon, Trogon melanurus
This is a female.
Manu Clay Lick
Manu has its own clay lick, a photographers dream.
Clay Lick Blind
Well, blind may be pushing it, but it doesn't seem to disturb the lick. And they serve breakfast!
Mealy Parrot, Amazona farinosa
Mealy Parrot, Amazona farinosa
Nice clay.
Hybrid?
This blue-headed parrot with the red cap may be new to science. Or a hybrid.
Hour 4 at the Clay Lick
They did serve pancakes....
Red-and-Green Macaw, Ara chloropterus
Not a scarlet macaw: they have yellow on the wings.
Magpie Tanager, Cissopis leverianus
Vanessa
A semi-wild tapir at one of the Manu lodges.
Tapir Clay Lick
The lodges provide luxurious accommodations to wait for wildlife at clay licks.
Wild Male Tapir
Frog
Frog
Fer-de-Lance
Very venomous.
Frog
Horned Toad
Two Emperors
I shaved my facial hair to call-in the emperor tamarin. It didn't work.
Horned Screamer, Anhima cornuta
Ladder-tailed Nightjar, Hydropsalis climacocerca
Limpkin, Aramus guarauna
Turtle with Butterflies
The butterflies are probably getting some salts or other nutrients from the turtle's tears.
Wattled Jacana, Jacana jacana
White-winged Swallow, Tachycineta albiventer
Snail Kite, Rostrhamus sociabilis
Macaw Nest
Frog
Strangler Fig
Caiman
Boat-billed Heron, Cochlearius cochlearius
Jose Antonio, Calling Canopy Birds
The Long Way Home
The Motor Wasn't Working for a While....
Leg 4: the Interoceanic Highway
The National Museum of Peru
We had a long layover at the Lima Airport on our way home, so Rose and I decided to hit the museum. We lucked out.
River Otter Mug
An ancient mug of one critter we didn't see.
MR Tupac Amaru
The museum had a fantastic exhibit on the Tupac Amaru, Sendero Luminosa, and the right-wing paramilitaries that tortured and killed thousands.
Massage
We had more time to kill before heading home, so Rose indulged at the airport!