Travellers Photo Gallery

Visiting our first village in the Amazon, Miguel Grau. The fish had just been caught a few hours earlier and was being dried in the sun.

Everything seemed huge in the Amazon, including this grasshoppe

This tarantula was about the size of an adult hand

These tree bats on the other hand were only about the size of a milk bottle top and well camouflaged to boot.

The world famous giant Amazon lilies grow to the size of a bus tyre.

We enjoyed a spectacular sun rise, while out on a bird watching trip

Neil and Delyth observe the enormous buttress roots on this tree during one of our hikes through the jungle.

These kids were up early, playing by the riverside.

Alex, our local guide expertly speared a fish while Barbara and Lyn watched on in amazement.

We were really lucky to see this anaconda sleeping in a tree. He was about 2 metres long.

This 3-toed sloth was crossing the river when our guide plucked him out of the water. We gave him a ride to the other side of the river.

It was an amazing opportunity to observe a sloth up close.

A coroyo heron. These are the biggest types of heron in the Amazon and we saw many of them.

These 2 parakeets were tucking into a kapok to get to the soft pulp on the inside. It was fascinating to watch them pick all the fluff off first.

This parakeet had been left at the centre by our previous St Cuthbert's College group who had been given it during a village tour. Named "Cuthbert" by the girls and now still less than 2 weeks old, this inquisitive little fellow has been renamed "Nueva Zelanda" by the Lodge Staff.

Brian, Barb, Neil and Delyth enjoy the boat tour of the Belen suburb of Iquitos. The houses are built on stilts or patoons to float.

Two scarlet macaws we found at the Iquitos zoo. We also saw blue and yellow macaws in the wild.

The first day of the main trip saw us do a city tour of colonial Lima. This photo is taken at lover’s park in Miraflores suburb where we were staying

A local fisherman feeds some pelicans at Paracas. The marine wildlife in this area is phenomenal

Another fantastic buggy experience at Hucachina Oasis, Ica

We learnt about the Nazca pottery style.

Visiting Chauchulla cemetery we learnt more about the Nazca culture

This lunch was similar to a hangi and simply delicious. Called a pachamanca the food is steamed in the ground for 4 hours.

An early start at the Colca Canyon rewarded us with these school kids doing some traditional dancing, with Ampato volcano in the background.

A beautiful walk along the rim of the Colca Canyon brought us to the Cruz del Condor, where we could observe these majestic birds, the Andean Condor.

Barb and Lyn got dressed up in traditional clothing from the Coyllama region.

Eileen had a close encounter with an eagle in the village of Maca.

The scenery of the Colca region is simply stunning and at 3700m, also breathtaking.

The group enjoyed an acclimatization walk to the pre-Inca ruins of Uyo Uyo.

In the Cusco region, we visited a small regional museum displaying typical Andean products.

Dorothy and Alistair taking a rest on some stones carved by the Incas, near Cusco.

Another acclimatization walk through the countryside. We saw 4 impressive ruins near Cusco, culminating in Sacsayhuaman where this photo was taken.

The Sacred Valley group marveling at the wonders of the Pisac ruins.

Down in Pisac village we were fortunate to be there on one of the days of the Virgin of Carmen festival.

We were invited in to observe the brightly coloured and energetic dancing as well as partaking in some local food and drinks. This unexpected show of local talent and hospitality was the highlight of the day.

Kevin, Neil, Del, Dorothy, Lynne and Pat stand up after a tasty picnic lunch with the Maras Salt pans in the background. A unique setting for a picnic.

Delyth seems tiny amongst these immense Inca walls which are part of the modern day town, Ollantaytambo.

The group celebrates the arrival at Machu Picchu. 5 people came via the Inca Trail and 7 on the Sacred Valley route.
We were all thrilled with our experiences since leaving Cusco 3 days earlier.

The gigantic Raqui ruins - a major storehouse for the Inca.

Dorothy and Alistair dressed up in the local garb of the Uros Island

The great thing about this trip is that there is always something new to do and see every day. Here we see Kevin, Pat and Lynne trying to capture the moment near the shores of Lake Titicaca as we visited a sacred preInca site.

After lunch a short hike brought us to this beautiful viewpoint, overlooking Lake Titicaca with the Royal Mountain range, part of the Bolivian Andes in the background.

Lyn and Clive enjoy the sailboat ride from Uspiki to Anapia Island. The Anapia homestay is always one of the highlights of the tours.

The group along with some of our local hosts enjoys the sunset on Anapia Island.

Gathered around the Ponce Statue at Tihuanaco, the group adapts the 'ponce pose'. This fascinating culture existed over 4000 years ago.

Dorothy, Alistair, Kevin, Pat, Neil and Del ready to take off on an exciting tricycle blat down to the port to start the day's activities in Puno.

Our local guide David gave us a briefing on the fascinating lives of the Uros people whose home is amongst floating islands made of reeds.

The group enjoys a homemade lunch on Uspiki Island prepared by our homestay hosts on Lake Titicaca.

Brian and Barb are dwarfed by the immensity of the Valley of the Souls, near
La Paz.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch in the Valley at the conclusion of our hike.

Playing around on the salt mounds, which are heaped up to help with the
drying process before being transported to the factory.

Kevin impressed us with his balancing skills.

Brian keeps the group in suspense.

Lynne is dwarfed by the giant cactus on fish island.

Dorothy & Pat enjoy the view from Fish Island

Lynne, Del, Pat, Kevin and Neil enjoy the view over the llama-filled prairie on the third day of the Atacama Crossing

The scenery you experience on this jeep safari is truly amazing

A fascinating walk through the geysers and boiling mud pools of Sol de Mañana Geyserfield, Bolivia

Laguna Verde was frozen over so not as green as normal, but still impressive.

Walking along the valley floor near San Pedro de Atacama.

We were treated to a large flock of flamingos in San Pedro de Atacama, however the population is diminishing due to mining in the area.

This one was just taking off into flight.

Fish Island - a unique place for a lunch spot. Please pass the salt.

On our first afternoon in San Pedro de Atacama, we had a wonderful hike into the Valley of the Moon which has been formed though numerous geological forces. Our guide Patrick took great delight in explaining the processes to us so we could better understand the breathtaking environment we were walking through.