Introduction

I saw the most impressive natural wonders of my life on this trip. Rather than being a diary of the experience, this will be more like a photo album, with details here and there, primarily to enhance appreciation of what's depicted in the photos. I also hope to provide enough detail to facilitate re-creation of the route, as well as appreciation of the wondrous scenery and animals I encountered.

Left: A free-ranging llama near the road crossing the Andes between the the town of Huaraz, Peru, and the pre-Incan temple of the Chavin culture at Huantar.


I traveled from August 25 thru October 25, 2008, spending 5 weeks in the Andes of Peru, 1 week in the Amazon jungle, 1 week traveling down the Amazon to Manaus (from which I flew to Rio de Janeiro), 2 days in Rio, 1 week in the Pantanal of southwestern Brazil and on to Iguazu Falls, and concluding with 2 days in Buenos Aires. I skipped over a large section of eastern Brazil. I timed the trip to precede the wet season of the Peruvian Andes and the Amazon.

Much of the trip was inspired by the BBC's "Planet Earth" DVD set. I used the Lonely Planet guidebooks "Peru", "South America", and "Trekking in the Central Andes", as well as Bradt's "The Amazon". The Lonely Planet guides are easier to use from the standpoint of traveling as a tourist, but the Bradt guide is much more detailed regarding the history, culture, and biology of the Amazon. There is a Resources section for others that I used.

The jungle postings (Manu, the Amazon, & the Pantanal) have a lot more photos than the others, so they're quite a bit longer.

Right: Christ the Redeemer at sunset in Rio.