Month: May 2012

Wild Vicuna At The National Reserve Of Pampas Galeras, Peru

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icuna in a meadow at the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru, South America.

Vicuna in the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru, South America.

In the harsh climate high in the mountain meadows of the National Reserve of Pampas Galeras in Peru live the rarely-seen Vicuna.  In 1974, the Vicuna were declared an endangered species; at that time, only 6,000 of these animals were left alive in Peru.   Today, with the aid of organizations like World Wildlife Fund, the population of Vicuna has recovered to about 350,000.  Even with that supposed high number of these animals, it is still very difficult to actually catch a glimpse of one in the wilds of Peru. Read more

The Mummies of Chauchilla Cemetery near Nazca, Peru

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Human Mummified body and skulls and bones at the Chauchilla Cemetery in Peru, South America

Chauchilla Cemetery south of the city of Nazca in Peru, South America.

The Mummies of Chauchilla Cemetery in Peru, are the mummified bodies of ancient pre-hispanic Nazca people.   As we soon learned on our tour, their bodies have been preserved because of the dry climate of the Nazca valley.  Archaeologists have dated these grave sites to somewhere around 1000 AD, and it is believed the burials occurred here over the course of 600 years. Read more

Our Drive Through Paracas National Reserve In Peru

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Jean beside rental car at Paracas National Reserve on the Paracas Peninsula, Ica, Peru.

Pacific coast at Paracas National Reserve on the Paracas Peninsula, Ica, Peru.

After Bob made some hasty notes from a map on display at the main pavilion where neither staff or a handout was available, we then drove off into the dust of Paracas National Reserve located on the Paracas Peninsula in Peru.  As we soon learned on our excursion, this reserve is a world of sandy wastelands, isolated beaches, and high ocean cliffs.

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Our Drive To Paracas On The Pan American Highway

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desert alongside the pan american highway - peru

Pan American Highway south of Lima, Peru

With our rental car topped up with gas, Bob and I headed south from Lima into the desert along the Pan American Highway towards our next stop at the village of Paracas located 15 kilometres south of the town of Pisco, in Peru.  The Pan American Highway runs along the Pacific Ocean coastline and is bordered on the left by sweeping desert landscape.   Huge hills, dare I say mountains, of sand, bisected by valleys and gullies, dominate the countryside. Read more

Our Tour Of The Ruins of Pachacamac

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Walkway alongside the Temple of Pachacamac ruins south of Lima in Peru, South America

Temple of Pachacamac ruins south of Lima in Peru, South America

Early on our second morning in Lima, Bob and I hired a driver to take us southeast of Lima to the Ruins of Pachacamac.  These ruins are some of the oldest pyramids uncovered from beneath the desert hills and dunes of Peru. To the casual eye, the 500 acres of this national museum and archaeological site just appear as a monotone conglomeration of crumbling adobe bricks.  Read more