Peru - Macaws and Machu Picchu (non-trek)

This holiday was the perfect blend of wildlife and culture for us and we will definitely return to Peru. I feel that the excellent tour leaders, guides and drivers made the holiday even more outstanding due to their knowledge, enthusiasm, respect and care for the environment and their clients. Naturetrek has never let us down in terms of their vast knowledge of the countries we wish to visit. We are mainly birders, wildlife enthusiasts but have a vast interest in insects, plants, trees and much more. Each trip we have been on their guides and tour leaders have been very knowledgeable and have definitely enhanced the trip. This must be due to Naturetrek's dedication to researching exactly what the clients needs and interests are and how to put a tour together safely incorporating local knowledge in the specific country.

This was a trip of my lifetime. Our group was lead by a gracious, knowledgeable ornithologist who, through Naturetrek, coordinated travels to many different habitats from the Pacific Ocean offshore islands to the cloud forest, ending with a tour of the Sacred Valley and the ancient Inca civilization of Machu Picchu. Lodging was rich and varied where authentic Peruvian dishes were served. Though bird watching was the theme of this adventure, we also learned of the Spanish invasion and the downfall of the Inca empire. I brought back a piece of Peru in my Mind, Body & Spirit.

All the guides were excellent, particularly our tour leader Jose Antonio. The holiday was very well organised by Naturetrek. Highlights were many but included birds such as Peruvian pelican, Inca tern, hoatzin, rufous crested coquette, lyre tailed nightjar and shining sunbeam. We will never forget the macaw clay lick in the rainforest or our first encounter with a caiman. Equally unforgettable was the lush spectacular cloud forest, with amazing epiphytes on the trees. Also amazing tree ferns. Some great insects seen included leaf cutter ants, army ants, bullet ants, preying mantis and katydids.The Inca sites were spectacular... This was not a relaxing holiday. By the end we were exhausted with all the travel. But the wildlife was superb and just to experience the Andes was a real privilege.

Just back from a wonderful holiday in Peru. One of the best places I’ve been. Fantastic range of habitats from penguins & sea lions on the coast to macaws & monkeys in the Amazon to the snow capped Andes and the stunning Machu Picchu. All in two weeks! Plus the people are really friendly & welcoming.

As a Naturetrek tour leader myself, I would like to put on record how excellent our local leader, Pepe, was for this trip. It is impossible to fault him. His knowledge, enthusiasm and consideration for every possible thing from major to the less important was truly first class. He held the group together supremely well and was very keen to ensure that all clients got what they wanted from the trip. He did all this with a wonderful sense of humour. As with all my fellow guests, it was with some sadness that we parted company from Pepe at the airport. I know, he would be keen to lead other Naturetrek trips and I can wholeheartedly recommend him for this - grab him while you can! As for accommodation and transport and all connections - everything went very smoothly. We saw a lot of this wonderful country and both my wife and I had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Thank you one and all.

I had a fantastic trip to Peru. I have nothing but admiration for the amount of effort, skill and enthusiasm shown by Percy and the local guides. We were in safe hands throughout and I was able to get to areas which I could not have dreamed of reaching without the assistance of Naturetrek.

We have just returned from a fabulous Macaws and Machu Picchu holiday…the success of our holiday was due to a great extent to the wildlife expertise and organisational skills of our leader Pepe Rojas. His knowledge of and enthusiasm for the fauna of his native Peru was positively infectious. He went to great lengths to ensure that everyone in the party 'got on the bird'. Apart from his wildlife expertise I was particularly grateful for his caring support when I was under the weather for 24 hours. Bottom line - would we travel with Naturetrek again? We are already looking at Just Tigers!

Our guide had a superb knowledge of birds and wildlife generally and knew a lot about Peru's history and ancient sites.

I really enjoyed the holiday. The hotels and lodges were good. The trip description was accurate, giving us a broad spectrum of birds, scenery, culture and history.

I thought Jose Antonio Padilla was an excellent guide/tour leader. He worked hard finding birds and making sure we were all OK. All in all it was an excellent holiday and, to be honest, I didn't want to leave.