General Tour Information
ENTERING PERU: For United States citizens a valid passport and return airline ticket are required. Visas are not necessary, as a tourist card will be issued on entry. Your passport, as a general rule, should be valid for at least six months after the date the tour ends. Citizens of other countries may need a visa and should check their nearest Peruvian embassy. If required by the embassy or visa-granting entity, WINGS can provide a letter for you to use regarding your participation in the tour.
MAP AND COUNTRY INFORMATION: You can view a map of Peru here. To adjust the size, click on the map’s lower right corner. You can review the U.S. State Department Background Notes on Peru here.
HEALTH: A malaria preventative is recommended. The incidence of malaria has increased dramatically in recent years; the disease is no longer restricted to the Amazonian lowlands, having spread to the coast and the Andean highlands. Prophylaxis for chloroquine-resistant strains of malaria is recommended.
Immunization for yellow fever is recommended by the CDC for travel in Peru and every other trip into the deep tropics.
The CDC currently also recommends the following vaccines (see your doctor at least 4—6 weeks before your trip to allow time for immunizations to take effect): Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG); typhoid; and as needed, booster doses for tetanus-diphtheria and measles. You can view the latest CDC traveler’s advisories here.
CLIMATE: Peru’s climate is widely varied. At the time of our visit, the austral winter, coastal Lima is seasonally foggy, damp, and chilly, necessitating a sweater. During the afternoon, it can be very bright and sun protection should be used. In the eastern lowlands, expect temperatures in the 70s to high 80s (F) with high humidity. Rain is always a possibility in the eastern Andes and lowlands. To deal with all climatic contingencies we recommend a rain jacket that could double as a windbreaker, and a sweater for the highlands and light weight warm weather clothes for the lowlands. A compact umbrella is also essential for birding in light rain.
PACE OF THE TOUR: As with most birding in the tropics, we have only 12 hours of sunlight for birding. Thus, we will be rising early (4:30-5 am) on most mornings to get to sites on time, and ending most days shortly after sunset at 5:30 pm. Be warned of the effects of altitude. We will be at elevations up to nearly 9000 feet (2400 m) for the first few days of the tour. Much of our birding will be done while walking, and uphills, downhills, and some rugged terrain are inevitable (this is the Andes!). Furthermore, there are several walks longer than two miles, but we will warn of the conditions and participants can opt out of the hardest hikes.
ACCOMMODATIONS: In Lima we stay in a modern hotel in Miraflores. In the north, our accommodations will be a combination of small hotels and camping. We always stay at the best accommodations possible. All of the hotels will be clean and have private bathrooms. The hotels in the larger cities, such as Jaen and Cajamarca, will be more modern. The hotels in the smaller towns will be comfortable, but more basic. On two nights, we will camp. Our ground agent, Manu Expeditions, will set up a comfortable camp, and will supply all tents, sleeping bags and pads. Camping is necessary as no suitable accommodations exists at a couple of critical birding areas.
DRESS: Informal dress is acceptable throughout Peru.
TRANSPORTATION: Our land transportation will be in a bus. Most road travel will be on unpaved roads, since climatic conditions are so extreme everywhere but on the coast that maintenance of paved roads is impractical. The Andes, the cloud forests and the rain forests are formidable barriers to transportation and communication, so we are fortunate to have even the few roads that have been built. This is sometimes hard to remember after a day in a bumping bus!
SMOKING: We request that you do not smoke in the vehicles or when the group is gathered for meals, checklists, etc. If you are sharing a room with a non-smoker, please do not smoke in the room. If you smoke in the field, we ask that you do so well away and downwind from the group, if possible.
GENERAL INFORMATION & CONDITIONS: Please take a moment to read the WINGS General Information & Conditions. This section contains important information about how we conduct tours, e.g., what is included in the tour price, refund and cancellation policies, pace of the tours and other information that will help you prepare for the tour.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: A more complete General Information for Tours to Northern Peru will be sent to each registrant on receipt of their booking. Final information with instructions for meeting the group, hotel addresses, etc., will be mailed about three weeks before trip departure. Other news will be communicated as necessary. .
Updated: October 2006