Peru

Similar to Ecuador, the Andes cross Peru from north to south and divide the country into three main areas. In the west, the mountains slowly decline towards the Pacific Ocean. Unlike in Ecuador, the Peruvian coast is very dry since the sea is dominated by the cold Humboldt Current which brings along only little humidity. In the south of Peru the scant landscape merges with the driest place in earth, die Chilean Atacama Desert. The Andes range gets as wide as 300 km (190 mi) and the highlands reach up to 3800 m (12500 ft) elevation. Towards the east the 6500 m (21300 ft) high mountains drop away in steep slopes down into the impenetrable jungle of the Amazon.

Arequipa

The city is located in southwestern Peru at an elevation of 2400 m (7800 ft) and has many colonial-era Spanish buildings. The one-million town lies at the desert-like western slopes of the Andes surrounded by up to 6000 m (20000 ft) high volcanoes.

Colca Canyon

From Arequipa, we went on a two-day trip to the impressive Colca valley.

Cusco

The ancient Inca capital lies on an altitude of 3310 m (10900 ft) on the Peruvian highland. Before the Spanish conquest the Inca rulers reigned in illustrious temples. Today, however, only few remains of that time can be found in Cusco since the conquerors looted all the gold and destroyed the buildings. The city has then been rebuilt in colonial-style buildings.

Machu Picchu

From Cusco we trained down to Machu Picchu, the most famous cultural heritage in South America. The ancient Inca city lies in the cloud forest of the Amazon basin on an altitude of    2380 m (7800 ft).

Puerto Maldonado

After our return from Machu Picchu to Cusco we flew down to Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon jungle. The contrast could hardly be starker; instead of thin, cold air we met tropical conditions. Claudia couldn't wait to go on the hunt for animals. As soon as a beast stuck its head out of the trees it got flashed by Claudia's camera. Some of her trophies are shown below.