Is there then a name, that we can use to identify the paths and roads that allow us to break and/or join these boundaries? While there may be any number of names to call such a road, this article is about ONE of them.

A great example is the “Ruta del Spondylus” or “The Road of the Spondylus”

The Road of the Spondylus is a road that serves to stretch and unite the links that connect Peru to Ecuador.

It’s also a place that is perfect at exhibiting the natural beauty of Ecuador’s landscape, as throughout its coastline it’s possible to enjoy the culture, traditional craft-work, ecotourism, cuisine, sports, beaches and much more.

In Ecuador, the route first starts off by the Ecuadorian coasts of Machala, Cuenca and parts of the Loja coast. In Peru, it takes up part of Tumbes, Piura, Lambayeque, Trujillo, and the Amazonas and Cajamarca regions.

It’s been named La Ruta del Spondylus because of the spiny-like shell of the same name, which was highly coveted during prehispanic times.

It also had quite a high value placed on it both for ceremonial and commercial reasons in both the Ecuadorian Andes region and in the most important chiefdoms of then Peru.

There have been plenty of examples of the Spondylus shell and of accessories and ornaments made from replicas of it, throughout the various archeological sites located on the west coast of South America.

This route allows the traveler to have access to a whole range of cultures located in and around the zone.

Here, it’s possible to get to know the first American culture, to be given the so-called “Las Vegas” name, and which had its heyday a little over eleven thousand years ago on the coast of Ecuador.

Another one of these cultures is the “Valvidia,” which dates back to four thousand years B.C – it’s one of the first cultures to utilize mud and clay as a consumable with which they produced or manufactured their utensils, tools and sculptures.

It should be remembered that Pizarro, when he first stepped foot on South American soil, he did so at these coasts and from here on he then began his journey towards the Inca Empire.

This route can’t be passed by unnoticed or unexplored; you really should go take a look around and enjoy the beauty that comes with it.

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With an extension of 2 million hectares, it has also been recognized by UNESCO as a Natural Heritage since 1987.

The findings in the Manu territory are not from a current era, but rather comes from the Inca era, when this region was annexed to the Empire.  In a little while, with the Spanish conquest, the new conquerors used this site as a route for commerce and expeditions.

Currently, the attraction of the Manu National Park is still its natural landscape that attracts national, as well as, foreign tourists to experience its marvelous environment, where you can breathe purity and observe, as well as, understand the nature in this part of Peru.

To know the Manu National Park is to have the opportunity to marvel and, perhaps, to see for the first time species not easily seen. The Manu Reserve possesses around 159 species of mammals, 99 species of reptiles, 210 species of fish and more than 1000 species of plants.

This place is considered as one of the places with more biodiversity on the planet.

For those who wish to visit the Manu National Park, you may do so in two ways, starting from Cusco:

• By land and river: By road take a trip to  Atalaya or Shintuya (12 hr. approx.), and later through a crossing through the Alto Madre de Dios and Manu Rivers (6 hr. approx.).

• By Air: Take a plane to the locality of Boca Manu (half hour approx.) and later take a trip through the Manu River until reaching the Park.

For that, it is recommended to take a tour or guided visit in order to do this journey.

Inside the Manu National Park, you can also camp by the riverbank of the river that has the name of the Park or stay at a lodge.

Ecotourism is the main activity that tourists do in Manu, aside from canoeing, thanks to the fact that the Park was been unaltered for thousands of years, being  unique and special as a place and as a natural tourist site.

One has to keep in mind that in order to visit the Manu National Park one will be subjected to diverse factors, especially climatic.

That is why it is recommended to take light clothing, rain proof, trekking shoes, hat, sun glasses and insect repellents, in order to have a pretty and adequate experience together with nature.

You may see the experience of some tourists inside the famous reserve in the following video:

Technorati Tags: tourism, tours, places, trips, peru, manu, nature, adventure, amazon.

This National Reserve is protected by the Peruvian state since it is a lovely landscape inhabited by the greatest diversity of flora and fauna that can be found on the planet.

In the Tambopata National Reserve we find a great quantity of exotic animals, such as the river wolf or giant otter, peccary, anaconda, tapir, jaguar, ocelot, etc.:  there are 590 different species of birds, which are more than the ones that exist in the United States.

The place where this reserve is located, Madre de Dios, has three extremely important conservation areas in its lands:

1.The Manu Biosphere Reserve:  that has been declared by UNESCO as  a Natural Heritage Site (1987).
2.The  Tambopata-Candamo Reserved Zone: in this area one finds various animals at risk of extinction such as the harpy eagle and the giant otter.
3.The Bahuaja-Sonene National Park: more than 450 species of birds co-exist in this park.

If you have the desire to travel in order to get to know this reserve, we recommend that you do it from Cusco towards Puerto Maldonado, traveling some 45 minutes by plane, so that later you may travel by boat through the river that will take you from Puerto Maldonado towards Tambopata.

Remember that before you travel between zones you should be vaccinated against yellow fever and present the vaccination card as soon as you get to the airport at Puerto Maldonado; furthermore, if you have yet to be vaccinated, you may do so at the airport, where the service is completely free.

It is recommended that you take a lot of insect repellent and some type of malaria medication in your luggage.

A good season to visit this reserve and a place as magical as Madre de Dios is the dry season which consists of the months between June and October, since the other months of the year it rains a lot (between January and March).

Take light clothing, pants and big, loose shirts, a hat and sun block to protect yourself from the sun and comfortable shoes to allow you to perform long walks. After all of this, the only thing left for me to say is that you enjoy this marvelous experience.

Technorati Tags: tourism, tours, places, trips, peru, national park, jungle.

At approximately 65 km. from the city of Lima, the valley of the Rimac River is located near the town of San Jerónimo de Surco in the province of Huarochirí. With its local church of that dates back to colonial times, the local waterfalls, and the archaeological sites, this town is abundant with attractive tourist sites.

Tumbapaccha Falls are mere short walk from the Huanano Machay caves, which are pre-Inca constructions of the Huarpa Ayacucho culture. Arriving to the site, one can feel the magic and mystique of the Tumbapaccha waterfall.  Standing near falls, a person will feel small in comparison to the heaving beauty of nature.

The 20-meter-high waterfall is surrounded by beautiful-looking natural landscapes, which in turn are bountiful through the valley.

Alongside the banks of the impressive landscape and the raw natural force of the waterfall, there are various restaurants.

For this kind of trekking through the valley, it is recommended to wear comfortable thin clothes and shoes. Also, trek lightly between the trails and rough roads as heavy weight hinders mobility and can be dangerous.

It is also advised to bring a drinking bottle or container, preferably for water. Remember, there are no shops in nature!

 Due to the nearby city of Lima, it’s possible to visit the falls in the course of one day. Surely the pressures of city life can be overwhelming, so why not get away from the city and run into the arms of nature? With this in mind, the Tumbapaccha cascade is no doubt the best option.

Because of the close proximity to the city, you can plainly plan a trip to Tumbapaccha during the week. Within days, you can spread the word to friends for a one-day trip of adventure and extreme excitement.  Just grab a backpack, wear something comfortable, and go out and enjoy nature!

Image: SumaqPeru

Blogalaxia Tags: Tumbapaccha’s Cascades, Valley of the Rimac River, Huarochiri, Nature, Peru

In order to survive and spread their culture, the men and women of northern Peru have been characterized throughout history as a group of people that were consistently overcoming northern Peru’s harsh terrain. Located a few kilometers from Cajamarca, Cumbemayo is a fine example of the peoples’ ability to triumph over the hostile environment.

The Cumbemayo Ruins are located at the base of Cumbe Hill.  There, the people of Cajamarca had built aqueducts carved into rock and decorated with various glyphs.  The aqueducts brought water from the hill’s melting snow thus supplying a population with adequate water. These aqueducts were built around 1500 BC and are considered one of the oldest manmade structures in South America.

How Were They Built?

The ancient people of this region had noted that rainfall was scarce. In turn, they needed to seek new ways to supply water to their livestock and families. Their solution came in the form of volcanic rock shaped into a zigzag pattern and placed around the hill.  This structure guided the water from the melting snows from the hilltops to the people down below.

Within this structure, the ancients built a religious shrine. There, priests worshiped a stone sculpture in the form of a human head that leads into a cave filled with still undeciphered glyphs. Additionally, shrines were erected at every major section of the aqueduct as offerings to the gods.
Cumbemayo is an esoteric region that tourists can enjoy. Given the history of the aqueducts, the nature encompassing them, and the engineering of volcanic rock, drinking this water – rich in minerals – gives the body not just a refreshing physical sensation but a spiritual one as well.

How to Get There

The only way to get there is through an hour-long bus ride from Cajamarca.

Image: Tour Peru Cajamarca

Blogalaxia Tags: Cajamarca, Peru, Photos, Tourism, Hydraulics, Engineering, Nature, History, Archeology

Located 31 kilometers from Tarma, in the department of Junin, we find what is considered to be the deepest cave in South America. The cave of Guagapo, whose name in Quechua means “Tears of the All-Powerful”, is a rocky formation 2,000 meteres deep of which the opening to the outside is 20 meters high. Inside are stalactites and stalacmites, forming a small drizzle that falls over the heads of tourists who venture into this natural wonder.

Within the walls of the cave, we find not only thousand year-old rock formations, but also proof of the existence of a community which once lived inside, since we can see the cave paintings representing typical animals of the region: the llama, the guanaco, the snake, and some hunting scenes as well.

When we enter into the interior, we will be able to see a subterranean stream that, upon emerging from the rock, forms small cascades toward a moor covered by natural vegetation that lives on the water from the stream. After a 100 meters of walking, the path separates from the stream and from this point on, you need a tourist guide to tell you where to walk.

The cave is divided into two sections and the adventure begins as we climb a bit in order to continue our hike in search of the “tears of the all-powerful”. After ascending this stretch and walking approximately 300 meters into the interior of the cave, we arrive on dry ground and can see the stalactite and stalacmite formations on the roof, which with drops of water have formed an entire forest of rock for us to admire.

Why is it called “The Tears of the All-Powerful”?

There is a legend that the villagers tell as to why this name was given to this place. In the time of the Incan expansion, the local people knew that in this cave there were caverns which could serve as a refuge to them should there be an invasion. So, when the armies of Incan warriors arrived, the men from the village hid their wives and children here in order to save them from a possible massacre.

The families waited for the return of the warriors for a long time, but the Incas were too strong and the men never returned. The women mourned their deaths and, out of fear, never left the cave, becoming transformed into rock after many years.

So if today we are in this place, and close our eyes, we will be able to hear their cries in the drops of water.

Image: Las Maravillas del Perú

Blogalaxia Tags: Guagapo, Nature, Junín, Stalactites, Peru, Tourism, Photos

This reserve is part of a system offering a save haven for natural and ecological areas and is protected by the state of Peru using the assistance of the Ministry of Environment.  It was officially recognized as a National Reserve in 1978. It should also be mentioned, that Titicaca Lake is the highest navigable lake in the world and aside from this, is also a place where various cultures emerged and to this day continue to dwell by the lake’s shoreline.

Within the multitude of activities that are available, and aside from the usual tourist tours, it’s possible to take a local marsh boat and take a spin around the lake, or to rent a paddle boat and leisurely make your way around. There are also sail boats available for use in open public areas, sport fishing (for Silverside fish ‘pejerrey’) activities in the Coata River canal, and plenty of opportunities for bird watching as well as the other species whose habitats are within the zone.

The Uros

Within the reserves compound, there lives a community of people called the Uros, and they’re considered to be the oldest group of residents still in the region. They tend to make their homes on the reed islands within the lake. These islands on Titicaca are one of the most visited and central tourist spots on the reserve. The economy of this village, is solely based on the income that comes  in from tourism, fishing, hunting and artisanal crafts.
       
Flora and Fauna

The lake houses a great amount of bird species, fish and amphibians. Within the groups of fish that make their habitat in Titicaca, there is the Suche, Mauri and Orestia among many others, native to the area. In terms of the flora of the area, the most well known are the cattails (totora) or the marsh plants, as they are the main components of the floating islands and the boats on the lake. 

Archeological Remains

At the reserve, we can also find some archeological remains. For example, in the Capachica Peninsula, there are remains here and there, of Incan tombs. As well as in the Chucuito Peninsula where you’d find funereal tombs and a stone raised ceremonial temple used by the Tiahuanaco culture. Likewise, in other cities like Chucuito, there are fertility temples, and in Taraco there have been found the remains of figures carved into stone, which can also probably be attributed to the Tiahuanaco culture. The visit to the lake is not only an experience where you’ll learn about the customs and lifestyles of other cultures, but also you’d be able to enjoy beautiful scenery the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Due to the location of the reserve, it’s an ideal place to get a little ecotourism done, adventure touring is quite popular as well, and of course there’s plenty of opportunity to go about investigating and experiencing some cultural exchange.

Blogalaxia Tags: Peru, Puno, Titicaca Lake, The Tititcaca Reserve, Tourism