COUNTRIES

Very picturesque flight from Cusco to Puerto Maldonado starts in the mountains and quickly descends to the jungle

Uncontacted tribes still inhabit this forest, stretching into Bolivia and Brazil

Market in Puerto Maldonado

Selling petrol in plastic bottles. It's common when there are more motorcycles than cars

Corto Maltes Lodge. Birds built these hanging nests from palm leaves

There are 2 Scarlet Macaws living in the Lodge grounds

They like to play in the morning. This one was using the palm leaf as a swing!

"Kissing Macaws"

Smaller Red-bellied Macaws also inhabit this part of Peru

Clay lick in Tambopata Reserve, where these parrots gather in the morning

Trees around Lake Sandoval, which can be reached after a 5km hike

Canal leading to the lake. No motorboats are allowed in this reserve

Beautiful Lake Sandoval. It's home to many species of animals

I didn't expect to see bats here, but there was a group attached to the palm tree

They chose a spot away from the sun

Butterfly getting ready to sleep

It was quite big!

Many spiders are nocturnal, like this one living on a palm tree

Flying back to Cusco. Only 30 min but what a difference!

Cusco. The airport is surrounded by houses, but a new one is being built away from the city

Central part of Cusco, the former capital of the Inca Empire

Ruins of Sacsayhuaman on the outskirts of Cusco. Huge boulders fit together tightly without mortar

People of Peru

People of Peru

The Cathedral in Cusco by night

La Merced Monastery, built in 1534

People outside the famous church in Andahuaylillas

Ruins of Viracocha Temple in Raqchi, probably the largest roofed building ever built by the Incas

Cathedral in Pukara, a town between Cusco and Puno

The road from Cusco to Puno passes La Raya, the highest point of the route at 4321m