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By Root 1254 0

Pacific, marine birds of all kinds are most visible, especially in the south, where they can be found clustered on rocky outcroppings along the shore. Here you’ll see exuberant Chilean flamingos, oversized Peruvian pelicans, plump Inca terns sporting white-feather mustaches and bright orange beaks, colonies of brown boobies engaged in elaborate mating dances, cormorants and endangered Humboldt penguins, which can be spotted waddling around the Islas Ballestas (Click here). Even in dreary Lima you’ll find birds, such as bright vermilion flycatchers, rufous-collared sparrows and Pacific doves – the latter two of which can’t be found on any other continent. Bosque El Olivar, in Lima’s San Isidro neighborhood (Click here), is a good spot to see birds.

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WATCHING WILDLIFE IN PERU

Sea lions, vicuñas, condors, scarlet macaws and sloths: a lot of travelers come to Peru specifically to observe the extraordinary animal life. A few tips on making the most of your wildlife-watching:

be willing to travel – the coast has limited fauna and some highland areas have been hunted out; remote is the way to go

hire a knowledgeable local guide – they know what to look for and where

get up really early – animals tend to be most active at dawn and dusk

bring a pair of lightweight binoculars, they will improve wildlife observation tremendously

be very quiet; animals tend to avoid loud packs of chatty humans, so keep chit-chat to a whisper; in the Amazon, opt for canoes instead of motorboats – you’ll see much more

keep still, hang out for a while – in the Amazon, animals might just come to you

have realistic expectations: vegetation can be thick, animals are shy, and others are nocturnal –you’re not going to see everything in a single hike

For the top wildlife-watching spots, see boxed text. For tips on what to pack for an Amazon adventure, see boxed text, Click here.

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FOR THE DOGS: PERUVIAN HAIRLESS

Visit many of the ancient sites around Peru and you’ll be greeted by a strangely awesome canine sight: hairless dogs – some with small mohawks on the crown of their heads – bounding about the ruins. A pre-Inca breed whose roots in the Andes date back almost 3000 years, the perro biringo or perro calato (naked dog), as it is known, has been depicted in Moche, Chimú and Chancay pottery. These funny-looking creatures were once thought to have curative properties: since they have no fur, it was alleged that the proximity of their warm bodies could alleviate symptoms of illnesses such as arthritis.

Over the centuries, as cutesy breeds from abroad have been introduced to Peru, the population of Peruvian hairless has declined. But, in recent years, they’ve started to make a comeback, with dedicated Lima breeders working to keep the species alive, and the government employing them as staple attractions at pre-Columbian sites. In 2009 they were even awarded with their own commemorative stamp. The dogs may not be pretty, but they are generally very friendly. And they do have one thing going for them: no fur means no fleas.

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Peruvian Wildlife: A Visitor’s Guide to the High Andes, by Gerard Cheshir, Huw Lloyd and Barry Walker, provides a broad overview of the mountains’ many species.

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In the highlands, the most famous bird of all is the Andean condor. Weighing up to 10kg, with a 3m-plus wingspan, this monarch of the air (a member, incidentally, of the vulture family) once ranged over the entire Andean mountain chain from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego. Considered the largest flying bird in the world, the Andean condor was put on the endangered species list in the 1970s, due mostly to loss of its natural habitat and environmental pollution. But it was also hunted to the brink of extinction because its body parts were believed to increase male virility, ward off nightmares and cure a variety of physical ailments. (It is most threatened in the northern end of its territory, in Venezuela and Colombia.) Condors usually nest in impossibly high, inaccessible mountain cliffs