Bill B

No photo of Machu Picchu does justice to it. Seeing it is awe inspiring, and I use that phrase very sparingly. But it was not the highlight of the Birding Machu Picchu trip. THE highlight was, and always will be, Edison Buenaño. His skill as a guide and his encyclopedic ecological knowledge are unparalleled. This was my eighth trip with Wildside and I never had a guide who wasn’t first rate but Edison is the apex of that very tall pyramid. We saw a wide variety of avian species at every birding location, including high in the Andes where the air was thin but not the bird tally. Beyond Machu Picchu other cultural sites were not ignored in and around Cusco. And Aguascalientes, the tourist town jumping off point for Machu Picchu was, itself, quite photogenic. Accessed only by train the trip back featured lively music, wild costumes and a fashion show! Not exactly Amtrak! I would recommend this trip to any birder who seeks the best in guides, birds and cultural immersion.