time is a constraint, you should take the Carretera Central (a parallel paved road) to reach other birding destinations farther on. The Santa Eulalia loop starts from the Central Highway at mile 24 (2 755 feet elevation) and rejoins it at mile 75 (14 107 feet elevation). The beginning of the road goes through fields and dry montane scrub with birds like Scarlet-fronted Parakeet, Mountain Parakeet, and seedeaters.

At about 17 miles from the town of Santa Eulalia, check the vegetation above the road on the one kilometer stretch before the bridge over a very deep canyon. In the early morning, this scrub is the best place to look for Great Inca-Finch. Keep checking the sky for Andean Condor and Black-chested Buzzard-

Coastal Miner Geossita peruviana

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WESTERN CORDILLERA

The Central Peru circuit can be also called the “Route of Contrasts”. Starting in the coastal desert of Lima, which includes wetlands, mist oases and one of the richest oceans in the world, the transect, of which the spinal chord is the central Highway, rises dramati-cally climbing the Western Andes, with mostly dry habitats, over the highest train pass in the world at Ticlio (15 807 feet elevation) onto the puna plateau of Junin with beautiful lakes and wetlands, and down on the east slope of the Andes where the habitats are much more humid than on the western side, to the wet evergreen forests of the Amazon. There are many options, particularly when it comes to birding the lowlands, and choosing between them can be difficult; time may be the deciding factor. The Cordi-llera Blanca, located in central Peru north of the main route is one of the most scenic regions of Peru, and provides good birding in some of the best Polylepis woodlands.

The Central Peru Birding Route

Lomas de Lachay:Lomas de Lachay is a “mist oasis”, a unique formation of vegetation that depends on water supplied entirely by mist clouds rolling in from the ocean 5 miles away and hitting the hillsides at 490 – 2 300 feet elevation. The site is 65 miles north of Lima and 27 milles south of the city of Huacho. Lomas de Lachay National Reserve protects

Pelagic trip from CallaoIn order to organize a pelagic trip you need to contact one of the companies offering boat trips out of the port of Callao. They organize trips around the islands of San Lorenzo. These are good and you can see most of the island birds including the Humboldt Penguin, but in order to get birds such as Petrels and Albatrosses you would need to go farther out to sea. Plan at least 6 boat hours. Go several kilometers out to the open ocean in search of a fish shoal, which you will spot from far away by the concentration of dolphins, storm-petrels, shearwaters, albatrosses, gulls, terns, and more. Chumming is a good option and some of these companies can now arrange this.

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Commission for the Promotion of Peru - PromPerúCalle 1 Oeste N° 50, Piso 14-MINCETUR Lima 27, Perú

Phone: (51-1) 2243142 Fax: (51-1) 2249366postmaster@promperu.gob.pe

www.peru.info

Editorial Team: Text by: Thomas Valqui, Edition: Omar Carbajal, Design: Guillermo Seminario

Text extracted from:

by Thomas Valqui

Peruvian Pymy-Owl Glaucidium peruanum

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Warbling-Finch, and Bay-crowned Brush-Finch. There is a trail that goes from here to the lake (María Josefa trail) which is a good place to bird away from the road. The lakes themselves also have a nice trail system. Expect to find Stripe-headed Antpitta, Rufous-eared Brush-Finch, Baron’s Spinetail, Tit-like Dacnis, and Giant Conebill, among others. About 2 or 3 miles further on you reach Yurac Corral, which has scrub habitat good for ground-tyrants, Streak-throated Canastero, and Striated Earthcreeper. The Polylepis along the stream above the lake is good for White-cheeked Cotinga, although it is seasonal. Koepcke’s Screech-Owl and the rare Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant are also sometimes seen here. Abra PortachueloIf you keep going on the road after the Llanganuco lakes you will go into the Marañón basin, on the east side of the Cordillera Blanca. You must first climb to the pass (Punta Union, (15 584 feet elevation) at the base of Huascarán, the highest mountain in Peru (22 204 feet elevation), and down 6 miles into a mixed forest dominated by Polylepis trees (Quebrada Morococha). This spot, and Ceguela Pampa, might be your best chance of all to see White-cheeked Cotinga. This species tends to be active in the morning as the sun first hits the Polylepis trees. Just bird around the forest patches where there is plenty of room to hike around and search for vantage points. Tit-like Dacnis and Plain-tailed Warbling-Finch are abundant.

Pueblo LibreTo the north of Yungay, the site called Pueblo Libre is the locality for an unnamed distinctive race of Pale-tailed Canastero with a distinctive, cinnamon tail. A visit to this arid scrub might be worthwhile, particu-larly since it is easy to access once you are in Yungay. From the main road only 4.5 miles north of Yungay, take the paved side road (west) signed to “Pueblo Libre”, which crosses the Santa River. After 1.3 miles you will be in the town and need to take the unpaved road that goes to the right of the town. After 1 mile you will be in scrub habitat with plenty of columnar cacti, some of which will have the conspicuous basket-like nests of the Canastero. This habitat also seems good for Raimondi’s Yellow-Finch.

Many-spotted Hummingbird Taphrospilus hypostictus

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There are only about 55 bird species here, which makes it a good introduction to Peruvian birding, holding some specialties and four endemics that are difficult to see elsewhere (Thick-billed Miner, Grayish Miner, Raimondi’s Yellow-Finch and Cactus Canas-tero).

Pantanos de VillaThe Pantanos de Villa is a small protected marsh (978 acres) within the city limits of Lima; despite its proximity to the city, the site supports most of the coastal marsh species found in Peru and was declared a Ramsar Site (a Wetland of International Importance) in 1997. More than 130 bird species have been recorded here and typically more than 50 species can be seen on a single visit. It is an excellent place to spend a morning or afternoon in Lima and makes a good introduction to Peruvian birds. There are marked trails with observation towers, a paddle boat circuit and a trekking trail (1 hour). Depending on time, try them all. To find Peruvian Thick-Knee, ask the park guard where they have been seen in the last days.

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Climbing and winding through the massive Andean cordillera, the Carretera Central (Central Highway) connects the coastal desert on the west side of the Andes with the humid east side and Amazonian towns like Satipo, Oxapampa or Pucallpa. This engineering wonder takes you through impressive landscapes and good birding spots en route. As you travel this highway you will understand how the Andes contribute to the astonishing natural diversity of Peru.

Santa Eulalia ValleyThe Santa Eulalia - Carretera Central loop is a good full day trip from Lima. About 200 species of birds have been seen here, many of which are endemic to Peru. If

to moss-covered rocks. Here, Olivaceous Thornbill, Striated Earthcreeper, Stripe-headed Antpitta, Tit-like Dacnis, and Milpo Tapaculo are quite common. You will reach the pass and the road descends entering good montane (cloud) forest. The road and the forest here are in remarkably good shape, and the traffic is very light. Stop frequently and bird the forest wherever you see suitable pullouts. Around Puente Carrizales (mile 39 from Comas, 10 367 feet elevation), explore the dense Chusquea bamboo for Eye-ringed Thistletail, listening for its distinctive scratchy whistle. Fire-throated Metaltail is also frequent here. In the cloud forest from 9 840 feet elevation down to about 6560 feets you will be rewarded with canopy flocks full of tanagers, hemispingus, flower-piercers, and dacnises. Almost 20 species of tanager are possible here, including five species of mountain-tanager. As the road continues to drop, the avifauna changes as you enter the lowland forest of the Amazon Basin. Birding from 5 900 feet to 3 940 feet elevation will provide some new birds, but below about 5 580 feets elevation, the forest becomes increasingly degraded. At the end of the road, Satipo has a variety of accom-modation, including the comfortable Hotel Majestic, which has a protected parking lot.

CORDILLERA BLANCAAlso known as “El Callejón de Huaylas”, the Cordillera Blanca is on a different road system from the previous sites, but still belongs to what is considered central Peru. This area of Peru, the “Peruvian Switzerland”, is a favorite destination for mountain climbers and hikers. The impressive snow-capped mountains that attract them also create barriers for distribution and popula-tion isolation that are partly responsible for the uniqueness of the landscape and its birds. The area is also known for having the largest humid Polylepis forests in Perú, most of them protected in the Huascarán National Park (840 149 acres). There are more alternatives than the ones given here, particu-larly for people who like hiking and camping.

Huarmey to YungayThis section describes another road that climbs up from the coast to the highest parts of the Andes. It is worth mentioning that the bird diversity is rather low, particularly on the drab Western side. Already high in the Andes, at mile 75, lies Laguna Conococha, which

the Andes, at mile 75, lies Laguna Conococha, which has a good variety of Andean waterbirds (Crested Duck, Cinnamon Teal, Puna Duck) and on the shores you could find Black-faced Ibis and in the Puna grassland the Ornate Tinamou. At Catac (mile 102) you could take a short side trip to Querococha Lake, a relatively large high Andean lake surrounded by Polylepis forest. Recent records for Southern Pochard are from this area. However, if you are short on time, skip these lakes and concentrate on the Polylepis forests described below. A visit to the pre-Inca Wari ruins further on is recom-mended for general sight-seeing.

From Huaraz (mile 124, 10 006 feet elevation), go for another 37 miles on the paved road to Yungay (8 038 feet elevation), which has modest but comfortable hotels (e.g. Hostal Glendel). During the morning or afternoon, try birding in the nice gardens of the grave-yards of Yungay (5 minutes from town), which, besides helping with acclimatization to the elevation, offers a good opportunity to see hummingbirds such as Spot-throated Hummingbird and Purple-collared Woodstar, and also look for Great Inca-Finch in the scrub close to the Agave plants. Llanganuco lakesThe Cordillera Blanca is famous for having large tracts of humid Polylepis forests. The Llanganuco lakes (Chinancocha and Orcococha) 12.5 miles from Yungay, are surrounded by these beautiful forests on flat terrain, making them easy and pleasant to explore. There is nice, dense semi-arid scrub (that has Rufous-backed Inca-Finch) before the park guard station and in the wetter scrub search for the endemic Ancash Tapaculo, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, Plain-tailed

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P E R UA T R U E P A R A D I S E O F B I R D S

THE CENTRAL BIRDING ROUTE

Pampa HermosaDescending into the Pasco lowlands, San Ramon (2 542 feet elevation) is the first large town you encoun-ter before the Oxapampa-Villa Rica split. Not much good forest seems to be left here, but there is a lodge 24 miles (2.5 hours) away that has managed to protect some nice forest where you will for example

find the Cock-of-the-Rock and some tanagers. Cross the Victoria Bridge, and drive on the dirt road that borders the left bank of the Oxapampa River. You will then drive by the left bank of the Ulcumayo River. The lodge has some nice trails of varying length.

way from Lima to Huánuco at mile 141. A road goes all around the lake through many towns, the best place to stay among the more than 15 towns along the 62 miles shoreline is Ondores where the Junin Rail has been seen repeatedly. To stay at lower elevation only 2 hours from Junin go to Tarma (ca. 9 842 feet elevation).

Red-headed Manakin Pipra rubrocapilla

Junin Grebe Podiceps taczanowski

White-bellied Cinclodes Cinclodes palliatus

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American Pygmy Kingfisher Chloroceryle aenea

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Eagle. The scrub along the road, as it zig-zags up after the bridge, is one of the best areas for birding. In the winter this is a good place for Peruvian Sheartail, Bronze-tailed Comet, other hummingbirds and the Rufous-breasted Warbling-Finch. At 43 miles from Santa Eulalia (12 140 feet elevation) you will come to a Polylepis forest which is a good place for the White-cheeked Cotinga. When you make it to the junction to the Marcapomacocha lakes, it is time for other endemics like the White-bellied Cinclodes and the Dark-winged Miner. Lake Marcapomacocha (13.6 miles from the intersection at 15 091 feet elevation) has many of the typical birds of Andean lakes and is a good alternative if you will not get to Lake Junin. This is also the place to look for Giant Coot.

probably through the “Paujil” station, which is logisti-cally complicated and takes several days. The easiest way, and the one described here, is to visit the Oxapampa-Pozuzo road section, where you can bird intact montane forest from the paved road and side trails. The road enters the park about 24 miles north of Oxapampa and passes through the park for 11 miles, The park station at Huampal (at mile 35, or 10 miles from Pozuzo), located 54 yards back from the main road, has overnight facilities, with room for 6 people and a nice large camping ground with two roofed platforms and latrines. Your first stop could be at the first park sign at mile 27 just after passing a bridge. There is an elevated parking area by the sign and the beginning of a trail that goes up steeply. The next stretch of road goes through sections of relatively dense forest, where you should stop often to bird. At mile 37 there is the beginning of a signed trail called “Sendero Interpretativo Robin Foster” (4 265 feet elevation, named after the famous tropical forest ecologist) which ends at the Huampal park guard house. Because of its proximity (ca. 12 miles) and charm, Pozuzo, another long-established German colony, makes a good base. Ask in this town for the Cock-of-the-Rock site, ca. 4 miles away which can easily be reached by taxi.

along the shore. Red-and-white Spinetail, Black-crested Antshrike, Amazonian Antshrike, Black-tailed Antbird are all relatively common here, at least during dry periods.

SATIPO ROADThe road from Comas to Satipo offers an excellent altitudinal gradient similar to the one on the Manu Road, but with less pristine habitat and lower species richness. Going over some interandean habitats the Satipo road begins the descent at 10 500 feet elevation in humid scrub, and descends through montane evergreen forest to lowland forest at 1 804 feet elevation at Satipo. Birders have only recently started to explore this road and it is not yet well known. The forest is still relatively intact, the traffic is light, and birding conditions are excellent. The poorly known Eye-ringed Thistletail is easily found at several sites along the road. Punto and Otuto is a side trip done mainly to see the Black-spectacled Brush-Finch. The starting point is Huancayo, about 7 hours from Lima on paved roads, a large town with plenty of accommodation; elsewhere, overnight facilities are generally scarce and camping might be required.

The trip starts in at Matahuasi, 12.5 miles from Jauja and 16 miles from Huancayo. The first part of the trip climbs up to Puna habitat before descending to the small town of Comas about 33 miles from the turnoff. The birding can already start in the scrub and other habitats that this road crosses. 12 miles from Comas, you will pass the turnoff to Punto a small Andean village that is one of only two sites where the Black-spectacled Brush-Finch has been found so far. The brush-finch is present in the humid scrub just below the village, and can be seen from here down the valley to Otuto. The scrub is also good for hummingbirds and mixed flocks. Eye-ringed Thistletail has been reported from this area, and flowering bushes attract an impres-sive list of fancy hummingbirds such as Fire-throated Metaltail (one of the best sites for this endemic), Purple-backed Thornbill, Blue-mantled Thornbill, Great Sapphirewing, and Mountain Velvetbreast.

Continuing on the main road at Manzanilla 32 miles from Comas, you will find a very interesting remnant patch of elfin forest where small Gynoxys shrubs cling

Oconal. Soon you will have an excellent view across the marsh. Scan any areas of open water, which can attract a variety of locally uncommon water birds. Masked Duck has been seen here. You should also bird from the road and try other small trails that go down to the marsh. Watch out for Black-faced Tanager in the bushes and Blackish Rails in the open. Scissor-tailed Nightjar and Striped Owl are possible at dusk.

Montane Woodcreeper Lepidocolaptes lacrymiger

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Central HighwayParallel to the Santa Eulalia road is this main paved road that connects Lima to Amazonia. The birds in this section are similar to those described for Santa Eulalia, however, on the Central Highway you will have less habitat and stopping may be difficult because of the heavy traffic. Try to stop in the same habitats at the same elevations as recommended for Santa Eulalia.

One spot worth checking is reached from the exit at mile 33 in Cocachacra. The dirt road to Santiago de Tuna takes you through some nice dense scrub habitat as the road quickly gains elevation. Maybe a better place to stop is at San Mateo (mile 58). Drive through the town to a road fork to the left (about mile 59) and follow this side road, called Jirón Ayacucho, out of town. Bird from the road and check the flowers for a good variety of hummingbirds, including Black Metaltail, Bronze-tailed Comet, Black-breasted Hillstar, Giant Hummingbird, and Great Sapphirewing. Other interesting birds here are Rufous-webbed Tyrant and Rusty-bellied Brush-Finch. Back on the highway again, there are not many places to stop along the way. Look for high Puna bunch grass close to the road if you do not take the Marcapomacocha road. Pretty soon you will reach the highest point of the road at Ticlio or Abra de Anticona (mile 82; 15 807 feet elevation).

Bosque de Zarate A unique relict patch of forest, the Bosque de Zarate, lies between 9 183 and 10 826 feet elevation on mile 35 of the central highway and is only a little over one square kilometer in area. This forest has received much attention since Maria Koepcke studied it and proposed it as a protected area in 1952. Sadly, it remains officially unprotected and conflicts over property rights, use for goat grazing, and a lack of interest from the authorities is condemning it to constant shrinkage. Because it involves 4 to 8 hours of Carretera Central sites. The major attractions are undoubtedly the endemic and range-restricted White-cheeked Cotinga (its scientific genus is Zaratornis, named after this forest) and Rufous-breasted Warbling-Finch. Camping at the forest is probably necessary, since it will take almost an entire day to get there.

Junín lakeThe critically endangered Junín Grebe (or Junín Flightless Grebe) and the Junín Rail are found only at this high elevation lake (13 385 feet elevation) in central Perú. For some visitors and scientists this is the most exquisite of all the high Andean lakes. It is composed of about 37 065 acres of open water and 123 550 acres of inundated land consisting of reed marshes (Scirpus and Juncus) and adjacent grassland. During the drier season (September-January) it is relatively easy to walk through the marshes and extensive grassland. The whole area is surrounded by puna grassland with rocky slopes. You may be able to rent a boat with a motor from the INRENA office in Junín, but arrangements should be made well in advance. The town of Junín lies conveniently on your

HUANUCO AREA

Continuing from Junin you reach the town of Huánuco (6 213 feet elevation), a big city that can be accessed easily from Lima by plane or comfortable buses (252 miles in 8-10 hours). If in your own car, you have the option of birding places like Santa Eulalia and Lago Junin en route. The city has two good hotels on the Plaza de Armas and many others elsewhere. From Huánuco you can go to the Carpish area (1 hour) and La Quinua (1.5 hours) by taxi or public transport on paved roads. For Unchog you will need a 4-wheel drive vehicle, which you can rent in Huánuco.

Carpish TunnelThe Carpish Tunnel, at 8 858 feet elevation, mile 280 from Lima, is an accessible area of upper montane forest in relatively good condition on the main road from Huánuco. This renowned birding site was one of the best cloud forests in Peru and you could spend two or three days birding here. In front of the tunnel, there is a broad open area where you can spend some time. The endemic Chestnut Anpitta and Unstreaked Tit-Tyrant are the two birds to look for here, along with Tschudi’s Tapaculo. Just after the tunnel there is a trail to the left that goes to some very good bamboo habitat, suitable for Slaty Finch. In addition to these specialties, you can expect to find all the usual mid-elevation forest birds. Mixed flocks with the usual furnariids, flycatchers and tanagers are common. There are several trails going down into the forest that should be explored, and birding from the road can be very good.

Paty TrailThis old trail (starting 2.5 miles after the tunnel) that led to the Hacienda Paty tea plantation was used in the seventies by a team of ornithologists from Louisi-ana State University. Much has changed since then, but there are still good birds to be seen here and its easy accessibility makes it a must for birdwatchers visiting the region. The elevation and habitats are similar to the Carpish Tunnel site. You could easily bird this trail for 3 days with plenty of new species every time. The trail starts in some bamboo with Peruvian Wren and Trilling Tapaculo, then descends steeply past the school and a soccer field and soon you are in good forest. Only 218 yards after the school and

around the soccer field try for Rusty-breasted Antpitta, Chestnut Antpitta, and Bay Antpitta. The trail descends rapidly, with the best forest found right next to the trail. Walking slowly along this trail can reward you with good mixed flocks and some surprises (e.g. Masked Saltator, Masked Fruiteater). Bosque UnchogThis famous elfin forest site is the type locality for Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager, Rufous-browed Hemispingus, and Pardusco discovered in the 1970s. It is still the best place to see these three endemic birds. To get to Bosque Unchog, leave Huánuco on the same road as the Carpish Tunnel and after 7.5 miles (Mile 264, before the toll booth) take the left road towards Churubamba and Cochabamba. In Cochabamba it is recommended that you ask for permission to enter the area, and pay a fee. About 1.2|miles from the town of Cochabamba, at 9840 feet elevation, the trail crosses some crop fields - this might be your best chance to see Brown-flanked Tanager. Once at the end of the road (5 miles), you are at the pass and in Unchog area. The Golden-backed Mountain-Tanager moves between forest patches in small groups. The Pardusco seems to be anywhere where there is some forest or scrub. Tapaculos and Undulated Antpitta should also be found here and Andean Snipe can be flushed by walking through the bunch grass at the forest edge. La QuinuaThis Polylepis forest, at about mile 199 on the Central Highway, is in the department of Pasco and can also be reached independently from Huánuco. It is not especially far from Junín (about 56 miles on a paved road). If you are driving to Huánuco, stopping here can

reward you with some interesting species. Coming from Huánuco, you will cross some interesting habitat on the way that might be worth checking from the road. For Rufous-backed Inca-Finch, search in the arid scrub along the dry quebradas on the northwest side of the road. Park next to the road and walk up the hills with the densest scrub. Continue on the main road and look for the Polylepis stands; Birds like Stripe-headed Antpitta, Rusty-crowned Tit-Spinetail, and Black Metaltail can be seen here. Look out for the large stick nests of Baron’s Spinetail. Open areas are good for Striated Earthcreeper and many species of ground-tyrants.

PucallpaContinuing along the road after the “Tunnel area” you will eventually end up in Pucallpa, the fastest-growing and somewhat chaotic jungle city with a population of about 200,000 people and most of the amenities of any big city. Bird-wise it has not received much attention in recent years because the road to Pucallpa passed through some towns that were best avoided for security reasons. However, there are daily commer-cial flights to this town. From here you have some option like the “Cordillera Azul” Park, or the Sira moun-tains, but close to the city you can’t miss lake Yarinaco-cha. This lake, only 4.3 miles from the city, is a must for any birdwatcher visiting Pucallpa. Although it might appear too developed to be good for birding, there is a nice collection of species here. Yarinacocha also has some lodges, such as La Cabaña, and you could stay here instead of in Pucallpa. There is some good flooded forest at the right hand end of the lake. Get a boat into the Lobo Caño (a cre b k flowing out of the lake) for about 220 yards, where you

Villa RicaVilla Rica (4 822 feet elevation) lies at the heart of Central Perú’s coffee-growing region and is largely surrounded by coffee plantations. There are some patches of remnant forest left here and there and bird flocks use the mature shade coffee plantations. The “shade” coffee plantations, with a monolayer canopy of Inga trees, are surprisingly good for birding, as the flowers and fruit attract a variety of parrots, hummingbirds, flycatchers, and tanagers and the leaves support caterpillars that attract cuckoos, warblers, and tanagers. Birding this area offers many opportunities for exploration on the numerous tracks through the coffee plantations. It is best to bird from the roads since the coffee plantations are all on private property.

Laguna OconalA site you can reach on foot from Villa Rica is the Laguna Oconal south of town on the Cedro Pampa road. This marsh is the largest in the region, but is threatened by drainage projects and is grazed by cattle. Take the Leopoldo Krausse road south-west and 0.6 miles after the Plaza, turn left on to the road to

Oxapampa-Antenna RoadOxapampa (5950 feet elevation) has a long history of western settlement, having been colonized mostly by German immigrants to raise dairy cattle in the moun-tain valleys. It has a different flavor than other towns in the Andes. Because the area has been farmed for over 100 years, the forest has been heavily degraded (but the cheese is good!). Fortunately, there are still some areas left untouched mainly because they are too humid and steep for roads and farming. The patch of forest worth visiting is only 14 miles (2-3 hours) from Oxapampa and has an interesting set of mid-elevation east Andean birds. Two exciting discoveries have been made here: the endemic Cloud-forest Screech-Owl and a possible new taxon of Chestnut Antpitta.

Yanachaga ChemillenThis 301 465 acres National Park is extraordinarily diverse but has received little attention, in part because access is assumed to be difficult, which is not necessarily true. There are several ways to visit the park. For the highest bird diversity, the best option is

PASCO LOWLANDS

If you continue descending from Tarma you will make it to this region. The lowlands of central Peru were the first tropical forests to be settled and exploited in Peru because of their proximity to Lima. Since most of the habitat is secondary forests and coffee planta-tions, with very little pristine forest left, it may not seem like an ideal birding destination. However, there is still a good array of unique species and the Pasco lowlands are inhabited by numerous endemics and some typical birds of central Perú that are hard to see elsewhere. Where else can you guarantee Creamy-bellied Antwren? Or where else has Lanceolated Monklet been seen so often? The other advantage of the area is relatively easy access from Lima. The Central Highway is paved into most of the major towns, so that they can be reached in a one-day journey from Lima.

Green Jay Cyanocorax yncas