Peru Safari

a blooming Travelling into the wilds of Peru on a 4x4 expedition sounds like enough of an adventure in itself. But doing it on a mission to track down one of the world’s rarest flowers, which blooms only once in 80 years and doesn’t grow anywhere else in the world, sounds like a whole new definition for the phrase ‘the trip of a lifetime’ WORDS: MARTIN LONG PICTURES: PERU SAFARI

72 | OCTOBER 2017

6pp Peru SLRS.indd 72

4x4

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

27/08/2017 23:46

good time

P

uya Raimondii is one of the rarest forms of life on our planet. It’s a species of orchid – but definitely not the kind you can get Interflora to deliver when you need to haul yourself out of the mire because you’ve forgotten your wife’s birthday.

If you could, you’d score a lot of points. As well as being rare, Puya Raimondii is one of the world’s most spectacular wild flowers, with around 8000 individual buds opening up at the same time. It grows up to 45 feet high and blooms only once in its 80-100 year lifetime, after which it dies.

That’s probably one of the reasons why it’s so rare. Another is likely to be that it’s pollinated only by hummingbirds. Either way, there are only three small clusters of Puya Raimondii in the world. And all of them are in Peru.

So, while getting one of these things delivered

by Interflora might score you a lot of points with your other half, it definitely wouldn’t be popular if she happened to be a botanist by trade. Far better to travel to Peru and see one in its own natural habitat.

Which is exactly what two of Peru Safari’s customers wanted to do when they contacted the company to enquire about a bespoke tour.

Pia and Catia are a pair of botany professors, hailing from Germany and Brazil, and their mission was to actually see a Puya Raimondii with their own eyes.

Time for a bit of research in the Peru Safari office (which is back home in England, even further from any Puya Raimondii clusters). Turns out the largest concentration of Puya Raimondii is in the foothills of Huascaran, a mountain in the Cordillera Blanca range whose southern

4x4 6pp Peru SLRS.indd 73

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

OCTOBER 2017 | 73

27/08/2017 23:46

peak towers above the surrounding valleys at a height of 22,000 feet. That’s about five Ben Nevises one on top of the other.

Now, Peru Safari normally runs expeditions in a completely different part of this glorious South American country. But Paul Boardman, the company’s UK-based owner and full-time guide, isn’t in the habit of saying no. So before much more time had passed, Pia and Catia

were very pleased to find themselves booked up and looking forward to an eight-day expedition all of their own.

Now, all Paul and his team had to do was make it happen. Happily, that’s what they specialise in doing, even when it’s a special request like this that takes them far out of their everyday comfort zone.

Said comfort zone is a 15-day itinerary via Cusco and Nazca, where a convoy of the company’s liveried Toyota Hi-Luxes is a regular part of the scenery. Huascaran lies about 1000

miles north of here. Definitely not your everyday group departure, then.

But local knowledge is the key to making trips like this work – and if you’re a tour operator, that means knowing the right people. In this case, a family friend by the name of Raul Guerrero was brought in to be the expect guide; normally a sociology professor in Lima, he’s native of the area – making him the perfect man to act as the brains of the operation while Paul himself looked after the 4x4 driving and logistics.

And with that, the plan had come together. Pia and Catia joined the team in Lima, and off they

‘Huascaran towers above the surrounding valleys at a height of 22,000 feet. That’s five Ben Nevises one on top of the other’

4x4 6pp Peru SLRS.indd 74

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

27/08/2017 23:46

DIESEL POWER PLUS IS A PREMIUM DIESEL FUEL ADDITIVE THAT OFFERS A LARGE NUMBER OF PERFORMANCE BENEFITS. With Diesel Power Plus, you have the option of providing your vehicle with optimum power and economy, by adding 30ml of Diesel Power Plus fuel additive to your fuel tank, once per month. Alternatively you can add the fuel additive to every tank of fuel for maximum performance. Ì Ì Ì Ì Ì Ì Ì

SUBSCRIBE TO

4x4

CETANE BOOSTER FOR MORE POWER IMPROVES FUEL ECONOMY FUEL INJECTOR CLEANER REDUCES SMOKE AND EMISSIONS REDUCED COMBUSTION NOISE LONGER COMPONENT LIFE FULLY RESEARCHED

total

OFF-ROAD

DIESEL POWER PLUS IS EXTRA CONCENTRATED AND LASTS FOR 12 MONTHS WHEN YOU USE IT MONTHLY - THE SAME AS YOUR SUBSCRIPTION! Diesel Power Plus is manufactured by Tunit Diesel Performance. For more information on Tunit products visit www.tunit.com & www.dieselpowerplus.co.uk

VENTER TRAILERS UK LTD UNIT 3 ORCHARD COURT ARMSTRONG WAY YATE, BS37 5GW

AND RECEIVE SALES & RENTALS A FREE e info@ventertrailersuk.com 473ML BOTTLE OF DIESEL POWER PLUS FUEL ADDITIVE WORTH £18.99! t 01454 325109 m 07894 529452

SUBSCRIBING COSTS AS LITTLE AS £3 AN ISSUE AND YOUR COPIES ALL COME STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR

CALL 01283 742970 OR GO TO WWW.WWMAGAZINES.COM/TOR/TUNIT

Venter.indd 1

4x4 | SEPTEMBER 2017 76

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 51 TOR Folios and classifieds.indd 48

29/11/2016 16:08

OCTOBER 2017 | 75 4x4 INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

29/08/2017 13:38 31/07/2017 12:46

Even when you’re a botany professor on a mission to track down one of the world’s rarest flowers, an eight-day expedition through Peru is hardly going to be all work and no sightseeing. This is a nation that’s bristling with authentic culture and traditional ways – the markets pictured to the left are the real thing, not some sort of twee pastiche laid on for tourists. It’s also not exactly short on scenery – surrounded by glacial peaks at a heady 15,000 feet, the brilliant blue waters of Laguna Paron look like they were created in Photoshop. This really is nature at its best all set on a route that would take them north to the Ancash region and to the town of Huaraz, staging post for expeditions into the Cordilleras.

From here, the route headed to Chavin de Huantar via a series of mountain trails which included a towering 14,500-foot pass – very much 4x4 country, with the Hi-Lux working for its living every inch of the way. Beyond here, the ruins of Chavin came into view below.

This fortress-like pre-Colombian structure was home to the Chavin cult, some 1400 years before Christ. It’s an intriguing site, with its carved stone heads and a snarling sculpture called the Lanzon de Chavin, hidden deep within a labyrinth of tunnels inside the old temple.

The worshipers’ disorientation, in addition to the hallucinogenic effects of the San Pedro cactus they were given before entering, only heightened the psychological impact of being in this other-worldly place.

From Chavin, after a hearty lunch of freshly caught river trout, the route wound its way to the authentic Andean village of Chacra – and Sunday mass. Without a tourist in sight, the group enjoyed the parade of locals sporting their Sunday best traditional hats, each indicating a unique message about its wearer’s social situation, with brightly coloured ribbons and multi-layered flowered skirts – a style unchanged for centuries. The backdrop to this was the impressive Cordillera Blanca, pressing the village on all sides, whose snow-covered peaks would be the next challenge.

4x4 6pp Peru SLRS.indd 77

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

The route up to the glacier on mount Unti is nothing short of phenomenal. With amazing views all the way, and more glaciers dropping almost vertically off the mountains down to the village of Caraz, words like ’spectacular’ barely begin to do it justice.

Negotiating the Canyon Del Pato, whose 1000-foot sheer walls are less than 100 feet across in places, also tested the mettle of driver and passengers alike. This part of the expedition also featured no less than 36 separate road tunnels – someone must have really, really wanted to create a road through here. Everyone

was happy that they did, though, because the next stop was in the old Plaza de Armas – where no-one was about to grumble about the fact that they happened upon a shop selling home-made ice cream.

That’ll be the first time the joys of home-made ice cream have ever featured in a ruffty-tuffty offroad magazine like this one, then. But the next day it was back to business as usual, the Hi-Lux scrabbling its way up another stunningly beautiful 4x4 track into Huascaran National Park. Glaciers, snow-capped peaks and gigantic waterfalls lined the route up to Laguna Paron, with and the

OCTOBER 2017 | 77 27/08/2017 23:46

scenery getting more and more spectacular all the time.

This route is lined with tropical plants, including many species of orchid, and there were butterflies everywhere as the truck made its slow progress uphill. The team didn’t see even one other vehicle on this section of its journey – just a lone backpacker also heading towards the lagoon.

He’s bound to have found the effort worthwhile. The lagoon looks like it’s been Photoshopped – it’s an impossible shade of

turquoise, set against a backdrop of looming glaciers. The air is thin up here, at more than 15,000 feet, so it’s a relaxed trek along the side of the lagoon with cameras in hand.

After an equally leisurely picnic in this fabulous setting, it was time for the moment of truth.

However much Pia and Catia might have been enjoying the trip, they were here on a mission.

Now, taking on an expedition like this could be seen as a brave thing to do. And as we all know, fortune favours the brave (try putting that phrase into Google if you want to see a band called Beltane Fire performing the worst

rock video of all time). A couple of weeks previously, Paul had been very fortunate indeed when he chanced upon a German botanist who passed on rumours he’d heard of a Puyo Raimondii in full bloom. A pencil mark was carefully placed on a map and kept in store for the last day of the tour – and of course, finding out whether the guy was correct would make or break the entire venture.

As the vehicle wound its way through the glorious Puna scenery of Pastoruli (now rather grimly known as the Climate Change Route, due to the rapid retreat of the glaciers in the area), there was a strained anticipation in the cabin.

Paul studied the map intently, hoping the dot was in right place!

‘If you’re going to travel halfway round the world to see a wild flower, make it a Puya Raimondii. It really was a breathtaking sight’

78 | OCTOBER 2017

6pp Peru SLRS.indd 78

4x4

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

27/08/2017 23:46

Then, closer to the track than you might have expected, there it was. Unmistakable.

The Puya Raimondii was huge, in full flower, and covered in hummingbirds. It stood proud, all of 45 feet tall. If you’re going to travel halfway round the world to see a wild flower, make it one of these. It really was a breathtaking sight, and a wonderful way to round off a tour.

But there was another surprise to come, too.

As the team progressed further into the valley, there were more. Seven or eight in total, all in full bloom, and all with the magnificent backdrop of the Cordillera Blanca framing them against a cobalt blue sky.

Seeing a Puya Raimondii in full flower is a sight that could elude you for a lifetime. Even so, given their gigantic size, in retrospect being presented with one by the Interflora man might not please your wife quite as much after all. For starters, where do you get a big enough vase?

But if you really want to put a smile on your other half’s face, you could still show her a Puya Raimondii. Say it with flowers? Oh yes. In their natural habitat? What could be better. And you get the trip of a lifetime as well. We’re sure the guys from Peru Safari wouldn’t mind heading back towards Huascaran one more time.

Peru Safari has its office in the UK but specialises exclusively in overland expeditions aboard Toyota 4x4s in Peru. The company’s website is at www. perusafari.com, and it can be contacted via 01744 889819 or 07522 776160

4x4 6pp Peru SLRS.indd 79

INCORPORATING

total

OFF-ROAD

27/08/2017 23:46