4000 year old gold necklace found in Peru....The earliest known gold jewelry made in the Americas has been discovered in southern Peru. The gold necklace, made nearly 4,000 years ago, was found in a burial site near Lake Titicaca.

The discovery "was a complete shock," said Mark Aldenderfer, an anthropologist at the University of Arizona. In the past, it had been assumed that a society needed to be well established  in the production of agricultural surpluses, in order to support activities such as making ornamental objects, he explained. But the people living in this region at the time were still primarily hunter-gatherers, he said.


YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED                                                                                        TOP OF PAGE
1) With all that snow around up high on Kilimanjaro, is there a risk of there being ice and the need for crampons - or is it really just thick trudging type conditions? No, there is no need for crampons and you won't experience ice conditions. The snow is normally a light dusting, as it has been of late at only 2cm.  The path from Barranco to Summit transverses some rock areas just above 4600m, and then you hit the volcanic scree. It does get quite icy at night and really "crunches under foot" as you walk over it. Ice picks and crampons were only ever need on the Western Breach route, which is now permanently closed. You will only encounter snow about 4800m, but mainly from about half way to summit/Stella point that you will find snow. Tour itinerary

2) I have heard that there are excessive rains in Peru and Argentina at the moment. How will this affect the Inca Trail? Heavy rainfall in these regions are normal in the early part of the year and normally dissipate in March. Late March sees the ends of the rain and the start of the "busy" season on the Inca Trail. As such, trips to the Inca Trail from now on will  not be affected. Tour itinerary