Following Ghosts in Northern Peru: In the Footsteps of 19th Century Travelers on the old Moyobamba Route.

After decades of being forgotten, northern Peru has finally begun emerging from the shadows of the country's better-known south. The magnificent ruins at Kuelap, the Gocta waterfall, the historical cities of Cajamarca and Trujillo, and jungle excursions along the Huallaga River are up-and-coming destinations for more adventurous travelers seeking to avoid the crowds in the south. And yet, northern Peru wasn't always unexplored territory for travelers. In the 19th century, the long-forgotten Moyobamba Route was the main connection between Peru's Pacific coast and the Amazon River. Among the adventurers who rode the old mule trails were a Royal Navy lieutenant, a Swiss nobleman, a French reporter, an American professor, and a famous early British aviator. Recently retired, the author set off to follow the ghosts of these and other early travelers, weaving together their stories with his own adventures each step of the way. But the story of the Moyobamba Route is just as much about the people who lived there as those who wandered through. A Utopian bishop, a mountain warlord, a jungle-raised feminist, a future Hollywood starlet, war heroes, German immigrants, entrepreneurs, and missionaries are among the characters who make up the region's rich history. Drawing on original Spanish language materials for much of the Peruvian history, the author brings some of their stories to English language readers for the very first time.