( CNN ) -- For more than a month , Garrett Hand and Jamie Neal went off the grid . But new photos of the couple -- who family members had reported missing in Peru -- surfaced online Thursday , posted by officials to prove that the pair were safe and sound , enjoying their South American vacation . A Facebook page for Peru 's tourism ministry published several photographs showing the couple smiling and posing with authorities . The U.S. Embassy in Lima also confirmed that Hand and Neal were `` safe and sound . '' And Hand 's mother released a statement saying she 'd spoken with her son . In Facebook posts Wednesday , Hand and Neal assured friends they were alive and well , and wrote they had been out of contact for more than a month because they had been traveling in Amazon villages without electricity , Internet or phone service . Missing since January , U.S. couple found in Peru . The couple , who hail from the San Francisco area , left in November and began a series of social media posts chronicling the trip of their dreams -- a four-month bike adventure through South America . Their online posts stopped in late January , prompting concern from family members . Saying calls to their cell phones had gone unanswered and bank transactions had stopped , relatives told reporters they feared the worst and asked for authorities to help find the couple . On Wednesday , relieved family members told reporters that the travelers were safe and sound . They thanked the Peruvian government , the U.S. Embassy and others for their help . `` I am so happy today that my son is well , '' Francine Fitzgerald , Hand 's mother , said in a statement . `` Now our family will have to process all of this , and I think this will take some time . I ca n't wait to see Garrett and Jamie walking off the plane and into my arms . '' Peru is known for the Incan ruins of Machu Picchu , located in the Cusco region , which attract hundreds of thousands of international travelers each year . Some remote areas of the country are out of cell phone and Internet reach . When the couple was spotted traveling in a small boat on a remote jungle river , Peruvian officials said they were clearly enjoying their trip and were n't aware that their families were looking for them . `` These two young people have fallen in love with Peru , '' Jose Luis Silva , Peru 's tourism minister , told CNN on Tuesday . `` They have visited off-the-beaten-path places , and it seems like they 're having a blast -- so much so that they have forgotten to communicate with their families . '' On Wednesday , a post on Neal 's Facebook page said that authorities had taken the couple to a military base , where they were fielding questions and being photographed . `` The Peruvian military gave us our own house to stay in , '' she wrote , `` and food and a bunch of booze to drink . '' All the attention was `` insane , '' Neal said . `` I may delete my Facebook when I get home . ''
NEW : TO : ` ` I am so happy today that my son is well '' In online interviews , Garrett Hand and Sarah Neal assure us they are safe . Family members had reported the California couple missing . Peruvian authorities say the couple was unaware their family was looking for them .