05/01/2018
Here at Inkaterra, we’re both grateful and delighted to say that 2017 has been another action-packed year. As we move into the New Year, we thought we’d share some of our 2017 highlights; from the launch of Inkaterra Guides Field Station in the Amazon rainforest of Southern Peru and being included within three of Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards, to spotting four playful Pygmy Marmosets in an Ubos Tree.
In June, we welcomed Inkaterra Guides Field Station into our portfolio of eco-lodges, offering eco-conscious travellers the opportunity to explore the rainforest and actively partake in crucial ongoing conservation projects, from camera trapping to tracking the migration of native bird species, and more.
Families, researchers, students and volunteers from all walks of life are invited to the Inkaterra Guides Field Station to find out more about eco-tourism and how they can help support the environment and local species, and pass on this vital information onto the next generation of eco-conscious individuals and groups.
In October, we were thrilled to be included in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2017, and that all five of our luxury boutique properties were included in three of Condé Nast Traveler’s highly distinguished categories: Best Hotels in the World, Top Hotels in South America, and Top Resorts in South America.
In July, we were delighted to hear about the introduction of a brand new engraved coin, featuring none other than our treasured Andean Spectacled Bear. With the help of the Banco Central de Reserva in Peru, this coin is helping to educate millions and to raise awareness of vulnerable status of the Spectacled Andean Bears. A total of 10 million 1 sol (25p GPB/30 cents USD) coins, featuring an engraved Andean Bear, were released into the market.
Last year also saw the introduction of the Andean Spectacled Bear programme at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, celebrating the launch of Paddington 2, and the 60th anniversary of Michael Bond’s classic, ‘A Bear Called Paddington’.
For spa-lovers and those seeking complete relaxation, byInkaterra’s El MaPi, in the heart of Machu Picchu Village, launched a new Spa, Spa Del Bosque. Located on the top floor of the hotel, the chic, organic offering boasts four private treatment rooms, pine sauna, hydro massage showers, hydration zone and a heated plunge pool. Products used during treatments are derived from botanical extracts and Andean herbs and grains, offering a 100% organic experience.
In 2017, we opened the doors to a charming, candle-let Wine Cellar at Inkaterra Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel. The Cellar houses more than 90 wine labels, including Bonarda (Douce noir) (AR), Luna Negra (SP) as well as Inkaterra’s house wines, produced at the Pulenta Estate in Mendoza (AR). The Wine Cellar also offers wine connoisseurs a Chef’s Table experience; an authentic tasting menu, prepared in front of them by the hotel’s Chef, and served by a private butler.
In June, our Founder and CEO, José Koechlin, proposed the implementation of Conservation Corridors in the Madre de Dios region. Why? To help decrease illegal gold mining and logging, reducing human migration, safeguard local cultures and provide safe routes for both endemic birds, and those who migrate across the Pacific.
At the start of the year, in February, artists, craftsmen and chefs – such as awarded and world renowned Virgilio Martínez – flocked to the Sacred Valley of the Incas for the Momento Andes event, the first of its kind in Peru. Featuring food, music and seminars, the three-day event was held Inkaterra Hacienda Urubamba. The occasion saw a “meeting of the minds” as guests gathered to enjoy a series of practical workshops, activities and talks centred around sustainable farming, Peruvian cuisine and traditional art & textiles.
Last, but certainly not least, our favourite sightings from the last year. On September 17th, Explorer Guide Lili Gutierrez and two teammates caught sight of four Pygmy Marmosets snacking up an Ubos tree, while eating their own lunch in the staff dining room at Inkaterra Reserva Amazónica! The Pygmy Marmoset is the smallest monkey of the New World, often found close to waterways inhabiting the tropical lowlands of forests in the Western Amazon.