Southern Peru tour, including Bolivia

Southern Peru tour, including Bolivia

How this holiday makes a difference

Environment

Tourism to Peru has boomed over the past few decades. For this reason there is even greater emphasis for tours to be carried out in a responsible and sustainable manner.

We have picked hotels specifically with this in mind: for example our beautifully located lodge just outside the Machu Picchu ruins is part of the eponymous Inkaterra hotel group, a leader in sustainable tourism in Peru. It is their mission to provide luxury vacations to diverse exotic destinations in Peru, in a responsible manner that respects the culture and people who live here, in addition to preserving the environment. The wooden cottages are planned in a highly sensitive manner decorated in Inca designs and beds laid with traditional Peruvian blankets, all sourced locally. Experienced guides, including a resident biologist, are from the region itself and provide a range of carefully planned excursions to the surrounding area rich in various forms of wildlife. The hotel is famed for its vast number of rare orchids, receiving a prestigious award from the American Orchid Society; in fact the hotel has the largest number of native orchid species in their natural habitat in private facility open to the public. Within the grounds is also the presence of the endangered species of Spectacled Bear and on request guests are taken to the unique rescue and conservation centre monitored by Inkaterra Association (ITA-NGO) and INRENA (National Institute of Natural Resources of Peru) and sponsored by INKATERRA and the Bear Rescue Foundation (UK). Catching a glimpse of a bear in its natural habitat is a rare and thrilling experience.

The Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica Lodge in the Peruvian Amazon was created with a similar vision. Situated on the banks of the Madre de Dios River it is in a prime location to visit the Tambopata National Reserve, and the lodge is involved with numerous schemes to preserve and protect the diversity of flora and fauna in the region. There are diverse species of wildlife in the reserve, many of which are under threat and rely on support from responsible environmental projects: an example is the critically endangered giant river otter. As well as the otter, a rescue project of endangered primates on nearby Rolin Island has been set up and in a separate area, a butterfly house designed to display and preserve many of the 3,800 species in Peru. For an overall feel of Madre de Dios’ environmental importance, visitors will spend time at the informative Concepcion Educational Research Facility, designed by the National Geographic Society. The visitors’ own exploration of the unique flora and fauna is encouraged with the creation of many trails and excursions from the lodge; carefully designed to have minimal impact on the surrounding wildlife and vegetation. We will be accompanied by a specialist guide who has either grown up in the region or has in-depth research knowledge of the environment.

From Arequipa we visit the National Reserve of Salinas and Aguada Blanca National Park established to preserve the diverse flora and fauna endemic to the region. In visiting the extraordinarily beautiful park on this trip, we provide financial support to schemes created is to preserve communities of Vicuña, Guanaco (llama), Taruca (red deer) and flamingo. In addition, our accommodation for the two nights in the Colca Valley will be at the famous Colca Lodge, sensitively constructed using traditional Inca methods and materials typical of the region and look attractive with minimal impact on the surrounding area.

Community

Your tour leader, who is either from or spent a considerable amount of time living in Peru, will encourage interaction with the local communities at every stage. This includes trips to local markets in Cusco and the Sacred Valley and also out to the Uros Islands in Lake Titicaca, where a selection of remote, traditional communities have turned to tourism to diversify their livelihoods and welcome visitors to their extraordinary islands, entirely made of the local totora reed. A wonderful opportunity to experience the fascinating indigenous way of life.

Inkaterra feels a huge responsibility to Peru’s indigenous communities so often under threat from the country’s dominating western influenced culture. Sensitive to this, Reserva Amzonica offers boat trips to a village deep into the jungle near the Bolivian border, where a three hour visit offers an insight into the traditions and culture of the indigenous Ese’ Eja native group. Their simple dwellings actually inspired the design of our lodge itself. This is a unique opportunity to learn about the community’s lifestyle and livelihood, hunting and farming techniques, and the challenges the Ese’Eja face in a changing world. Visitors are also encouraged to practice using the native hunting technique of the arch and arrow to further their experience of indigenous life in the jungle.

Southern Peru tour, including Bolivia